More than just entertainment, storytelling is a political and ethical act. This is my storytelling manifesto, which is rooted in a feminist ethics of care:
i DO tell stories
- To not forget.
- To start conversations.
- To make connections.
- To pay attention to and care about the world and its inhabitants.
- To create meaning.
- To honor past generations.
- To exercise a feminist curiosity.
- To craft the world that I want to live in.
- To value the daily moments, experiences and encounters.
- To give an account of who I am and what I believe.
- To share myself with my kids.
- To heal.
- To grieve.
- To experience and express joy.
- To make and stay in trouble.
- To make visible (expose) ideas, perspectives and experiences that have been ignored and/or actively suppressed.
- To experiment with new online technologies.
- To find a balance between the critical and creative.
i DON’T tell stories
- To establish a brand.
- To sell products or ideas or identities.
- To tell you how or what to think/believe/be.
- To find comfort.
- To cope with my inevitable death.
- for you (although I deeply appreciate when my stories/accounts resonate with others).
- that aren’t mine to tell.
- that do violence to others and their experiences.