Join in the activities at the event’s Facebook page

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

Here is my curation of personal storytelling, lifewriting, memoir, journaling, life story, personal history, life narrative, and narrative identity theory content. You can see the curation here or in the widget embedded below:

In the spirit of this latest curation, I’m embedding a very good TED talk on the power of personal narrative in which Robert Tercek talks about society’s emergence from 60-some years of being consumers — of stories chosen for us and fed to us, mostly be television — to a more democratic model in which we can all choose to tell stories not just in support of buying stuff (a la commercial TV) but to change the world.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

Reinvention Summit 2 is history, but my Scoop.it curation, Reinvention 2 on Scoop.it, serves as an ongoing magazine about the continuing storytelling energy the event has generated.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

Last week, I noted that projects would soon be announced for this month’s International Day for Sharing Life Stories (May 16).

Indeed, organizers posted a JPG on the event’s Facebook page. Click here to see the image.

Essentially, organizers suggest participants share a high-resolution photo this month on the Facebook page and answer the question, “Why is this moment meaningful for you?”

The content may then be eligible to part of an ebook published by the Museum of the Person Brazil (see image above). You can review the ebook here.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

This week’s posts will largely consist of reporting from Reinvention Summit 2, the launch of which, as I write this, is about two hours away. Partly because I’m on Pacific time (while the Summit is in Eastern time), my reports may come late each day or not till the next day.

I’m excited; hope you are, too.

I won’t necessarily cover every session, but here’s what’s on tap for today:

12p-1pm ET

Let’s Get Storied! In this audience interactive session, Michael Margolis and the RS2 Team will help you craft your intention for transformational storytelling.

1-2pm ET

Want to find your inner superhero? Bo Eason, former NFL player, Broadway star will teach you how to be more confident with your personal story mojo.

4-5pm ET

How do you turn adversity into an ally? Khalil Ashanti, performer, actor, Cirque de Soleil will reveal how tell the story of struggle from a place of self-empowerment.

5-6pm ET

Want to decode the culture? Robert Richman of Zappos, Dan Mezick, author of Culture Game, will breakdown narrative secrets to corporate culture change.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

One of the most persistent and frustrating issues I’ve had with this blog in its history of nearly seven years is the comments function.

At various times, it has not functioned properly, or it has been difficult for readers to log in. When I’ve removed all barriers to commenting, I’ve been bombarded with spam.

The current setup calls for commenters to log-in. To the existing choices of logging in via Movable Type (this blog’s platform), Google, or Yahoo, I’ve just added the option of logging in via a Facebook account.

It’s still not the perfect setup perhaps, but it does provide commenters with another option.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

Another blogger inspired me to create an A-Z list of highlights of story finds for the year. Strictly speaking, not all of these are finds. Some are my own creations or initiatives. Others are practitioners I’ve highlighted in the past who’ve been resurgent in the last year. Still others are simply tributes. But they represent some of the most notable content about applied storytelling from 2011.

A is for Assessments. Toward the end of this year, I got interested in the ways people can use story to discover their passions and career paths and made several discoveries of tools for doing so:

• My 5-part series on Life-Story Interventions that Guide Career Choice
• Storied Career Assessment That Lets Someone Else Tell Your Story
• Appreciative Inquiry for self-assessment and constructing positive accomplishment stories.

B is for Blair. As in practitioner Madelyn Blair (pictured), who revamped her Pelerei Web site this year with rich resources.

C is for Curation. 2011 has been huge for curation in the story world, and I’ve changed the way I curate. In late May, Gregg Morris’s Scoop.it curation, Story and Narrative inspired me to initiate two Scoop.it curations of my own, Organizational Storytelling (which is probably too narrow a name for it) and Personal Storytelling. Karen Deitz (see next entry) soon followed with her Just Story It curation. (Even though Gregg, Karen, and I cover similar territory, our content doesn’t overlap as much as you might think.) A search for Scoop.it curations related to story reveals 200 results.

I used to be frustrated by collecting far more material about applied storytelling than I could ever hope to cover here in this blog. Using the Scoop.it curations, I can still highlight noteworthy story content, but I don’t feel frustrated about not writing about all of it. Readership of my curations continues to grow, and I would like to think the curations and this blog (a curation of a different kind) complement each other.

Scoop.it is just one of several tools that I believe will continue to contribute to an evolution in content curation.

D is for Deitz. As in practitioner Karen Deitz. Karen has long been a luminary in the story world, and I quoted her in my dissertation back in 2006, but this year, she transformed her Polaris Associates into a dynamic new, resource-rich site, Just Story It, in addition to the curation mentioned above. Here’s a post about her rebranding.

