Building a Place for Storytelling in Detroit

May 20th, 2013 in Inspiration

The Detroit story is told often as a story of post-industrialism. A city that’s lost a large amount of its population, Detroit suffers from urban blight, ruin porn, and abandonment. Detroit Stories

The story of Detroit is a story of reinvention too, with a booming Midtown and Downtown. It’s a story of reimagining land and space into urban farms, community spaces, and reusing the large and empty architecture found, well, just about everywhere.

The story is told in terms of how people can inhabit such large and interesting spaces, how they must deal with the social, economic, and political disparities that come along with the terrain. It is a story so inherently tied to physical place.

One person, Shel Kimen, has reimagined a space in a way that connects and opens up these two narratives and the community at large. Shel is creating a hotel and community space in what she calls a central location between the city and the neighborhoods. Its soon to be home in Eastern Market is located near Downtown/Midtown. The marketplace is a large destination that feeds and draws people near and far to the city.

The hotel will be a place for all Detroiters, rich, poor, young and old to gather, and for visitors to stay and engage with the community. Locals can arrive to share the stories of their communities. Visitors can learn and listen.

It's a place built for telling stories.

Continue Reading

10 Truths About Storytelling

May 15th, 2013 in Digital Storytelling

What is it about the Great Gatsby that makes it a timeless story? Truth in Story

Daisy really is a fool, though we pity the much greater fool, Gatsby. There's a sense of wanting to be great, to build a reputation, to acquire value in a materialist world that still resonates today.

We're all still reaching out for our own green light, for hope and dreams of what we want our life to be. We have ideal visions, and we're often blinded by the love for those visions.

The story touches upon timeless subjects. There are always familiar themes and emotions that resonate well with all readers. What's imporant is to know the underlying truth in every story, in every little work of beautiful fiction.

Like these 21 Awesome Storytelling Techniques, there are certain factors that make a story successful. Good stories are told again and again, through different cultural lenses, through different styles, but often with the same themes and touch of beauty.

Continue Reading

The Illusive Ending in Life, Love, and Our Stories

May 8th, 2013 in Reflection

When I went through my first serious heartbreak, I had trouble accepting what I like to call the illusive ending. Theend

Not that I didn’t know that it was time for an ending, but I had trouble imagining any ending at all.

I had fallen for the illusion of a life-long love, and had felt it at the time. But what I felt most during this transitional period, this “ending,” was still a need to love. I wanted to break gently, to remember and honor while moving forward. I wanted to look back on my life and find ways to love the past too.

The arrival at an ending to our story was a shock. I began to question our narratives of love, our ways of explaining emotional experiences. Love was a magical theme tying together all of the people in my life. Was there no end? The love would go on, wouldn’t it? It lights the halls of my days past with little bulbs of memory, the men and women fading into a distant world.

A world I carried with me as I continued to walk on.

Continue Reading

About Me

Amanda Lewan - Digital StorytellerOn a mission to inspire others with storytelling. Digital stories and cultural insights included. Read more about me.

Popular Posts

Newsletter

Join my newsletter and I promise to send you infrequent, non-intrusive updates on content and special projects!