Storytellers Macon: A chance to share, listen, build community

Koryn Young knows a good story when she hears one, and she hears a lot.

Young is the executive director of Storytellers Macon, the group that invites our friends and neighbors to tell their stories to groups large and small, somewhat in the style of programs like “The Moth Radio Hour,” “Snap Judgement” and StoryCorps.

Entrenched in the community since coming here, Young has had leadership roles with the Magnolia Soap Box Derby, Bragg Jam Concert Crawl and other Macon groups while co-owning LePetit Mariage, an elopement, officiating and micro wedding service for all. 

Young and I had a conversation about storytelling, art and community as she was busy getting ready for yet another board meeting with yet another group she’s involved with. Many thoughts were exchanged and questions shot her way about storytelling in general and Storytellers Macon in particular. Here’s a bit of it.

Q: Storytellers Macon offers detailed storytelling workshops, but what are three tips that could help anyone tell their personal story better?

Young: First, I’d say be real. The best stories come from the heart, not from trying to impress. Second, make a connection. A great story isn’t just about what happened – it’s about what it means to you and who you’re sharing it with. And last, leave a little spark.

Q: What do you mean by that?

Young: When your story elicits a laugh or a tear or a “me too” moment, lean into it. Give it room to breathe. Let it sink in rather than rushing to finish your story because you feel all eyes are on you, so you have to hurry. Let it have its moment. People learn things from stories, and that’s important, but stories really stay with people when they feel something. That’s true whether you’re talking with friends on the porch or are up on a stage.

Q: How do you feel when you hear someone’s story?

Young: At Storytellers gatherings, I’m in a constant state of organizing and making sure the experience is well-structured and people are comfortable. I’m keeping track of tellers and timers and other things. But a good story will knock me right out of that busy mode and kick me into listening intently. That’s what a good story feels like. Whatever that is, it can take me from all I have to do into just being a good listener, appreciating what I’m hearing and the person I’m hearing it from. It’s their life experience they are sharing and it’s important.

Q: You made listening a  big part of the equation in what you just said.

Young: It is. Listening is as important as telling. That’s something storytellers need to understand, too. From the beginning of things, people have wanted to hear stories. In our case, people have left their homes, driven to Grant’s Lounge where we have our monthly events, paid for parking and gotten themselves in front of you to hear you. They didn’t do all that because they didn’t want to hear you. They want to. Though we have time limits, it all goes back to the idea of letting moments in your story breathe and not be rushed. We’re there to hear you. And not every story is the same, nor should they be. Each person is different. Everybody has a story of some sort to tell and how it’s told isn’t about living up to imaginary expectations or following strict rules about storytelling.

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Storytellers Macon has four main programs. There’s the monthly “Storytellers Presents” at Grant’s Lounge on the second Tuesday of every month. Socializing begins at 6:30 p.m. – except for next Tuesday, Aug. 12, when it begins at 6 p.m. Stories start promptly at 7 p.m.  There’s a theme and a featured storyteller each month and anyone can sign up to tell their own, theme-related five-minute story. Storytelling events are free.

The theme this month is “Good Doers.” In September it’s “Playing Both Sides,” October is “Whip It,” November is “Defying Gravity,” and December is “Save it for Therapy.”

The group’s “Storytellers Live” events are more elevated programs featuring curated, mentored tellers. Programs are rehearsed, might feature musicians and are performed on a bigger stage, such as at the Piedmont Grand Opera House.

Storytellers workshops are held from time to time, are free and are for those who may or may not want to take part in a storytelling event.

There are also Storytellers partnerships where, for a fee, the group brings its storytelling know-how to other groups or institutions to help them prepare for and present their own, specific storytelling events. This could be at a school, university, business, civic or other organization or for just about anyone.

All in all, the idea is to give people the chance to tell their stories and for others to hear them for the good of all.

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Q: How have you seen stories affect tellers and the listeners?

Young: For the teller, it’s like cleaning out a junk drawer – you finally make sense of the mess, find a few surprises and feel lighter when it’s done. Telling your personal story, whether done in a funnier or more serious way, helps you process your experience, feel heard and sometimes even laugh at something that once felt heavy.

For the listener, it’s like getting a free peek into someone else’s world. Stories can shift your perspective, stir your empathy or just give you a really good reason to put your phone down and actually pay attention. On a practical level, stories build trust, teach lessons and help people connect in ways small talk can’t.

In short: stories are how we make sense of life – how we sneak a little soul into everyday conversation.

Q: Are you saying stories make the world go ‘round?

Young: It is one of the most basic things we do and have always done. Whether it’s from a stage or over coffee, in plays or movies, paintings or around a prehistoric fire, we tell our stories and we understand one another and the world better. Even a genuine greeting like “How are you?” is an invitation for a story. Stories are the oldest art form in the world. 

In terms of how telling and hearing stories can bring about change in communities, they bring people together. I’ve heard of a case where someone came to an event not liking one of our storytellers at all. But when they began hearing their story, hearing a piece of their life experience, their dislike began to break down, a wall began to crumble. By the end of it, the person had changed their entire perspective of the other person simply by hearing that person’s truth. If you hear people’s stories, humanity comes in and even enemies can get a new perspective.

Q: All that, plus we just enjoy hearing stories, right? I mean, whether sad or funny, it’s rewarding and there’s a measure of fun in it.

Young: Absolutely. And something we say is, a story doesn’t have to be factual, it only has to be true. Nobody’s fact-checking your story or grading its construction. It’s you honestly communicating your story from your perspective. The teller is bringing human truth to the table and somehow that connects us all.

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On Oct. 9, Storytellers Macon is having its first-ever fundraiser. They’re calling it “Stories Save The World” and Young believes that statement is true. The event will be a night of storytelling, community connection and “collective joy,” as Young said, to support the work of Storytellers Macon. It will feature a “best of” slate of past storytellers and introduce a Storytellers Macon membership group.

Called the Firecircle, Young said the membership group is where “the storytellers, the listeners, the loud-mouths, the truth-holders and the tender-hearted gather.”

“It’s more than a membership,” she said. “It’s a movement, a community of people who believe that stories don’t just entertain but they connect us, heal us and move the world forward.”

For more on Storytellers Macon, keep abreast of future workshops and events and to get in on the coming fundraiser as a participant or sponsor, go to storytellersmacon.org or find them on Facebook or Instagram.

You can also hear many local storytellers on Storytellers Macon’s podcast, “Heartbeat of Georgia,” on most streaming platforms. Each episode features first-person narratives from live shows paired with interviews and reflections that connect the stories to larger themes in the community.

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com. Find him on Instagram at michael_w_pannell.