Want to hear a good story? The Storytellers Club is a space where you can do just that.
Created by Ashley Kilback, The Storytellers Club is a “storytelling community that brings people together to listen to stories about the human experience”
The event was first held in the small Brewed Awakening cafe on Dewdney Avenue in April of 2018 and, since then, the community has grown.
The Storytellers Club is an event open to the public that happens every few months. Each night is based on a different theme chosen by Kilback.
Once a theme is decided, three or four people tell a story from their lives based on that topic. So far, topics have ranged from “Bright Young Minds” to “Voices of the LGBTQ Community” to this month’s topic, “A Whole New World: Stories About Life-Changing Travel Experiences.”
“I think that it gives people an opportunity to connect and hear the stories … that might be something that they need,” said Kilback. “It also creates an experience where it’s okay to be vulnerable and its okay to share your emotions and speak the truth and be honest in a place that feels so safe and supportive.”
The event is now held in the Artesian, an old church in Regina’s Cathedral neighbourhood with lots of character, such as creaky old floorboards and a rip in the centre of the stage’s velvet yellow curtain. The building creates a comfortable atmosphere for people to share their stories.
“When you go to Storytellers Club it’s a very connection-centred experience so it feels almost like you’re around a campfire,” said former storyteller and devoted attendee Jenessa Greer.
Storytelling is something humans have strayed from with the new technological age; even though we may feel more connected, it is actually the opposite.
“And I know that what the community is really seeking right now, is that connection,” said Kilback.
The next Storytellers night will be at the Artesian Nov. 22, starting at 7p.m. The topic is “In the Company of Good Men,” where there will be a storyteller lineup of men who are redefining what it means to be a man in today’s society. Kilback expects it to be an emotional and impactful evening.
“So that is really just giving men a space to be vulnerable and talk about pain and emotion and hardships and challenges, things that they’ve gone through … in a really safe space,” said Kilback.