E is for Earth. The Earth as storyteller was a true find. One of the stranger — but most fun — posts I wrote this year was The Earth Is the Original Nonlinear Storyteller, inspired by a geology field trip I went on in the fall. Adding to the fun was the response it got, including from one of my career-practitioner colleagues, as I wrote about here.

F is for free stuff. I have always been struck by the incredible generosity of the storytelling community. Most practitioners gave away amazing amounts of stuff for free. I don’t know of a good way to list all the free goodies I’ve reported on this year; a search on the word “free” yielded strange results. But you’ll find that most of the time when I report on a resource a practitioner is offering, it’s free.

G is for Goodbye. 2011 saw losses to the story world. We lost Steve Jobs. In an especially tragic way, we lost my friend, Trey Pennington. Not that we can equate the loss of a person with the loss of a story form, but in 2011, I wrote about the demise of serialized comic strips and romance comics and soap operas.

H is for Hoffman. Lou Hoffman consistently writes fascinating posts in his Ishmael’s Corner blog. This year, his infographic comparing corporate speak with storytelling went viral.

I is for Inside Pages. Many of my finds are hidden in the “inside pages” of this blog. Here, you’ll find a large collection of sites and blogs that relate to applied storytelling. My Bastille Day post provides a good example of the kind of links I’m referring to. In that post, I published a big list of links I was planning to add to my inside pages (Confession: I still haven’t added all of them.) To find my inside pages, look at this blog’s sidebar, and then scroll down to “Pages,” especially the links below the list of Q&A participants. I will publish a big new set of links soon.

J is for John’s Storied Resume. I cannot claim to be the least bit unbiased, but I truly felt my son’s comic/zine resume was one of the most creative and storied resumes I’d ever seen. He’s working on revising it as he is currently seeking his fortune in Philadelphia.

K is for Kendall Haven’s story definition. I’ve explored the definition of story/storytelling almost since this blog’s inception and have gradually become more convinced of the importance of defining story. A pivotal moment in my thinking came when I read Kendall Haven’s definition of story in his Q&A:

A story is: a character-based narrative of an interesting character’s struggles to reach a real and important goal that is initially blocked by some combination of one or more problems and conflicts that have the potential to create some real risk and danger (jeopardy) for that character, all presented in sufficient detail to make the story seem vivid, compelling, and memorable.

L is for Life Writing. This blog has always featured content about life writing, personal storytelling, journaling, memoir and similar areas, but I feel I’ve emphasized these topics more this year than in the past, especially through my Personal Storytelling curation. This year, I’ve discovered life-writing gurus like Denis LeDoux. This year, columnist David Brooks conducted a neat project featuring stories by septuagenarians (The Life Report).

M is for Measures of Story. My friend, Sean Buvala came out with a new book this year, Measures of Story, which teaches readers “to create even more stories from the anecdotes and “floats” (the little brother of anecdotes) that are everywhere around you.”

N is for No Story, No Fans. Another friend, another terrific contribution to the discipline. Read my review of Raf Stevens’s excellent book, No Story, No Fans.

O is for onethousandandone. The Australian story consultancy is another example of resurgent practitioners. Principals Gabrielle Dolan and Yamini Naidu (pictured at right) came out with a free ebook, a terrific set of videos, and a coaching program in 2011.

P is for Park. As in Park Howell, who is behind some of my very favorite resources of this year — his slideshow on How to Craft a Great 3-Minute Story and his Storyteller or Marketer slideshow, featured in the Q&A he did with me (I’m pretty sure the latter was created before 2011, but I discovered it this year).

Q is for Q&As. I had thought of 2011 as a rather fallow year for my Q&A series, but in review, it wasn’t too bad, at least the first half. Though more folks commit to these Q&As than follow through, these excellent Q&As graced these pages in 2011:

• Peter Guber Q&A
• Kristiaan Van Woensel Q&A
• Kendall Haven Q&A
• Lisa Rossetti Q&A
• Park Howell Q&A
• Brendan Nolan Q&A
• Jonathan Thomas Q&A
• Trey Pennington Q&A
• Angela Maiers Q&A
• Patrick Reinsborough Q&A
• Jane Freese Q&A
• Graham Williams and Dorian Haarhoff Q&A

R is for Roots. As in, a return to my roots, or my special niche in applied storytelling, storytelling for job search and career. I believe I’ve posted more in that category in 2011 than I have in past years. Why? One reason is the proliferation of story curators. Sticking to my niche more often is a way for me to post what others aren’t posting. To get a flavor for these posts, click here (unfortunately, the way this blog is set up, you see only a limited number).

