I’m a writer who hasn’t been writing much. My creative energy is only now starting to peek out from under a year of personal grief, political anxiety, and pandemic reality. That energy feels like…hope. A shy hope that gradually emerged as the darkness of grief began to recede, and perked up when the 2020 election was called, and news of upcoming COVID vaccines appeared.

My gut is pointing me toward storytelling, because I believe stories can help us heal. I don’t have much more to go on than that, so while I loosen up my rusty writing fingers, I figure the best thing I can do is to read good stories. But where to begin?

I asked my friends to tell me their favorite storytellers (from any genre) and BOY did they come through.