Park Your Stories
Story Sharing in the
GRAND Outdoors!
This summer, join friends, neighbours & GRANDS for free story gatherings in parks & outdoor spaces!
With the help of coaches, write & share (if you dare!) short personal stories based on your memories and experiences or use our story prompts. The stories will be shared by those interested during the story circles, and, if interested, may later be included in a podcast or radio series.
Park Your Stories offers you the chance to gather outdoors with new friends. Together, we'll explore the creative experience of writing and listening to personal stories. We'll have coaches to help and folks, like you, to share an afternoon with.
Can't wait to meet you in the parks!
Our Park Your Stories events will be held on:
June 4th, 1 to 3 pm at Heath Park & Pool
July 23rd, 11 to 1 pm at the Central Natural Environmental Garden
Aug 27th, 11 to 1 pm at the Roots CFC Lillie St Urban Farm Garden
Sept 24th, 11 to 1pm at the Mission Marsh Conservation Area
We’re also planning to have pop-up events throughout the summer so watch our social media for announcements!
GRANDs of all ages are invited and all gatherings are free.
No storytelling or writing experience is necessary - our goal is to write short stories, only 300 words! If you can, bring a chair, a pen + paper, as well as a water bottle. We'll supply some chairs, pens and paper too. Our goal is to help you get you started on your story.
For those who are interested, stories will be shared in a story circle after we write them. However, you can also just write your story + keep it to yourself!
Your life is worth writing about.
What’s a GRAND, you may ask?
A GRAND is a Gifted, Resourceful, Adaptable, Neighbourly and Durable person. Regardless of our age, we’ve all gathered many stories worth sharing. This is our chance to share our stories and to listen to others’ stories.
We use 15-minute blocks to get you started on your short story - basically a mini-memoir! Some even think about these sessions as rocket fuel to launch a goal of writing a memoir, while some just enjoy the process of writing a single story.
Park Your Stories launches on June 4th at Heath Park & Pool. Everyone is invited to our GRAND party - we’ll unveil the custom benches designed by Westgate High School art students and snack on delicious treats catered by Westgate High School’s foods class.
Check out the chairs made by Westgate's carpentry students & metal logo created by the welding class.
You'll be entertained by some of our GRAND story tellers and will be introduced to the art of crafting your own personal story to share or just keep close to your heart! Enjoy meeting neighbours of all ages outdoors in one of Thunder Bay's beautiful parks.
Your life is worth writing about.
Your life is worth writing about.
Want to learn more about the project? Nervous about the writing process? Learn more about Park Your Stories and what a typical story circle looks like, or read some writing tips to get you thinking.
Plus, check out a curated list outlining Thunder Bay’s best parks, as suggested by our participants!
Thank you to our supporters:
For press & media, or for volunteer inquiries, please contact: nancy@agebig.com
Follow Park Your Stories on social media: