Speak Up Storytelling Ann Guo: "Waiting for an Answer"
Jul 30, 2020
Ann Gwa, a Boston-based storyteller and Great Hartford Story Slam winner, shares a personal tale about a tense phone call with an old friend. The conversation explores temporal transitions, opening lines, pacing, nostalgia, vulnerability, and the craft choices that make a memory feel immediate and bittersweet.
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Tiny Biscuits In A Hot Car
- Matthew Dicks found a tube of biscuit dough in his car that exploded during a heat wave and produced tiny baked "biscuits" on his car seat.
- He cleaned it up without taking photos, later wrote a short blog post, and it unexpectedly went viral among his readers.
Tell Small Moments, Often
- Tell the small, ordinary moments you think are unimportant because you never know which will resonate with listeners.
- Use contrast (e.g., vigilant grocery run vs. tiny biscuits baking in a hot car) to turn a throwaway moment into a strong story.
Contrast Powers Storytelling
- Contrast is the engine of many stories because it creates surprise and meaning from ordinary events.
- Matthew Dicks highlights that a fearful grocery trip becoming tiny car biscuits is compelling because of contrast.
