The Stories that Surface

Hello. This is Angela of The BCN Studio. I'm attempting to grow a monthly storytelling night at the Studio.

In the past, what I’ve loved most about storytelling nights is the simplicity and honesty of them: real people sharing real moments from their lives. There’s something incredibly validating and illuminating in hearing each other in that way.

I’m also inspired by the idea of a Stammtisch, a German practice, a regular gathering at a pub or someone's house on a particular night of the week or month, where you might not see everyone every time, but you know that whenever you show up, some familiar faces will be there. Over time, it becomes a kind of home base. I’d love for this night to grow into that: a monthly space where a sense of community naturally builds.

For the first session, I imagine something very open and accessible, pay what you want, and focused on collective creation of the format for this event.

I’ll also cook a dish for the evening, so there will be a lovely bowl of food :D Taking care of the tummy feels like an important part of taking care of each other.

Here’s a possible starting format:

• We begin with a simple game: everyone writes down a few words or phrases.

• We sit in a circle and draw one prompt from a hat.

• Anyone who feels moved can share a story inspired by that word or phrase.

• When the stories around that prompt feel complete, we move on to another.

The idea is to create a space where stories emerge organically, sometimes even stories we didn’t remember we had.

An important part of this space is that it will be multilingual. We all speak different combinations of English, Spanish, Catalan, and other languages, and I’d love for everyone to feel free to express themselves in the language that feels most natural.

To make this work, we’ll need to co-create a simple system of support, perhaps pairing or grouping people who can help translate during the evening, so that stories can be shared and understood across languages. I have a hypothesis that we can solve this - let's see!

Most importantly, I don’t want to fix this format alone. I’d really love your input on:

• the structure and flow of the night

• how we hold the space (facilitation, tone, boundaries)

• ways to support multilingual sharing

• any rituals or “ceremony” that could make it feel special and grounded

• and how we just generally make this a joyful pursuit

  
  

Looking forward to building together.