The workshop kicks off with three in-person sessions at Washington Hall where students will learn a variety of skills such as how to conduct a thoughtful interview, the importance of language choice in media, identity mapping, and how to give critical feedback. During these sessions, students will also have time to brainstorm concepts for their project and work on a first draft. In the third week, small group and one-on-one virtual sessions will begin. Students will have four weeks to attend small group work sessions and schedule the required three one-on-ones where they will workshop their pieces with the instructor.

The workshop concludes with an in-person showcase at Washington Hall where students invite their interview subjects, friends, and family to watch them present their piece. Part of the showcase will include students sitting on a panel to answer audience questions, moderated by EchoX staff. After the closing showcase, students who have participated in all required sessions, submitted a completed piece ready for publication, and completed an exist survey will receive a certificate of completion and a $500 stipend for their work.

All completed student pieces will be published on Voices, EchoX’s news and features feed. Each piece will also be rotated through the EchoX homepage as a feature based on a schedule picked by the students.

REQUIREMENTS 

Over the course of nine weeks, students will: 

• • • Attend all in-person big group meetings (1.5 hours/each), 

• • • Attend all virtual small group meetings (1 hour/each), 

• • • Schedule and attend a minimum of three virtual 1:1s with the instructor (1 hour/each), 

• • • Write a minimum 1000-word piece that relates to their ethnic culture (community, family, or self/identity), 

• • • Prepare a five-minute presentation on their work, and

• • • Attend and present at an in-person showcase featuring all students and their work (3 hours).

2024 Schedule:

The workshop will run from October to December, allowing for a one week break for Thanksgiving (November 23-29). Although students may choose to schedule a virtual 1:1 sessions the weekend following Thanksgiving (November 30-December 1), they will not be required to attend any in-person sessions that weekend.

Week 1 (in-person): Saturday, October 12, 2024: Introduction to EchoX, DIGITIZE, and the Story Gathering program

Week 2 (in-person): Sunday, October 20, 2024: Anatomy of a story

Week 3 (in-person, virtual): Saturday, October 26, 2024: Finding commonality

• • • Small group sessions will start this week
    • Students will be able to start scheduling their 1:1s

Weeks 4-7 (virtual): Independent and small group worktime

• • • Week 7’s small group session will cover: an overview of the showcase, the requirements for presentation, give time for students to prepare their presentation, and allow for practice answering panel questions.

Week 8 (virtual): Deadline for pieces

Week 9 (in-person):

• • • Saturday, December 14, 2024: Showcase dress rehearsal
    • Sunday, December 15, 2024: Final showcase⁠

Meet the 2024 instructor:

Troy Landrum Jr. is a native of Indianapolis, IN and has lived in Seattle, WA for 10 years. His passion for reading and writing bloomed as he navigated a path of self-rediscovery through identity, faith, culture and his family’s migration stories from Jim Crow South to the Midwest. These intersections are at the helm of his human experience and literature process as a Black artist and oral historian. Troy graduated with a Masters in Fine Arts at the University of Washington Bothell and is currently a free lance storytelling consultant, a freelance journalist for the South Seattle Emerald, and a Novelist. His novel In Progress explores the question of “Home” through the Historical American time period of The Great Migration. A period in American history where millions of African American people moved from the South to Northern and Midwestern cities. He dedicates his work to the brilliance of African American History and the brilliance of his family history through the work of literature and preservation. He is very excited to join the EchoX team and share in the magic that they have created through the Story Gathering series.

How to Apply:

Applications for the 2024 Story Gathering Workshop are currently closed. 

If you want to be notified for our next opportunity, join our mailing list!

Questions, comments, or concerns? Email info@echox.org and a member of our team will get back to you shortly. Interested in our youth opportunities? Check out our Instagram page for the latest announcements and updates.

This workshop is sponsored by the City of Seattle. Thank you, Seattle!