Story Gathering: Workshop is an award-winning workshop where Washington State high school students learn and utilize storytelling skills that center around “own voices,” a central theme of unity and understanding across cultures (and community), and ethnic cultural identity.
The workshop gives area high school students an opportunity to foster their storytelling skills while encouraging cross-cultural community understanding. It is designed to help the next generation of culturally aware storytellers learn how to create thoughtful pieces using their own voice. The goal is to help youth cultivate skills to help them advocate for their future.
Upon completion of the program, including submission of their final piece and presenting at the end-of-program showcase, participants receive a small stipend. The amount of this stipend is dependent on program funding at the time of the workshop. The program has a counterpart for young adults (18-29), Story Gathering: Sandbox.
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2026 Workshop Details:
The workshop kicks off with a one-on-one virtual meeting for the instructor to better understand what each student hopes to accomplish during the program. These meetings are followed by four in-person sessions at Washington Hall where students will learn and discuss 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. Students will also schedule and attend three virtual one-on-ones where they will workshop their pieces individually 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 exit survey will receive a certificate of completion and a $300 stipend for their work.
Workshop Requirements:
To apply, students must:
- Be in high school (incoming freshman and graduating seniors are welcome).
- Reside in the Seattle area OR be willing and able to attend all in-person sessions held at Washington Hall.
2026 Schedule: This program runs from June to August 2026.
Applications for the 2026 Story Gathering Workshop are now open. Applications close May 22, 2026, at 11:50 p.m. (PST). There are 6 spots available.
Virtual sessions, scheduled on students’ time between:
- Session 1 (30-45 mins): June 22-July 11, a get-to-know-you meeting to better understand student’s goals and for student to ask any programmatic questions
- Session 2 (60 mins): July 27-August 21, individualized time to workshop student’s piece
- Session 3 (60 mins): July 27-August 21, individualized time to workshop student’s piece
- Session 4 (60 mins): July 27-August 21, individualized time to workshop student’s piece
In-person sessions at Washington Hall in Seattle:
- Tuesday, July 14: Introduction, 4:00-5:30pm
- Thursday, July 16: Anatomy of a story, 4:00-5:30pm
- Tuesday, July 21: Finding commonality, 3:00-4:30pm
- Thursday, July 23: Group A meeting story progress/feedback, 3:00-4:30pm
- Tuesday, July 28: Group B meeting story progress/feedback, 3:00-4:30pm
- Tuesday, August 18: Showcase preparation, 3:00-4:30pm
- Tuesday, August 25: Showcase rehearsal, 3:00-4:30pm
- Sunday, August 30: Final showcase, 1:30-3:30pm
2025 Story Gathering Workshop Pieces:
Color in Color by Aferata
Para Las Morenas (For the Dark-Skinned Women) by Gabriella
Anchors Made of Gold by Precious
Speaking of Silence by Smyah
Between Borders: Immigration in America by Tsion
2024 Story Gathering Workshop Pieces:
Somali Folktales by Bilal
Somali Clothing by Khadija
Christmas At My House: Celebrating with Argentinian and Puerto Rican Flavors by Lilian
Roots of Faith and Family by Seybane
2023 Story Gathering Workshop Pieces:
On Being a Ukrainian American Teenager in 2023 by Emma
The Pressure to Excel — The East Asian Experience With Academic Validation by Emily
It Looks Just Like Heaven by Gabriella
On Being Latino in Computer Science and Systemic Barriers by Isabel
The Fijian Life by Jada
A Look into Somalia’s Representation in Film by Jehan
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders: We are not the same by Kahea
Growing Up in a Mixed-Latin Household: How My Family’s Core Beliefs and Experiences Impact Me Today by Lilian
Koryo-Saram: A Story About the Unreliable People by Taya
How to Apply:
Applications for the 2026 Story Gathering Workshop are now open. Applications close May 22, 2026, at 11:50 p.m. (PST). There are 6 spots available. Apply now!!
If you would like to be notified for future opportunities to participate in our workshops, please join our mailing list and follow us on Instagram!
Meet the instructor:
Kathryn Lam is driven by multicultural digital storytelling and strives to create a world where the celebration of our differences is what brings us together. She graduated from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa (2016) where she received a B.A. in English and French. While in university, Kathryn was the editor of Seawords, a monthly marine science magazine. She has worked abroad as a high school teacher in France and as an editor for international Ph.D. candidates in Denmark and the Netherlands. Kathryn enjoys immersing herself in multicultural experiences and has both traveled extensively and lived abroad.
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.
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 Office of Arts and Culture. Thank you, Seattle!
