Storytelling Project: Continuing on with my Dreams

Dearest Friends and Readers,

A greater portion of my last semester at Duluth was focused on the Storytelling Project led by the always inspiring Kathryn Van Wert. This project was a collaboration between students and community members who were otherwise-unable to tell their own stories in writing. The project turned into the most beautiful publication of collaborative memoirs. Reading over the stories we wrote, discounting the writing, still brings me to tears. It has nothing to do with our writing, the students' words, but everything to do with the beauty in bringing life to the stories and memories of others.

My partner, Dustin, he's in my prayers every night. I have to say in all honestly, what hits me more than our retelling of his past and his accident was the final section of his memoir. We wrote a narrative from the perspective of himself had the accident never happened. He was married to his pre-accident girlfriend, they were expecting a child, they had a home, friends, it was the perfect evening wrapping up his imperfect past. His reaction, his tears, and his thanks were inspiration and the fuel to fire up this dream of mine.

My dream is to write a book. Most people who know me would know this dream just by having a five minute conversation. While my work with Dustin was special and incredibly beautiful, I want to take a different direction with collaborative memoirs. I want to find amazing people-- by my own definition of amazing-- and I want to interview them for several weeks (or however long it takes) and I want to write about them. A collection of collaborative memoirs of people who do beautiful and amazing things who would otherwise not think of themselves as beautiful or amazing, and who would otherwise not be writing about themselves.

It might not make a whole lot of sense, but its my crazy dream.

Now, the best part of this dream is that I've found a spark. I've found someone who I can't wait to get started working with. This dream of mine might not come true. I know that for every spark, I have equal chance to watch it burn out. But, I have this undying excitement and commitment to the project and to reaching my dream, that I can't help but be hopeful.

First step: Setting up the interviews.

Ready, set, go.

H.Eilene.