We are about to plan a series of discussions about story circles. If you are interested, read on!
We participated in one that the West Side Legends organized back in the spring. The theme of that story circle was living on the West Side of Pittsfield during the 1950’s and 1960’s, before the Urban Renewal project eliminated a big swath of the neighborhood. The story circle run by Marvin Purry and Tony Jackson, using zoom, inspired me to try to help others organize them.
Earlier in the pandemic, I worked with the Sheffield Historical Society director Jennifer Owens to lead a story circle about experiences on the home front (in Sheffield and surrounding area) during World War II. Again, on zoom, it worked. I look forward to story circles in person. But meanwhile, zoom can work.
I see story circles as a way to inspire stories in groups of people, and to foster community building while doing so. A story circle can also be much easier to manage than an oral history project for a small organization hoping to gather and collect stories.
We would like to explore both formats – in person and virtual – in discussions this fall. If you have run a story circle, or if you would like to learn more, please let me know. jmonachina@berkshirecc.edu
Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer.