I’ve always been captivated by the worlds created by writers, and the words used to build them. As a form of appreciation for such works, to cultivate a passion in new writers/readers, and to create a space where writers and readers could come together and share their own stories, I came up with the concept of a storytelling club named “Once Upon a Speech”.
At first, it was just a dream. An inkling of an idea. Starting a whole club felt like a daunting task. Would anyone show up? Would it die off due to a lack of interest?
But Toastmasters has a good setup. Before starting a club, you hold demo meetings to give visitors (and your team) an idea of how the meetings will go, and also gives you a space to explore new ideas and unique experiences you can add to your club. Since we started, we’ve been able to explore our scope as a storytelling club through holding themed meetings such as Sinhala literature and Jane Austen. With the right team and guidance from experienced Toastmasters who visit the club, and areable to curate the meetings into a unique identity that can withstand time and become home to free spirit all over the world.
Yashali Abeyasekera