SHARE YOUR STORIES

Do you have a story to tell?  Find out how to record your stories for future generations.

I Want To Tell You: Storytelling Contest

Workshop Designed to Help Residents Record and Preserve Memories Entry Form     External Release Form

Do you have a compelling story to share, but don't know what to do or how to get started? Be part of a groundbreaking, three-day workshop featuring the internationally renowned Center for Digital Storytelling, and learn how to use today's technology to preserve your personal stories and those of others. Hosted by Charleston County Public Library from Jan. 22-24, 2015, at the Main Library in downtown Charleston, this free workshop will teach attendees about script writing, image preparation, voiceover recording and story editing. Due to extremely limited space, participants will be selected through a contest. To enter, individuals or pairs must submit a video or written essay explaining why they want to participate in the workshop, why they want to share their story and how they think the workshop will help them preserve and share stories in the future. Entries can be either:  A video, maximum two minutes, uploadaed to YouTube or copied and sent on a DVD. Videos uploaded to YouTube should be tagged CCPL Contest - I Want To Tell You with your name and the title of your entry. A written essay, maximum 500 words. Entries must be postmarked by Dec. 31, 2014.  Video links and essays can be emailed to IWantToTellYou@ccpl.org or  Entries can be mailed to Kimberly Bowlin, Charleston County Public Library, 68 Calhoun Street, Charleston SC 29401.  All entries MUST include signed copies of the official Entry and Release Form, which is available on the library's website - www.ccpl.org. An external panel of judges will select a maximum of 10 individuals or pairs to attend the training. Winners will be announced by January 12. Entrants must agree to attend the full, three-day workshop, if selected. The final workshop product with the participants' stories will be featured during a special premiere prior to the 2015 Charleston Tells Storytelling Festival, and their videos will be screened during the Festival set for March 13-14, 2015. Participants also will receive tickets to the Festival along with a copy of their final story, either electronically or on DVD. Since 1998, the Center for Digital Storytelling has worked with nearly 1,000 organizations around the world and trained more than 15,000 people on how to use today's technology to produce and preserve their personal stories. The Center discovered that people with little or no experience in multimedia can produce powerful personal stories with the modern technology they already have - like a smart phone or tablet. This workshop is the kickoff of a 10-month project by CCPL to promote storytelling and encourage area residents to preserve stories for future generations. Additional events and activities will be announced soon. Presented by CCPL and the Charleston Tells Storytelling Festival, the workshop is made possible by funding by a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Institute of Library and Museum Services administered by the South Carolina State Library.