S is for Storify. Storify has been one of the most buzzed-about and well-reviewed new tools in storytelling this year, especially for journalistic storytelling. With Storify, “users bring together the best text, photos and video from social media to tell stories that help make sense of the world.”

T is for Toastmasters. 2011 was unquestionably the year I got a bit obsessed with Toastmasters. I told the story of my experience and explored the storytelling aspects of the organization’s approach. This post lists all my Toasties posts (including one from 2010).

U is for unbridled creativity. A topic that really caught my fancy this year was creativity and its connection to storytelling. Propelled by my own experimental summer of plying creativity in the form of crafts, I interviewed story luminary Annette Simmons about her creative pursuits. The second post contains a link to the first. Afterwards, I was blown away when I discovered an incredibly creative handout Annette created for job-seekers.

V is for Video, which continues to play a major role in the story world. Here are a few of my favorite posts that featured awesome video stories:

• 4 Must-See Presentations for Story Fans
• “Life in a Day” Film
• Watch These Two Powerful Messages about Storytelling

W is for Workbook. One of my biggest projects this year has been my workbook to accompany my book, Tell Me About Yourself: Storytelling to Get Jobs and Propel Your Career. I’m proud of it and curious whether buyers are finding it useful.

X is for eXcellent white papers. (Yeah, I know that’s a cheat for X). Ever-generous practitioners offered thought-provoking white papers, which I noted in these posts:

• You’ll Be Thankful for Cornucopia of Offerings from Story Practitioners
• Free and Fabulous: Story Resources from the Gurus
• They May Be White Papers, But They Are Like Gold
• Best-Ever Guide to Integrating Stories into Speeches, Presentations, Indeed, Any Influential Message

Y is for You. Every reader is a precious find. I cherish you above any content I’ve published this year. I value you and your story.

Z is for Zahmoo. Created by Shawn Callahan and the folks at Anecdote, Zahmoo is a story bank for business and family stories and is another one of the exciting story tools launched this year. I wrote a preview post describing Zahmoo.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

I know I’m a bit late in the day of Christmas with this post. Just a few last-minute bits I came across with nice, storied elements for the holiday:

These American Lives, edited by Ira Glass, tell of ordinary lives “with an untold tale.”

In the Huffington Post Religion section, readers tells stories of experiences that made the holidays holy. “They range for heart breaking to heart warming and reminded us that the reason for the season is family, friends, fun and faith,” an editor’s note says. Here’s the list:

Kathleen Hidreth — A Christian Toddler Narrates a Hanukkah Tradition
Ana Josephs — How I Found Christ in Christmas
Elizabeth Bastos — A Christmas Story
Gayle Ashbach — The Holy Season
Nandini Pandya — Merry Christmas From a Hindu
Mark Pfeifer — On Christmas Eve, Homeless at the Hyatt
Rev. Ellen Cooper-Davis —Little Holies
Keith —Darkest Before the Dawn
Sister Rebecca Mead, OSB, SPP — Through the Eyes of a Child
David Currier — Christmas in Mexico
Frenika Mudd — My Holy Holiday Story
Nichelle Wrenn —An Atheist Thanksgiving and Christmas
Frankie Trice —Yule: A Pagan Feast
Melinda L. Wentzel — The Warm Fuzzies
Michael L. Ruffin — The Christmas Play
Harsha Sharma — How the Story of Hanukkah Inspires me in Interfaith Social Action

A podcast from Create Your Life Story notes that “Christmas and the holiday time that we have at this time of year, is often about family, catching up and talking about what has been happening over the past year.” The podcast encourages folks to “spend time with your family members to ask those interesting questions to understand and show your interest in their lives.”

Hope you and yours are enjoying a splendid and blessed day of celebration!

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

Today (11-07-11) is Job Action Day 2011, the fourth annual such event. This year’s theme is: “Skill Up, Start Up, Speak Up.” The “Start Up” aspect of the theme refers not only to tackling unemployment during the recession by starting a small business, but also developing a whole new mindset of being the CEO of one’s own career — having a portfolio of portable skills, a great network, flexibility, a project-mentality; not sitting at the computer visiting job boards, but getting out there and meeting people, knocking on doors, taking ownership of their career path.

Michelle Pyram, a Certified Professional Coach, whose practice is called Be Accountable. Execute the Dream, turned her career around after a major setback by adopting just such a “start-up” mentality. Here is her story in her own words:

[Reinforcing the Job Action Day 2011 “Skill Up, Start Up, Speak Up” message is a group of bloggers dedicating blog posts on or around Job Action Day 2011 to the event. Scroll down to see their blog posts listed.]

