Help Us Create a National Movement for Storytelling
UPDATE - In August 2019 we self-published a little book about storytelling with a hand-drawn cover. It was a modest project for two small town teachers, but since then this work has touched the hearts of thousands of people all over the planet and, as you’ll see, that number is poised to surge into the millions within about a year.
We want to capitalize on this momentum by building a grassroots movement for storytelling that belongs to all of us, not just we the authors. If you’ll give us a minute, we’ll explain why.
In the paragraphs below, we outline:
Why storytelling is about to break into mainstream culture
The resources we bring to this movement
The key values we’d like to see it embrace
Why we need your help (how you can participate)
An article of ours is currently going viral, and many public figures and parenting experts have begun to sing the book’s praises, people like Jane Goodall, Steve Biddulph, Kim John Payne, Charles Eisenstein, Richard Rohr, Bill McKibben, and more.
“This book will help to promote storytelling as a key education tool."
- Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace
In February of this year, the book was picked up by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, bringing the resources of a major publisher to our homegrown project. We have already received translation rights inquiries from Turkey, China, and Romania. More are expected.
You can imagine what this feels like for a couple of teacher/storytellers in a small town.
Part of the reason this book has gotten so much attention is that the essential message is empowerment. There are a lot of other books on storytelling out there, but almost all of them are focused on repeating someone else’s stories.
If you take a moment to scan our website, read our newsletter, or check out our Facebook page, you’ll see that the book plays second fiddle to the essential message: you are already a good storyteller. We’ve gathered the science to prove that to you.
But what’s perhaps more compelling is our focus on the storytelling relationship. Most storytelling resources are focused on what? The story. We’re focused on the relationship that arises between parent and child during the story. This is what the viral article is all about - building the bond of attachment using tools you already have at your disposal.
If you’re hip to the local food movement, you’ll find something similar in our approach to storytelling. It’s not that farmers in Mexico aren’t growing great vegetables, it’s that we’re starting to learn that we like knowing where our food comes from. We smile a little when our eggs come from down the road. Similarly, it’s not that Disney isn’t putting out great movies, it’s that parents want that smile for themselves.
There’s all these neat studies about how storytelling helps a child remember information, build empathy, create focus, and on and on. What scientists are starting to recognize is that this occurs because storytelling has a central role in our cognitive development - both child development and evolutionary development. Storytelling isn’t just for fun. It’s a major part of how we derive meaning and behavior from our world.
We tell stories. And if you look, you find them at the core of every social grouping we have - religions, nations, neighborhoods, families, etc. Stories. It’s how we relate.
The new edition of the book is due out from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in the spring of 2021. We’re already receiving signs that this release will be a big deal. And let’s be honest, as the authors we stand to receive a lot from the book’s success. That’s why we’re reaching out now. We want to parlay that success into something that serves homo sapiens and the planet in the long run, not just us.
If that sounds a little grandiose, check out this article about the global impact of storytelling. And if you don’t want to hear it from us, here’s a slightly different version from CNBC. If you look, you’ll find this same message at the heart of all sorts of news stories (notice that word?) and public commentaries. But the big picture of storytelling in human development is still pretty new to the average Joe. For that, check out Brian Boyd’s On the Origin of Stories and Jonathan Gottschall’s The Storytelling Animal.
Our little book is riding on the back of their success, and countless other scientists, but because our focus is on children’s stories (a feel-good subject) our audience seems to be more receptive. Not only is our book likely going to have an international impact, our Facebook following and email list is growing quickly. In other words, we’re creating what so many authors and professionals wish for - a platform.
Still, as teachers and storytellers we know there are lots of other incredibly gifted storytellers out there, some of whom are doing wonderful things to bring storytelling into the light of day. Let’s get together.
We believe our book is merely a catalyst for a larger movement that is being called for in these times. As we approach a hundred years of television, we could all use a friendly reminder that we’re good at this. Storytelling is perfectly natural. It belongs to all of us, and it’s free. Best of all, we now have the science to prove that parents who engage with storytelling with their children build resilient and successful adults.
If you’re following this logic, help us. Help us create a movement for storytellers everywhere - starting with mom and dad in the home. That’s where storytelling originated. That’s its original place in our species.
If you are a storyteller, contact us. If you know people who would resonate with this message, tell them. We’d love to publish guest articles, collaborate with scientists and storytelling professionals, and do whatever we can to promote the growing awareness of the impact storytelling has in our lives.
If you have an example of how storytelling made a difference for you, or your child, student, or grandchild, write to us. If it’s relevant, share this article, the book, our website, or Facebook page. We can use our collective momentum to create something pretty spectacular.
We believe the central message of this movement is: storytelling belongs to everyone. For that reason, we don’t want to exclude anyone. This is a movement for moms and dads, conservatives and liberals. It’s a movement for black folks and white folks, Latinos and Asians. It’s for wealthy and poor, indigenous and immigrant, gardener and gamer.
The second core value we have is: storytelling works with, not against. In the modern era, it's tempting to portray storytelling as an antidote to video or screen time, but we think this is a mistake. First of all, that alienates a lot of people right off the bat. We like those folks. Second, working against something tends to bog us down in the argument. We believe the benefits of storytelling speak for themselves and easily work in tandem with screen time or screen-free households. In other words, storytelling belongs to everyone.
At first look, storytelling appears to be about the story. There’s no question that the story will always remain a vital part of the action, but when we shift our focus to the relationship that arises between speaker and listener, i.e. parent and child, we have the opportunity to see that storytelling is about sharing love and life. That’s why it’s a universal tool, and it’s why helping everyone tell stories just a little bit more is more important than publishing the work of a handful of expert storytellers.
It’s grassroots.