Are you a docent, teacher, preacher, public speaker, or want to improve your speaking abilities? People learn better through stories because they engage emotions, create memorable narratives, and activate multiple brain regions, leading to better memory retention and comprehension than facts alone. Stories serve as cognitive scaffolds, linking new information to existing knowledge and fostering empathy and understanding by allowing listeners to relate to characters and scenarios, thereby making complex ideas more accessible.

Taught by our outgoing Interim Executive Director and Professional Storyteller, Zoot Velasco. Zoot has been teaching storytelling for over 40 years and is a Story Slam Champion and published author. 

Students will learn how to craft, write, and tell compelling personal, historical, and folk stories and monologues using recognized techniques from TED, Pixar, and nationally known storytellers. Each student will work on a story throughout the workshop to tell at a concert on November 18.