Lecturer in creative writing, Dr Ariella Van Luyn, is facilitating a place-based Storytelling and Writing Workshop at the Tamworth Library as a part of the Tamworth Heritage Festival on Saturday, the 22nd of April, 2023.
Unsure of what place-based storytelling actually is? We’ve got you covered! We asked Dr Van Luyn all the need-to-know questions for this upcoming workshop.
What is your background in historical fiction?
I have a PhD in creative writing and historical fiction. As a lecturer in writing at the UNE, I continued my research by looking at historical fiction based on the biographies of real people—also known as historical biofiction. At the moment, I’m working on a historical fiction set in Bronze Age Crete about a group of people known as the Minoans, famous because of their association with the myth of the minotaur in the labyrinth.
Can you tell us what place-based storytelling is and why it is important?
Places are often layered with many histories that can be visible or invisible to the people who pass through them. By telling stories based on place, we draw attention to the layers of history and undercut grand historical narratives about famous people and events that might devalue everyday experiences.
Why are you passionate about telling stories about the history of place and space?
I run a unit at UNE called Storytelling and Genre where first-year writing students are asked to tell a story about a place, real or imagined, they associate with home and belonging. Each year, I am blown away by the stories I read. They are so diverse, rich and compelling. They shed light on very different experiences, ones that can actually change the way we think about where we live and who we live with. The way that place stories can be transformative is why I’m passionate about them.
What are the key components that make a compelling place-based narrative?
This will definitely be a strong focus of the place-based storytelling workshop in Tamworth! I would say that the five key components of engaging place narratives are:
- Uniqueness: each place has its own distinct geographical features that shape the events and cultural significances that overlay them. A story that brings these features to life draw readers in.
- Research: discovering a place’s histories and culture is such a fun journey. A powerful place narrative recreates for a reader the feeling of seeing a place anew through learning new things about its past.
- Specificity: powerful narratives use vivid and specific detail so the reader can really feel, see, smell, touch and sense the place the writer is describing.
- Stories: humans make sense of the places they live in and travel to by telling stories about them. Stories are constructed, not found. By this I mean that when humans tell stories they link often random moments into a series of causal events—they impose meaning of a place and its past. As a writer, understanding how you can use this story structure to draw a reader in and shape the story is powerful.
- Symbolism: Places aren’t blank slates; places mean many things to many people over time. Writers can use symbolic language and imagery to represent how a place stands for bigger ideas and themes.
What are you hoping for attendees to get out of the workshop?
I hope attendees will be inspired by finding out new stories about the local history of Tamworth and its surrounds so they can see places differently and also feel more connected to a place’s past and the diverse communities that live there. I hope they will learn some skills in sharing these newfound stories with readers in a way that is compelling.
