By Cindy Salo

Special to the Dispatch

Humans are hard-wired for story. Stories connect people and help them understand each other; stories entertain and teach people. 

Local storytellers have been honing their skills at connecting and entertaining at the New York Mills Cultural Center for the past month. They will showcase their talents at a public event on October 2.

“We’ve done a lot of workshops, but this is the first one with a focus on writing. We do lots of visual arts and musical performances; now that we’ve seen a tremendous response to storytelling, we know that there’s a need for that in the community,” said Cheryl Bannes, Artistic Director of the Cultural Center.

  “You might say this workshop came together fast, but the reality is that it was years in the making. The idea of a writing event has come up several times over the years.” Bannes said that things really got moving when a sponsor for the series stepped up. “After that, all the stars and all the writers aligned and we made it happen. In July, Ivy Raff, a poet and writer from New York City, was Resident Artist at the Cultural Center. She hosted a writing workshop one evening. It wasn’t part of the storytelling series, but it was a great kickoff. When 12 people showed up, I thought, ‘Oh, gosh, we’re on to something here.’”

In August, video and podcast producer Mark Pagán arrived as Resident Artist. The New York City-based Pagán had worked with National Public Radio’s Moth Radio Hour, which was an early inspiration for the Cultural Center’s storytelling series. He developed the workshop schedule and jump started the series with two sessions on vivid storytelling. 

Chris Marcotte, a Deer River-based writer and former Resident Artist, followed Pagán. She helped storytellers craft engaging beginnings and endings for their stories. The next week, Chuck Johnson came from Perham to describe how he created his award-winning one-act play about Abraham Lincoln on the night before his Gettysburg Address. Then Cindy Salo, a peripatetic writer who grew up in the Twin Cities, helped participants critique each other’s stories during her time as Resident Artist.  

Betsy Roder, Executive Director of the Cultural Center, agreed that kismet played a part in the series coming together. 

“What makes this series unique is the serendipity of our visiting artists. We were able to provide a window to the world, with Mark and Cindy both here in residence, and to also celebrate the local with Chris and Chuck,” said Roder.

The storytellers at the Cultural Center are working on tales about family, nature, travel, and an equine escape artist. Claire Zindler edited technical writing and performed standup comedy while living and working in Hennepin County. She relocated to Otter Tail County after she retired, and discovered the storytelling series. Zindler was impressed by how self-reflective Pagán was. 

“He gave us an exercise that sent me down a path of self-reflection,” said Zindler. She described the story she’s working on as one about “transformation from chaotic childhood to grown-up person.”

Storyteller Francis Seifert has been taking online writing classes and participating in a local writers’ group for several years. The retired woodworker from Perham signed up for the storytelling series to learn how to make his stories more interesting. 

“I’m a chronological writer and I want to break away from that; I have trouble introducing backstory and flashbacks. Mark Pagán taught me how to use ‘but,’ ‘meanwhile,’ and ‘therefore’ to move my stories along,” he said.  

Seifert said that he finds writing to be tremendously therapeutic. 

“I journal every morning for at least two pages. I wake up most mornings not really able to write or think straight, so I journal myself into the mood for the day. Sometimes that takes a lot of work and sometimes it’s fun, like today it was fun because of [the story critique session] last night,” said Seifert.

Seifert has found the critique sessions, where participants share their stories and exchange feedback, to be especially helpful. 

“It’s so cool to be able to interact with other writers. That was a real blessing for me, it encouraged me so much,” he said. “There were so many other writers there and they’re doing the same thing I am. That kind of interaction is good.”

Roder agreed with that sentiment. 

“The Cultural Center is a place where people make connections with each other, and sharing stories builds connections. This series is giving people a way to share their stories,” she said,

Bannes summed up, “The storytelling workshop series has exceeded our expectations. We’ve been surprised at the numbers attending. I had no idea there were that many budding writers in this area.”

You can hear the storytellers’ tales—and have the opportunity to share your own — on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at the New York Mills Cultural Center, from 6-8 p.m. You do not need to have attended the storytelling series to participate, although those who did will have priority for one of 12, seven-minute storytelling opportunities. Sign up online for a chance to tell your story. The audience will also be able to participate, by helping select the most captivating and engaging storyteller.