Story Week - Live Stories Where You Live
- Written by Sanika Karnik
Story Week combines new digital culture with ancient oral tradition.
The nation cracks open its cocoon unleashing Story Week. Australia’s annual celebration of performed writing spreads fresh wings to greet audiences hungry for meaningful human connection.
Point your phone camera at a STOP Sign or $10 note to find hidden poems.
Order a spoken word artist delivered to your door.
Book a lunch-time walk and talk with a TEDXSydney speaker.
Pledge to share original stories with your kids and raise money for literacy.
See a National Poetry Slam Final… in a venue!
From the 22nd to 28th of November, meet dozens of writers presenting spoken word, stories, lyrics, comedy and ideas in venues, on screen, in your palm and in your hood.
Since 2013, Story Week brings the world’s best performing writers to Australian audiences. In 2021, Story Week pioneers digital literary arts with a mix of in-person and augmented reality experiences.
“We’ve been trained for almost two years to be afraid of other humans,” says Story Week and Word Travels’ Creative Director Miles Merrill.
“Stories are how we continue to understand each other in isolation. It’s like we’ve gone into cocoons and now, by literally transforming our bodies through vaccination, we emerge, spread wings and gather. The collective noun for butterflies is: kaleidoscope. This is so celebratory. It’s the driving metaphor for Story Week.”
The Story Week 2021 Program has three elements:
- Caterpillar - Incubate: Conversations & Learning
- Chrysalis - Create: Digital & In-person Experiences
- Kaleidoscope - Celebrate: Poetry Slams & Hybrid Performances
-Top 5 Experiences
Story Walk
Walks along the Cooks River or the ocean have been like festivals during COVID restrictions. Instead of small talk with your exercise buddy, you get a curated talk and walk with a great vaccinated TedX Sydney story-teller, a star poet or a neighbour with deep knowledge of ornithology.
STOP MONEY
Point your phone camera at a STOP sign and poetry appears; hidden on your street corner.
Get a $10 note. Point your camera at it. The two white poets disappear, replaced by First Nations’ poets sharing their verses on currency. Get your access links from Monday November 1st
Home Delivery
You got your pizza. The toilet paper arrived yesterday. Now, get your live performing writer home delivered. All vaccinated and 2 metres from your front door - stories comes to you.
12 Cocoons
Dedicated to communities who faced some of the toughest COVID restrictions in Sydney. Story Week is calling on writers, from 12 suburbs labelled “LGAs of Concern”, to send in video poems and stories. The videos will be embedded on landmarks in the various suburbs. Audiences see the videos by pointing their cameras at the landmarks.
Sto-Re-MI
This fundraiser asks parents and guardians to pledge how many original bedtime stories and songs they can share with their kids in a week. Register online, set your pledge goals and share the details of your experience.
-Top Venue Events
First Person Voice - Customs House – Circular Quay – Sat Nov 27 - 11am-4:30pm
Join First Nations’ poets and storytellers from so called ‘Australia and Canada’ as they sing up Country and weave stories incorporating their respective languages. Catch performances, conversations and learning.
Developed in partnership with Awesome Black and The Consulate General of Canada.
Audio Galore – Word Travels – 101-111 William St. Darlinghurst - Mon Nov 22 – Wed Nov 24
Tune out the world around you, and tune into stories that just might change your ears. Join us at Word Travels’ HQ in Darlinghurst or online for a podcast smorgasbord including panel, performance and workshop.
Chasing Home - Customs House – Circular Quay – Sun Nov 28 - 12pm-2pm
Boat disintegrates at sea. Travel over mountains. Detained for months. The stories are powerful, heroic and living within our community. Hani Abdile hosts as refugees share poems, stories and ideas inspired by their journeys.
Australian Poetry Slam – Venue TBA – Sun Nov 28 7pm-9:30pm
The closing night climax is Australian Poetry Slam National Final. After 60 heats across the country with almost 1,000 writers, the top 16 of the nation’s best outspoken wordsmiths battle it out in a spectacular showdown. Headlined by the current Australian Poetry Slam Champion Ren Alessandra, the final features 16 sharp-tongued poets word-wrestling for the championship title.
- Cool Kids Slam Program
APS Youth Day – Online – Fri Nov 25 10am-2pm
Students get an in-depth understanding of how to mix creative writing with performance - then try out their skills. All students watch a Poetry Slam Show, then participate in the Poetry Slam Wordshop before performing in their own Poetry Slam Competition.
Presented by the literary arts organisation, Word Travels. Book tickets and see more program/artist details here: www.wordtravels.info
WHAT: Story Week 2021
WHEN: Monday 22 – Sunday 28 November, 2021
WHERE: Venues, STOP signs, suburbs online across Australia and the world
WORD TRAVELS WEBSITE: www.wordtravels.info
AUSTRALIAN POETRY SLAM WEBSITE: www.australianpoetryslam.com
WORD TRAVELS FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/wordtravels.info
APS FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/AustralianPoetrySlam
APS YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/user/AustralianPoetrySlam/videos
