What a year! 2020 was a unique year, to say the least. Although we can keep listing all the challenges that we have had (still counting!) all day long, let’s talk about silver lining that StoryMasters has cherished this year.

When everything was shut down back in March, we had to make many changes in a short amount of time. Sometimes changes are scary. Sometimes people get cold feet. But not StoryMasters. Everybody dived into the virtual world without hesitation. Nobody was left at the diving board. We conducted multiple practice sessions, invited a professional online coach Jennifer Kelly Lublin to teach us how to improve our online presence, and offered the Think Like Google workshop to get familiar with digital files. And we had fun together!

Since then, new and old friends have visited us from all over the world. To be accurate, 121 guests in total. Eight friends joined/rejoined StoryMasters and four of them are long-distance members; Hiba Hamdan in June (Santa Barbara), Jill Vanderweit in July (Maryland), Bharat Sangekar (Australia) in October, and Camille Miller in December (East Bay). Regardless of where they are living or how new they are to the club, every one of them has contributed great value. So have the long-time members. Members have not only improved their own storytelling skills but also helped each other by sharing their knowledge. It really moves me to watch their growth and collaboration.

Truly, StoryMasters has been blessed with phenomenal members and guests. Thank you for sticking with us and sharing your love and wisdom. I’m excited to see how the club and club members will evolve.

Happy Holidays, everybody! Looking forward to seeing you all in 2021!

Club President, Miyo Yamauchi