Our Story

The Storytellers Alliance

Origin Story

Established in 2018, The Storytellers Alliance was founded by Jennifer Harman and Camille Campins-Adams. The two met in graduate school while pursuing their Master’s in Creative Writing. Before ever meeting in person, they developed an instant admiration for the other by way of Facebook. When they finally did meet at their first MA residency together, they immediately hit it off, forming a strong friendship.  

Both busy, working moms of young children—and in graduate school—they longed to find a way to pursue their passion for writing and the fine arts, while also being present for the people they love. 

At the end of each summer residency, they bid farewell to their cohort and mentors, while holding tight to the excitement and reinvigoration that lingered from being immersed for a week with like-minded creatives. Together, they wanted to find a way to bottle their fervor and share it with the community. 

It was while attending the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference, that they found clarity. After one of the breakout sessions, they were approached by a nonprofit organization whose mission is to engage children in the joy and power of reading and writing. There was only one problem: there was no chapter in Florida. 

The seed was planted. 

After doing more research, they soon discovered that while they wanted to offer accessible arts enrichment programs for children, there was still something missing. As they continued to explore the feasibility of this idea, they realized that together, they had the knowledge, the network, and the resources to develop a structured learning program, while also nurturing and connecting a community of like-minded thinkers of all ages. 

Camille and Jennifer recognized that not everyone has the desire or the means to pursue a graduate-level degree, nor do they have the luxury to put their life on pause to attend an immersive creative retreat. They wanted to develop the kind of instruction that would provide an opportunity for any person to share their unique story with the world, without a hefty investment.

From that, emerged their first core value: to create a quality program accessible to anyone who had a story inside them. 

On a rainy summer afternoon, in the small conference room at the Austin Davis Public Library, The Storytellers Alliance was born.

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