StoryCommons is a digital commons where people tell and share all forms of personal stories—from short pieces of lived experience to full-length memoirs, life stories, and autobiographies. The platform offers a complete set of resources, guidelines, and prompts for telling the most important stories of our lives, utilizing a timeless and universal structure that reaches deeper levels of meaning and understanding. All stories draw from the same universal well of motifs and archetypes that define who we are as human beings, following the deeper framework of “beginning/muddle/resolution” that characterizes transformation. Part of the new commons paradigm movement to revive ancient forms of shared stewardship, StoryCommons offers a fully accessible global commons where everyone can tell and share their stories for the collective benefit of all.
Why it matters: Our stories are the narrative DNA that binds us together as human beings living the same types of experiences—and telling and sharing them creates “communities of memory” just as sacred stories did in traditional communities. By preserving meaningful stories for future generations while making them accessible for browsing, research, and dialogue, the platform ensures equitable distribution of this essential human resource. Through the process of sharing stories that get to the heart of who we are, uncovering lessons from struggles, transformations, and triumphs, a love and appreciation for all living creatures emerges—assisting in bringing into being the reality of the oneness of humanity.
