StoryFest 2026
Workshops
90-minute intensive workshop
There is a fee for this 90-minute intensive workshop. LINK TO REGISTER AND PAY
April 4th, 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Stories In Progress! An Open Mic and Work Session led by Amy Salloway
Got a story that you can’t quite finish, or that doesn’t yet have the zing and sparkle you want it to? Wish someone could tell you if that character voice was consistent, or whether the ending works, or why the central conflict doesn’t seem…conflicty enough? This is the workshop for you! Stories In Progress offers up a safe, supportive space for storytellers of all levels to test out and develop a story they’re creating, and to receive constructive critique from the host (a professional storytelling coach) and other attendees. Time limits on telling will be determined by the number of participants; each storyteller will have at least seven minutes to perform some or all of their piece, and then ask for the specific feedback they need. The benefit of workshopping in a group is that even if you don’t perform, you get to learn from those who do! In the last few minutes of the session, we’ll discuss how to create your own workshopping-and-feedback-focused open mic – including cultivating a safe space; choosing rules, parameters and time use to best serve the participants; and growing an energy of inclusivity, community and support. Come with a story you’re working on, or just bring yourself!
Actor/writer/storyteller Amy Salloway is a big fan of the Venn Diagram spot where live performance, human connection and social change overlap. Her award-winning autobiographical solo plays -- “Does This Monologue Make Me Look Fat?,” "So Kiss Me Already, Herschel Gertz!,” and “Circumference” -- have toured to audiences across the US and Canada, and she’s contributed personal stories to radio programs on MPR and CBC, as well as the national podcast “Risk!” Amy teaches narrative writing and performing of all kinds through The Story Studio and Minneapolis Community Education. She’s also a founding member of Off-Kilter, a new interdisciplinary performance cabaret featuring artists with disabilities. For more info, visit www.facebook.com/awkwardmomentonstage.
REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT REQUIRED FOR THIS 90-MINUTE INTENSIVE WORKSHOP.
$30 SAM member
$35 general public
$10 student (with student ID)
LINK to REGISTER & PAY
Registration also available day of, at door
Conflict: The Beating Heart of Storytelling led by Kory May
Conflict: The Beating Heart of Storytelling is a high-impact, 90-minute workshop that explores how tension, motive, and choice shape unforgettable narratives. Participants learn to identify what a character wants, what stands in the way, and how real temptation creates meaningful pressure. Using a clear framework rooted in story mechanics and emotional truth, the session reveals how conflict not only drives plot—it exposes character. Whether you are a performer, educator, strategist, or storyteller, this workshop offers practical tools to build stories that move people, shift perspective, and leave a lasting mark.
Kory May tells stories to make sense of the world. Since the world doesn’t make sense, he keeps telling stories. A storyteller, coach, and performer based in Iowa City, he has shared *Thoughts Too Big for My Head* nightly for more than 2,500 days. A two-time Moth GrandSLAM winner, he performs across stages, classrooms, and TikTok. He teaches the Six Pillars of Character, mentors entrepreneurs, and helps people connect through the prismatic lens of universal experiences. Story Vista Frameworks, LLC houses his storytelling, coaching, and mythic pedagogy. He is Kory May, the tall man with the short name.
REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT REQUIRED FOR THIS 90-MINUTE INTENSIVE WORKSHOP.
$30 SAM member
$35 general public
$10 student (with student ID)
LINK to REGISTER & PAY
Registration also available day of, at door
Free Workshops
11:15-12:10
Improvise Your Way to Better Storytelling
led by Kate Button
This workshop, open to all ages, is part of the Youth Track.
This will be an active, participatory workshop. We will play improv games and stretch our comfort zones. Join us for fun and laughter as we blend techniques from both art forms.
Hi, I'm Kate Button. I've been improvising for over 11 years now. I continue to study/practice because there is always more to learn. I have performed at HUGE Theater, Strike Theater, Phoenix Theater, as well as at various festivals. I have been doing storytelling for a couple of years now. I will bring the two art forms together to increase spontaneity and confidence in your storytelling skills. I told a story at last year's festival about my time working on the railroad. I hope to broaden the perspectives of all who join me.