In 2009 in the midst of the economic crisis, I lost my job as a human resources manager at a major cosmetics and fragrance company. It was my dream job and I was devastated at this news. However, hindsight is always 20/20, and I realized that this was by far the best thing that ever happened to me! Before I lost my job, I came to a point where I would wake up every day feeling as if I needed more time to figure things out, understand this thing called “life” and answer questions about my own career path. But while I was trying to figure out “life” I was spending my time on personally unfulfilling tasks that did not allow me the time to really understand what mattered most to me. I couldn’t find my passions or discover my true purpose.

I eventually hired a coach to help me with my transition and it was by far the BEST investment I ever made. By working with a coach, I realized what was really holding me back from realizing my true potential. Often times we are all victim to our own inner critics, limiting beliefs, assumptions, and interpretations. In addition, we may not even know it until we are really able to put a mirror in front of us. It was then I had to realize that I was not a victim of circumstance but instead the creator of my destiny. My talents are meant to be seen and not meant to be dormant. Discovering this truth about myself was the turning point for me, and I created personal and professional changes that I never dream were possible! From that day, I enrolled in a rigorous coaching certification program with 350+ hours of coursework to focus on a new chapter as a career and life coach. Besides, it was the perfect transition from my career in human resources!

Then I started to realize that almost EVERYONE around me was scratching their head about their own lives and careers. For many their dreams remained dormant and their story sounded like this:

• “I hate my job but I am too afraid to leave…”
• “I have this great idea but I think I will fail at launching it, so what will everyone think…”
• “I have a passion for ______ but I’m too _____ and it will not work…”
• “I don’t know what my passion is or where to even start…”
• “I have too much responsibility on my plate and I don’t have time for myself to…”
• “My gut is telling me I have the potential to do so much more…”

Once I began to live life to my fullest potential, several people started asking me — “How did I do it?” How can you create all that you want in your life and career without wasting a lifetime? So I created ‘Be Accountable, Inc.’ to show my clients how! The most touching moment for me as a coach was facilitating a group coaching session I entitled as “Be a Better You” for a group of professional women competing in a pageant. I couldn’t believe how many “ah ha” moments came up for the group and the raw emotions that came with it. Then the phone calls and text messages poured in that evening and the sincere “thank-yous” on the plane really touched my heart on the way home. It was then I knew this was my purpose… Today, I service clients by aiding them in life and career transitions, including career switchers, high potentials, professionals experiencing unemployment, and entrepreneurs.

Currently, I have a career that I not only love but I feel more balanced and conscious about “my wants” in life. I have my own coach that holds me accountable to ensure the execution of my own dreams so that I can live my best life. Now you can too…

More Job Action Day Bloggers:

• Quintessential Careers Blog, Job Action Day 2011: Skill Up, Start Up, Speak Up.
• Career Doctor Blog, #JobActionDay11: Speak Up: It Takes a Village to Turn a Jobs Crisis Around.
• Quintessential Resume and Cover Letter Tips Blog, #JobActionDay11: Skill Up, Start Up, Speak Up: Expert Tips to Fire Up Your Job Search.
• A Storied Career, #JobActionDay11: A Start-Up Story of Triumphing Over Job Loss
• Deborah Brown-Volkman, The Career Coach’s Job-Seekers Urged to “Skill Up, Start Up, and Speak Up” for Fourth Annual Job Action Day.
• Susan Guarneri, Career Assessment Goddess, The Start-Up Mindset: 10 Tips to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
• Maggie Mistal, Career Advice Blog, Job Action Day: 3 Actions Jobseekers Can Take To Bridge the Skill Gap.
• Nancy Miller, Job Action Day 2011, Life Work News, Skill up for Employment.
• Hannah Morgan, Career Sherpa, Start Up: Building A More Stable Career.
• Miriam Salpeter, Keppie Careers, Job Action Day 2011 — How to confidently drive your career bus where you want to go.
• Meg Guiseppi, Executive Career Brand, Today is Job Action Day 2011!
• Deborah Shane, Deborah Shane Toolbox, Raise Your Career Metabolism, Bring Your A+ Game and Develop More Magnetism.
• Wendy Terwelp, Rock Your Career, Job Action Day: Start Up — How to Network.
• Tim Tyrell-Smith, Tim’s Stategy, Start Focusing On New, Creative Networking Ideas

See http://www.jobactionday.com/2011-Job-Action-Day.html for the complete, updated list of Job Action Day 2011 blog posts.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

I’ll be participating in this effort — with a story spin — for the fourth year on Sunday:

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.