Virtual Story Circles

Adapting the Story Circle model we first used as a response to Tropical Storm Irene, we are hosting a series of online Virtual Story Circles via video conference to share our realities in a world threatened by a pandemic. We’ll be doing several ourselves, as well as providing community groups in the state with the guidance to host their own virtual storytelling events. Story Circles are a powerful medium because they bring people together to bear witness to the experiences of others. Although we can’t safely form in-person circles at this time, the widely available video conferencing platforms to which many of us have turned to stay connected can also connect us to share our experiences.

A Story Circle is a supported space where participants respect the testimony of others, and each Virtual Story Circle gathers a group of Vermonters with a range of perspectives to share. Just as each person’s experience of this time differs, every participant will relate their story in their own unique way. We hope that by bringing forth a multitude of perspectives in a group setting, participants and observers will encounter the broad scope of experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic as it unfolds—and that will come to define our collective understanding of this period in time.

With permission from participants, Story Circle recordings will be added to the Sound Archive, becoming part of the record of these times.

Want to join a circle?

Please note that given the geographic scope of our work we are limiting participation in VFC-hosted story circles to current residents of Vermont only. Stay tuned on this webpage for more details and feel free to reach out to us at listening@vermontfolklifecenter.org if you have questions.

If you live in Vermont and are interested in participating in a Virtual Story Circle and sharing your experience, please fill out the form below and we will follow-up with you within 5 days.

want to host a circle?

We encourage community groups and organizations around Vermont to organize and host their own Virtual Story Circles for members of their communities. If you’d like to learn more about our approach to Virtual Story Circles, please contact us at listening@vermontfolklifecenter.org for additional information. You can also download our Story Circle Guide:

What does it sound like?

Listen to excerpts from recent story circles: