Donald Davis Workshop returns for eighth year – LaGrange Daily News

[ad_1]

The Donald Davis Workshop returns for the eighth year

Published 8:45 am Friday, July 14, 2023

For eight years, storytellers in various areas have had the opportunity to share personal stories and tips at the Donald Davis Workshop, hosted by the Azalea Storytelling Festival and Davis.

From stories of a beloved baby doll to a childhood obsession with Daniel Boone and a lesson about the impact one person can have on another, the workshop has a little something everyone can relate to.

The storytelling session held in the LaGrange College chapel on Wednesday featured funny and meaningful storytelling by Connie Askew, Don Davis, and Randy Nix, who also attended the Davis Storytelling Workshop.

Askew and Don said there were some nerves starting out but when the words started coming out, all nerves melted away.

“Most of the time, once I get up and get going, I’m good, but it’s the weight of expectation that gets me,” Askew said.

It’s my first time to come here and I feel like I learned a lot. He (Davis) brings a whole crowd to the table. He makes you think differently especially about the order of your stories and all the different little scraps that you put together to make a good story and what makes a good story. Donald really makes you think and pulls things out of you that you didn’t know you had.

Don was a long time attendee of the Donald Davis Workshop. This year is his seventh year attending.

I’ve been to five here in LaGrange and one on Ocracoke Island in North Carolina where Donald lives, but Connie is right, Donald has a way of taking things away from you, Don said.

As you sit, listening to other people talking and listening to their stories you will be triggered and remember a time when this happened or I remember this person who has been influential in my life. It’s a wonderful, wonderful thing that I’ve grown to love doing whether I’m speaking or listening.

Nix said it was her first time attending the workshop and her experience was incredible.

“Having the opportunity to sit down and think about these stories and look back on your own life about things you haven’t thought about in a long time and be able to communicate them to other people is a lot of fun,” Nix said.

Azalea Storytelling Director Kirsten Dunn said the event went well.

We had a great turnout. This was my first time going to the LaGrange College chapel, and it was wonderful. It’s the perfect setting to spend an afternoon with our talented storytellers, Dunn said.

He said it was the largest class the workshop had ever had.

There will be 19 workshop attendees including Donald Davis and his wife, Trish. Trish was also at the workshop, which drew 21. Half of the attendees are repeat attendees, but the other half are new and come from different states, Dunn said. We had a csome away in California just for this. Donald Davis is doing six weeks of workshops around the country, and we’re his last stop before he starts his festival tours. So, very excited to be a part of it.

If you missed the session at LaGrange College, the storytellers will be at Pecan Grove in the Hills and Dales from 7 pm to 9 pm Friday.

[ad_2]