Wow. Telling stories told to me by family makes me super awkward. Lol. As a storyteller, I have always tried to upload the trust that comes with that.

The Storyteller’s place in modern society, is nonexistent. No one fills this role in the way that it once was. The Storyteller was once a respected, cherished, and essential part of the community.

In a time when reading and writing weren’t very common, the Storyteller was relied on to help bridge that gap. People came to the Storyteller for guidance. They often filled the role of entertainer, along with others.

Mostly, the Storyteller memorized the stories that taught important lessons. This community role bridged across many others, musicians, teachers, scholars, and leaders. The Storyteller was also supposed to keep the stories of the community, too. Telling each child stories about their parents, helping generations related to one another.

For all of these reasons, I try to be very mindful of who should tell certain stories. There are often people much closer to the story than anyone else. Sometimes it’s just easy to recognize a story as part of a community identity.

“That’s not my story to tell.”