Don’t let the word “wars” mislead you, Story Wars aims to create more writers, not fighters. Next Thursday, Jan. 28, you can catch regular people – not just professional writers – at the first Championship of Champions storytelling event at Forest City Brewery. (And no, it’s not at all like The Moth.)
In 2022, Gabby Valentine and her brother-in-law Kelly Lytle started Story Wars as a way to get more people writing. In an increasingly digital age where people are either texting or communicating with robots, it’s getting harder to actually write.
Story Wars is fighting to change that, one unhinged prompt at a time.
“We’re all creative, no matter what your fourth grade teacher told you,” Genevieve Santos-Miller, the organization’s marketing manager, told Upbeat Nonsense. “These events exist for everybody, it’s not just for writers.”
Together, the three self-identify as “extroverted people who like to write,” Valentine, who also works in higher education, said. “Surely there are more extroverted people who like to write.”
The setup for each event is pretty straightforward: People show-up to either watch or write, and then writers compete in three “wars.” Each storyteller only has five minutes to write a response to the prompts before sharing what they wrote aloud. There are no guidelines on genre or style of writing, just the time limit.
At the end of each round, the audience casts their vote for their favorite stories before selecting an overall winner. On Jan. 28, the audience will vote again during the championship event.
‘Democratize creativity’
Credit: Genevieve Santos-Miller/Story Wars
For Valentine, she loves that these events challenge people to step outside their comfort zone and socialize with other people. It’s very difficult to attend Story Wars and not sit next to someone you haven’t met before, she said.
“When this kind of entertainment meets community building, you have to engage with people you don’t know. It’s a really valuable thing that during COVID got lost a bit, especially at a time when everything else in the world is also very, very isolated,” Valentine said.
When it first started, Valentine said she didn’t know if anyone besides her friends and family would show up. Eventually, more people started to come in who were willing to try.
"You have to be pretty brave to try something new.
A driving motto behind Story Wars is to “democratize creativity,” according to co-founder Lytle. To do this, Story Wars has set out to eliminate gatekeeping and encourage an environment that’s “uplifting and encouraging,” Lytle said.
“You walk in and you feel it right away from everybody,” he said. “And that’s just one of the coolest things there is.”
Shortly after moving to Cleveland from Nashville, Miller-Santos said she found her community through Story Wars. She was brand new and didn’t know anyone, but “felt so encouraged to create.”
“If there ever was a moment to try Story Wars with very little pressure, [this] is the one,” Santos-Miller said. Unlike their other events, the Champion of Championships has already selected its competitors, so this time all they are calling for is an audience. (Though, if you want to write and share, check out their free event tomorrow, Jan. 22 at Jukebox).
If you’re more of a lover than a fighter, Story Wars also hosts bi-monthly meetups for people who want to unplug, read and maybe meet some fellow bookworms. For a complete list of events, visit their website.
Tickets ($12) are on sale for the Champion of Champions event at 7:00 p.m. at Forest City Brewing.