About the application process
Who is eligible to take part in The Stories We Tell?
Survivors of – and witnesses to – gender-based violence, in its many forms. While the vast majority of our Stories We Tell participants have directly experienced sexual violence, intimate partner violence, sexual exploitation, or trafficking, “secondary survivors” – family members, direct service providers, and other witnesses to violence or its impact – have also been accepted into the program. Our workshop participants include established writers, artists, and activists, and emerging voices from communities across North America and Africa. We believe that every storyteller has power and purpose, so we work to create an inclusive, trauma-informed space where every voice is honored.
Who leads each Stories We Tell workshop?
Our workshop facilitator is Anne K. Ream, founder of The Voices and Faces Project and author of Lived Through This: Listening to the Stories of Sexual Violence Survivors. Our workshop instructor is Clifton Spargo, an award-wining short story writer and novelist who teaches creative writing at Yale University, and is a graduate of the acclaimed Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Both Anne and Clifton are committed to creating a safe, trauma-informed, creatively challenging space for our participants. They have trained over 600 writer-activists, across North America and Africa, through 2018. In addition, a local partner and safe person – and a workshop mentor from our host community – may be present during the program.
How many people are enrolled in each workshop?
Creating a safe, intimate workshop space is critical to the success of The Stories We Tell. The average workshop size is 14 participants (excluding the workshop facilitator, instructor, and safe person). The number of accepted applicants for each workshop will not exceed 18.
Is there an age requirement to participate?
Yes. Participants in our adult workshops must be 18 years or older. Those in our youth workshops are 15-18 years old.
Is The Stories We Tell open to male applicants?
Yes.
Are people with disabilities encouraged to apply?
The Voices and Faces Project is fully committed to inclusivity in all its programs (you can read our diversity statement here). In practical terms, this means that we partner with our local host group to exceed the requirements mandated under the Americans With Disabilities Act. In previous workshops this has meant providing sign language interpretation for our full, two-day writing workshop, and reconfiguring space to accommodate participants in wheelchairs. Our workshop coordinator, Janet Goldblatt Holmes, is the point person who makes sure that the needs of participants with disabilities are met. To find out more about our inclusionary policy and process, email janet@voicesandfaces.org.
What criteria are used to determine who is accepted into The Stories We Tell? And who reads my workshop application?
See the eligibility question, above. During the application process, we ask for a personal statement, a writing sample, and an overview of why participation in The Stories We Tell is important to you. In assessing applications, we consider each of these elements. Educational history is not a determinant: Some of our most powerful participants have not had college or even high school degrees. Individuals from underserved communities and people of color or with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply to The Stories We Tell.
Applications are reviewed by workshop facilitator Anne K. Ream and workshop instructor R. Clifton Spargo.
Is this a writing therapy program?
Though writing about the injustices we’ve lived or witnessed can be therapeutic, The Stories We Tell is not a writing therapy program. It is an advocacy training for those seeking to use their voices, faces and testimonies to change minds, hearts, and laws.
About the workshop
Is there a cost for the workshop?
Accepted applicants are provided full, two-day scholarships to the Stories We Tell program. Lunch and snacks are provided each day.
Does the scholarship cover travel or accommodation costs?
Individuals are responsible for all travel or overnight accommodation costs.
Do I need to be present for both days?
Yes. Each workshop exercise and break out session builds on the previous session. For this reason, being fully present over the course of our two-day program is critical. It is also key to creating a workshop environment that is collegial, communal, and safe, where we truly come to know and understand our fellow participants.
Can I bring someone with me for all or part of the weekend?
During the Stories We Tell, only workshop participants – and our workshop instructor, facilitator, and safe person – are allowed in the room.
Should I bring the reading packet to the workshop? Or can I read from a computer or mobile device?
We recommend that you bring a printed copy of the reading packet. If you bring the packet on your mobile device or laptop, please note that the workshop is an internet-free zone.
Do I need to bring any special materials to the workshop?
You should bring whatever writing materials you are most comfortable with: A pen, paper, laptop, or tablet.
What mental health resources are available to participants during and after the workshop?
There is a trained crisis counselor on-site and available at all times during The Stories We Tell. Contact information for on – and offline counseling will be made available to participants at the close of the program. Additional local resources may be made available by our partners on the ground.
Will I be required to share my story during the workshop?
No. Each participant is given an opportunity to share work created during the course of the weekend, and most of our participants choose to do. But this is strictly voluntary. If, when, and how you share your story is a deeply personal choice. We seek to honor wherever are in your journey, and never impose sharing on our participants.
Can I tweet or post during the workshop?
We understand the interest in doing so – so many inspiring and inspired things will be said and read during our two days together! But for the safety and confidentiality of our participants, The Stories We Tell is a media-free zone. You may choose to post or tweet about your experience later, and you are of course free to share the writing you develop during the workshop in any way you choose, once you are outside of the room. But we ask that you not share the work or words of other participants without their express permission, and that you remain fully present and “disconnected” during our two days together.
Do I have ownership of material that I write during the weekend?
Participants retain sole ownership of their writing.
Does The Voices and Faces Project have the right to share my writing through their e-newsletter, on their websites, or through any other of their media platforms?
We would not do so without your explicit permission.