I am often asked what it means to be a storyteller, and I usually give a short, pithy answer. It’s so much more, at least how I do it. Here is an evolving list of what being a storyteller means to me:
I am a teaching, working, performing, artist.
- I share told-stories, live, online, and in recordings, that evoke empathy, compassion, curiosity, and delight. I share my stories with adults, kids, and families.
- My stories range from traditional (folktales, myths); to modernized, personalized, or fractured traditional; to personal (mostly true stories of lived experience); to original fiction (magical realism, horror, fantasy); to scary stories (ghost stories and other spooky tales); to historical and literary; and more.
- I am always stretching the boundaries of what storytelling means, for me.
- I have a repertoire of around 400 stories that I can tell with no more than an hour of prep. I have a few hundred more that take some time to get ready.
- Some of those stories can be found in my recordings and in my facebook live archive at facebook.com/laurapackerstoryteller. Others can be found in my Patreon, patreon.com/laurapacker. I am working on new recordings.
I am a coach and teacher, committed to my students’ success and creativity.
- I coach to help others find their voice, develop stories to share, and celebrate their own stories. My students range in age from middle-school to elders, and with many purposes in mind.
- My classes are many and varied, intended to help people succeed. I teach on a wide range of topics related to storytelling, creativity, livelihood and more.
- I also help people find their path via their own stories. This can include livelihood, creativity, and more. Some of this work can be found at creativitycomfortcare.com
I am a consultant.
- I help businesses and non-profit organizations unearth, understand, and use their stories to create better workplaces through my consulting practice, thinkstory.com.
- I do workshops (both custom and pre-existing), keynotes, coaching, and more with for- and non-profits. These organizations range from 10-person startups to multinational organizations.
- My foci include better working environments, crisis management, marketing, recruiting, leadership, and more.
- My keynotes are deeply engaging, inspirational, and always crafted with the audience in mind.
I am a writer.
- I write essays, stories, poems, and creative non-fiction. While the topics vary, they all have threads about the importance of connection, kindness, and living fully.
- My book, “From Audience to Zeal: The ABCs of Finding, Crafting, and Telling a Great Story” was a Storytelling World winner in 2020. You can find it at amazon (five stars) other booksellers, and directly from me.
- I share thoughts about storytelling, creativity (#storyseeds), and hope (#barkagainstthedark) across multiple social media platforms.
- I blog about storytelling and life at patreon.com/laurapacker. Those who support my patreon help support my artistic endeavors. You can find older posts at truestorieshonestlies.blogspot.com.
And more.
- My #storyseeds cards are a beautiful and compact deck of creative sparks and will be releasing expansion packs. They are available at etsy.com/shop/storylaura, or directly from me.
- I have won many awards for my work, including induction into the National Storytelling Network’s Circle of Excellence.
- All of my work is intended to help find meaning in the world through narrative, the connection that stories can bring, and the recognition that while each life may be unique our experiences have much in common.