The Power of Storytelling

“The ability to tell your own story, in words or images, is already a victory, already a revolt.”

Rebecca Solnit in Men Explain Things to Me

In April I wrote about sharing my story on stage, an experience that was both terrifying and incredibly empowering. Since then I have shared stories two more times with the same show and once with another, each one of them, as Rebecca Solnit describes it, a victory. I only became aware of storytelling as a form of expression in February, when I heard some women share stories as part of the first annual Women’s Comedy Festival in my city. That encounter led me to check out the regular show of Female Storytellers, a fantastic group of badass feminists who have been gathering once a month to share their stories for over five years. My storytelling experience in April was my first time on stage at FST!, as we affectionately refer to it (pronounced like “fist” – one you tell a story you become part of the FSTerhood. It’s awesome.)

FST! has become a standard part of my monthly routine. Whether I am on stage or not, I want to be there the second Wednesday evening each month. Every show I hear five or six powerful stories from women around a particular theme: one month it was “Choices,” another it was “Act Your Age.” Next month’s theme is “She Persisted.” The theme gives some focus to the stories, but each one is unique, coming from the lived experience of the storyteller. Some will have you laughing. Others will bring you to tears. Many do both. Each storyteller has her own style and rhythm. The audience is incredibly affirming and supportive, and each in their own way is drawn in and connects with the story differently.

FST! forms a community in which women are empowered to use their voices. In a society that has always marginalized and silenced women, and which seems currently to be regressing in what limited progress it had made toward equality (and not just for women), creating space where women can tell their stories is, to again quote Solnit, “already a victory, already a revolt.” As we share our stories, particularly those who share the stage, but including those who listen, we establish a bond that makes connection possible.

Telling our stories is also therapeutic. There are many types and degrees of trauma, and not everyone should be addressed by telling one’s story publicly. But in certain situations, the very act of sharing one’s story can be a step of healing, as well as potentially offering hope to someone else. I often experience a moment while listening to other’s stories, when I feel “Me too” – the recognition that I am not alone in my experience. Our stories are unique, but the commonalities between them are strong as well. Solnit expresses it in these words:

“To tell a story and have it and the teller recognized and respected is still one of the best methods we have of overcoming trauma.”

I have certainly found this to be true.

The first time I attended a FST! show, I went alone. I sat in the only chair available by the time I arrived, which happened to be isolated from all others in a row by itself, accentuating that feeling of being alone. Nonetheless, I was glad I went. By the next month I was on stage myself, and I’ve never looked back. After 8 months of attending and participating in FST! shows, I’ve connected with this community of women (men are welcome to attend as well) to the extent that, whether I go to a show alone or not, I know I won’t remain alone, because I am sure to run into friends whom I’ve met at FST!. I’ve formed friendships with women I might never have crossed paths with otherwise, who enrich my life and fill my world with energy and color. I look forward to interacting with them both at and outside of the FST! shows.

I’ve had friends from the FST! community who have moved away from here for various reasons. Invariably one of the things they miss is this powerful community of female storytellers. I think every community would benefit from a group like this. I’d love to see a growing movement of circles of women telling their stories publicly, empowering themselves and others to not remain silent in a world that keeps trying to silence them.

And if you live in Tucson and haven’t checked out a FST! show, you most definitely should. I’d love to see you on the second Wednesday of the month at the Flycatcher on 4^th. Check out the Female Storytellers website at www.fstorytellers.com