Frederick
Chats

What it’s all about

The idea of Frederick Chats is to bring the local community together at gatherings where neighbors can share and learn from one another. We celebrate the diversity of our growing city while maintaining our small town charm and sense of connectivity.

Story sharing events are organized around broad themes in which individuals are encouraged to contribute tales of their own experiences, expertise, and passions. By learning from one another, we expand our own worldviews.

Examples of story sharing styles

There is no set structure for events organized by Frederick Chats, and each gathering will look a little different. Below are examples of the sort of storytelling styles you might see at our gatherings.

  • TED Talks

    TED Talks are dedicated to spreading ideas that spark conversation, deepen understanding, and drive meaningful change. Talks are devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge. The idea is to welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others.

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  • PechaKucha

    The PechaKucha 20x20 presentation format is a slide show of 20 images, each auto-advancing after 20 seconds. It’s non-stop and you've got 400 seconds to tell your story, with visuals guiding the way. PechaKucha was created at an architectural firm in Japan in 2003. The word “PechaKucha” is Japanese for “chit chat.”

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  • The Moth

    Moth shows are renowned for the great range of human experience they showcase. Each show starts with a theme, and the storytellers explore it, often in unexpected ways. The shows dance between documentary and theater, creating a unique, intimate, and often enlightening experience for the audience.

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  • StoryCorps

    StoryCorps is designed to capture the diverse voices of everyday people and reveal our shared humanity. You can search their collection of conversations from nearly 700,000 participants, the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered. Everyone has an important story to tell and that everyone’s story matters.

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There’s no wrong way to Tell a story

The examples of storytelling structures on this page are just that — examples. They aren’t hard and fast rules for the only way to tell stories.

Frederick Chats is a space for community members to share and connect … however that looks and sounds.

  • “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”

    — Oscar Wilde

  • “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

    — Maya Angelou

  • “We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.”

    — Jonathan Gottschall

  • "I'm obsessed with giving the audience something they don’t see coming.”

    —Jordan Peele