I have always loved stories—everything from the pink princess bed time kind to the funny-thing-that-happened-to-me-on-the-way-to-the-grocery-store kind. I guess that’s why I write—and why I was first attracted to the Centre for the Digital Storytelling.

A few years ago I took a week long workshop at the Berkeley campus of this organization, and learned not only the skills to make a basic digital story (if you want to see the end result the link is here–but be warned this video includes anime cartoons and a runway model or two), but also about the amazing power of stories—to teach, to move, and to enact social change. These people don’t just believe in stories—they use them to make the world a better place.

Though the teen fiction manuscripts I have been working on lately aren’t exactly geared towards emancipation or anti-oppression, every time I get a newsletter listing the Center’s latest projects I am reminded of the power of stories–whatever form they may take.

So thank you Center For Digital Story Telling, you inspire me.