Storytelling content, contexts, and controversies

A conscionable calculus

Authors

  • Wendy K. Mages Mercy College

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33178/scenario.15.2.5

Keywords:

Storytelling in education, Personal narrative, Oral narrative, Autobiographical storytelling, Memoir

Abstract

The performance of autoethnographic storytelling can amplify the voices of those who are often unheard, silenced, or marginalized. Moreover, personal storytelling in appropriate contexts can provide a forum for sharing the previously unspoken or unspeakable that, when shared, can begin to heal the teller and promote social justice and societal change. Yet, not all contexts are are appropriate and not all stories are safe to share. Thus, telling autoethnographic stories can present ethical concerns for which there are no pat answers or one-size-fits-all solutions. This article discusses a few of these concerns.

Author Biography

Wendy K. Mages, Mercy College

Wendy K. Mages, a Professor at Mercy College, earned a master’s and doctorate in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a master’s in Theatre from Northwestern University. Her research has been published in journals such as Review of Educational Research, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Research in Drama Education, Youth Theatre Journal, Scenario, and the International Journal of Education and the Arts. In addition to her teaching and research, she performs autoethnographic stories at storytelling events, such as The Moth. One of her stories appears in The Journal of Stories in Science.

References

Burns, C. (2014). You talkin’ to me: How stories work at The Moth. The Transom Review, 14(1). https://transom.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CatherineBurns_review.pdf

Burns, C. (Ed.). (2013). The Moth. Hyperion.

Burns, C. (Ed.). (2017). The Moth presents all these wonders: True stories about facing the unknown. Crown Archetype.

Cañas, T. (2015). 10 things you need to consider if you are an artist not of the refugee and asylum seeker community looking to work with our community. Retrieved from https://www.riserefugee.org/10-things-you-need-to-consider-if-you-are-an-artist-not-of-the-refugee-and-asylum-seeker-community-looking-to-work-with-our-community/

Dicks, M. (2018). Storyworthy: Engage, teach, persuade, and change your life through the power of storytelling. New World Library.

Dicks, M., & Dicks, E. (n.d.). Speak Up Storytelling. https://speakupstorytelling.libsyn.com/

Gomez, N. (2019). 80 Minutes Around the World. https://www.steppenwolf.org/tickets--events/lookout/19-summer/80-minutes-around-the-world/

Lamott, A. [@ANNELAMOTT]. (2012, April 23). You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they [Tweet]. Twitter. https://mobile.twitter.com/ANNELAMOTT/status/194580559962439681

Leitman, M. (2015). Long story short: The only storytelling guide you'll ever need. Sasquatch books.

Maguire, J. (1998). The power of personal storytelling. Jeremy P. Tarcher / Putnam.

Penn Nursing. (n.d.). Nursing Story Slam. https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/news-events/annual-events/story-slam/

Replay Storytelling. (2021). Replay Storytelling. https://replaystorytelling.com/

The Moth (2014). Tips for storytelling, safety and best practice. Retrieved from https://s3.amazonaws.com/themoth-images-development/The-Moth-Tips-for-Storytelling-Safety-and-Best-Practice.pdf

The Moth. (n.d.-a). The Moth. https://themoth.org/

The Moth. (n.d.-b). The Moth Podcast. https://themoth.org/podcast

The Moth. (n.d.-c). Video Channel. https://themoth.org/video-channel

The Story Collider. (n.d.). The Story Collider. https://www.storycollider.org/

Whitehair, S. (n.d.). This Much is True. http://www.thismuchistruechicago.com/

Downloads

Published

2021-12-31

Issue

Section

Window of Creative and Reflective Practice