As many of you know, Storied Stuff grew out of an idea generated during "covid times." At Steve's suggestion, friends with whom we gathered on a weekly zoom brought a treasured object to the screen and told the rest of us how and why this object became important to them. Even though these were friends who had known each other for years, the stories illuminated personal history that was new to all of us.
What started as a way to change the conversation that had been centering on our concerns, fears and isolation, grew into a special evening of getting to know those we thought we already knew in a whole new and deeper way.
Steve, who never has just one idea, suggested he and I start the Storied Stuff project, issuing an open invitation to people who might be spending a lot more time in their homes, looking at their own treasures, to share their stories.
As a writer who had created a series of novels around a scavenger/collector who "adopts" the forgotten items of others, I loved the idea, but I had a few reservations.
"Let's say we'll do it for one year," I suggested. I'm not sure why I wanted to put a time limit on this project. In hindsight, I think--I hoped-- that when the Covid protocols and alarms were over--and they would be over, wouldn't they--we'd go back to being busier with our lives and work. Maybe we would be traveling, seeing friends and family in person. Would we want to tie ourselves to maintaining a website, reading and editing submissions?
Steve, who not only has ideas, but has the energy and discipline to make ideas a reality, not only agreed to the year time limit, but—with the help of our webmaster Chris Bomm-- took on the real work of maintaining the storied stuff site. He also has taken on the lion’s share of responsibility for communicating with the people who submit, promoting the site, and encouraging both writers and non-writers to contribute.
And contribute they have! Now, on Storied Stuff's three-year anniversary, we are proud to say we've published well over 300 pieces by well over 100 writers. This summer, we're posting weekly pairs of pieces--one new and one previously published--that talk to each other in a special way.
Wait. Did I say three-year anniversary?
As our first year of Storied Stuff ended, we still had pieces in the queue. Why wouldn't we continue to publish them? At the end of the second year, we might be getting on with our lives and embracing other projects, but why not continue posting the stories of treasures and memories that people were still so generously sharing? And now, on this third anniversary, Steve continues performing the daily tasks associated with publishing the site, and I contribute by reading incoming pieces and adding an occasional submission of my own.
Happy Anniversary Storied Stuff contributors who made this happen! We're celebrating this auspicious occasion this week by posting side-by-side "vintage" pieces from Steve and me.
Oh and Steve, while I'm thinking about it, how about just one more year?