On Monday, February 25th, Residential Academic Initiatives partnered with the Alice Kaplan Institute for the Humanities to present “Storytelling Perspectives: Performances + Q&A” with established storytellers, Artist-in-Residence Megan Stielstra and Aimy Tien. Stielstra and Tien provided valuable insight on the techniques of live nonfiction storytelling, gave advice on overcoming writer’s block, and discussed the significance of creating inclusive spaces for diverse voices.
The event kicked off This Northwestern Life, a new series running through May that aims to introduce Northwestern students to storytelling as a tool for scholarship and offer outlets for creativity and collaboration. In April, Stielstra will host “Tell Your Story,” a workshop where undergraduates are welcome to learn about storytelling as an art form or brush up on their skills. This Northwestern Life will culminate in a final campus-wide storytelling competition where students can submit their original nonfiction, perform for a live audience, and win cash prizes.
Willard Hall’s multifunction room was the perfect venue thanks to its integrated stage lighting and low ceilings, which created a vibe more consistent with performing than teaching or studying. Over 20 guests were sitting on the edge of their seats—and enjoying Lou Malnati’s pizza, courtesy of the Kaplan Institute—as they listened to Stielstra and Tien share their suspenseful and captivating stories before a black backdrop.
Tien opened up about a bad date, while Stielstra focused on recreating the feelings associated with a ticking clock counting down to a potentially life-changing revelation. Both storytellers told students how they can find inspiration—covering potential topics ranging from everyday objects like water bottles to measles—and transform their written thoughts and emotions into a visual performance.
“This Northwestern Life has the opportunity to connect Northwestern students through storytelling, facilitating the sharing of student art and helping to foster the kind of intellectual community that is central to the life of an undergraduate university,” said Caroline Ward, a junior in the Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences.
Stielstra and Tien emphasized the importance of representation when it comes to storytelling. Stielstra explicitly addressed the issue of the primarily white male canon, but recognizes her own privileges, while Tien reminded students to not dismiss the importance of wellness and safety when telling true and personal stories. Both storytellers understand the empowering nature of storytelling as a medium and are utilizing their positions to further promote diversity and inclusion. “I hope students know that their stories matter. Their voice matters. We need them. We’re trying to remake the world,” emphasized Stielstra.
“As a Creative Writing major, I focus on the written word, forgetting the appeal and overlap of other forms of storytelling,” Ward said. “I appreciated the reminder that oral storytelling can be more a more accessible and community-based form of storytelling. I found it fascinating that both speakers work at Second Story because I often forget oral storytelling can be a career path.”
Some students expressed that they are often afraid to tell their stories because they don’t think their experiences make for exciting content. However, Emily Lane, the graduate assistant in the Kaplan Institute who has been the driving force behind This Northwestern Life, wants students to embrace the notion that “everyone has a story to tell and—even more importantly—we need you to tell that story.”
“The stakes of the story are what you make them. It doesn’t have to be a life and death situation for it to mean something to someone,” Lane said.
Just as how this reporter returned home, pulled out her old notebook, and finally wrote down a story that has been percolating in her mind for some time now, we are all storytellers. We all have different voices, distinct experiences, and unique stories to share. This is our Northwestern life, so sign up to tell us about yours this spring.
