· Catamount Arts
St. Johnsbury – 560 Railroad Community Artist and Vermont Studio Center alum Lori Lee will host Story Therapy, a creative writing workshop for adults, at Catamount Arts, Saturday, September 19th, from 10-11:30am.
Through sharing and writing about personal experience, participants will learn about and explore the importance of reframing a victim story with meaning and purpose. The writing workshop will examine ways in which the stories we tell about ourselves and our experiences influence our perception of both. Telling one’s own stories, reframing and reclaiming one’s narrative, can be a powerful part of healing and finding one’s voice.
Anyone is welcome to participate in the Story Therapy workshop. Community members who have submitted stories for Umbrella’s Stories of Recovery and Resilience event in October are especially encouraged to attend as the workshop promises to be a unique opportunity to get supportive feedback on works in progress.
Thanks to support from the Vermont Community Foundation, participation in Lori Lee’s Story Therapy workshop on September 19th is free, but advance registration is required. Register via the online portal at www.catamountarts.org or by calling 802-748-2600.
Lori Lee spent 25 years writing about Utah’s natural beauty and outdoor adventures before transitioning to personal narrative. She was the host and producer of the Love Your Story podcast, sharing candid interviews and conversations about living one’s best life despite myriad challenges. For eight years, the podcast featured stories about people dealing with anxiety, suicide, eating disorders, rape, abuse, and the loss of children and included interviews with athletes, Olympians, life coaches, therapists, and people who are changing the world.
Lee is a published poet, an award-winning essayist, and has an MS in Folkore with research focusing on the structure and function of personal narrative. She is the author of over 100 magazine articles and six books, including her latest, “L.I.F.E. – Living Intentional and Fearless Every Day.” Her self-help memoir, “The Messy Divine Business of Becoming,” will be published in 2028.
The 560 Railroad Community Artist program was developed by Catamount Arts in partnership with the Vermont Studio Center to bring a cohort of visiting artists to live and work in residency at 560 Railroad Street, in St. Johnsbury. The program brings visual, literary, and performing artists to St. Johnsbury for 4-6 weeks at a time to lead a variety of community engagement activities, including classes and workshops, discussions and artist talks, open studios, public art projects, performances, and more, in addition to growing their own creative practices. The 560 Railroad Community Artist program is supported in part by a grant from the Vermont Community Foundation’s Northeast Kingdom Fund.
Lori Lee’s Story Therapy workshop is one of several community engagement events she will facilitate in St. Johnsbury during her 560 Railroad Community Artist Residency. Additional events will explore memoir, poetry, podcasting, and folklore. These events are supported in part by an Arts and Social Cohesion grant from the Vermont Community Foundation. To learn more about Lori Lee’s residency in St. Johnsbury or about the 560 Railroad Community Artists program, including the full roster of visiting artists, visit www.catamountarts.org.
Umbrella’s Stories of Recovery and Resilience event is an annual community storytelling event in held in observation of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This year’s event, in which community members courageously share their journeys of healing, strength, and hope, will take place October 2nd, at 6pm, at the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum. Learn more at www.umbrellanek.org.