1:15 - 2:10
Personal Narrative, Culture and Myth led by Jim May
This workshop will encourage participants to examine their own personal and family experinces as sources for stories. As these memories are recounted, in the presence of the group's attention, stories emerge. Often those recalling these stories become aware of a profound sense of integration, understanding and pride in their family and culture, despite past histories that may range from imperfect to tragic. Additionally, each person's life stories can be seen in relationahip to myth--the great traditional stories from a variety of cultures. In a sense these traditonal myths can be seen as the combined experiences, dreams and imaginings of the human race transmitted through the ages, by the oral tradition. Our life stories, when seen through the prism of these myths and spiritual parables, take on new meaning that can guide and enlighten. Stories retrieved and crafted through this process can be characterized by an originality and power representing the very best of artistic expression.Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Jim May is an EMMY Award-winning storyteller and author. He has made his living full time telling stories and leading workshops and presenting at training venues for (38) yrs. He has presented storytelling workshops to storytelling groups and at festivlas throughout the US, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland and Mexico (an annual one-week retreat in Oaxaca de Juarez). His collections of stories have won national book awards from the American Public Library Association and the Anne Izard "Best Book" committee. He lives in Harvard, Illinois in an 1850's circa Wisconsin built dairy barn with his wife Nan and his cats Freddy and Frieda.
1:15-2:10
It’s Storytelling Time led by Danielle Daniel
This workshop, open to all ages, is part of the Youth Track.
Join us for an enchanting journey into the world of stories, where imagination knows no bounds. In this workshop, you will have fun creating exciting, wacky, witty characters. We will experiment with telling and playing your favorite characters in our dramatic folktale, The Monkey and Buzzard. Through interactive activities, you will have the opportunity to craft your own character, voice, and style. Come unleash your creativity and discover the magic of storytelling.
Danielle Daniel will take you on an exciting journey filled with adventure, suspense, and drama. Her voice and dramatization captivate and transport you to a variety of places and times. She weaves stories full of adventure and imagination that impart positive messages of courage, faith, respect, and freedom. Danielle is a roster artist with COMPAS, Black Storytellers Alliance, and the Givens Foundation. She is an actor, storyteller, author, and educator.
1:30-2:25
Storytelling in Business and Organizational Culture led by Loren Niemi
Stories are essential to human culture. They are the fundamental organizing principle for human beings to communicate identity and values. Stories live in every business and organization. When they are acknowledged and given a structured place within the culture they can inspire leadership, build teams and bond, share vision, mission and values or heal wounds. When they are not acknowledged they appear as rumor and fear, preventing effective communication from taking place. This workshop is about what core stories are in business and organizational culture and how to positively tell them.
Born in Hibbing, MN and raised successively in Albuquerque, NM, Buffalo, NY and the Twin Cities, Loren Niemi began as a child fibber but soon realized he was less interested in lying than in improving the truth. He is still at it, as a poet, author and innovative storyteller whose work includes a 2020 Midwest Book Award winning short story collection, “What Haunts Us”, a poetic memoir, “A Breviary for the Lost” and a novel of romance and misadventure “Circus Rex”. In 2020, he founded the American School of Storytelling providing online an in-person classes and performances.
2:40 - 3:40
The Power C’s: Character, Conflict, Conclusion led by Errol McLendon
The key to engaging stories can be discovered by watching people listen to stories. When are they most engaged? When they are introduced to three-dimensional people they can either love or hate. When the going gets tough. When they are left with a powerful final image. Through a series of fun activities participants will explore The Power C’s that will capture and hold the listener from beginning to end.
Errol McLendon’s stories, workshops and solo shows have been presented in Kansas City, St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Atlanta and Orlando. Errol is a two-time Moth winner. He runs a storytelling show, an open mic and a drop-in workshop in the Chicago area.