StoryMuse founder and creative director Shannon M. Turner’s 11 Good Things

Shannon M. Turner is the founder/creative director of StoryMuse, which offers storytelling techniques as a tool for personal discernment, team building, advocacy and community development in order to cultivate a world where all stories are heard and honored. She serves as an independent consultant who conducts workshops and provides coaching to individuals and organizations seeking to use true, personal stories for transformative potential. She is the producer of Carapace, Atlanta’s premiere monthly true, personal storytelling event, and has an MFA from Virginia Tech.

Here, in no particular order, are her 11 good things. 

1. Storytelling at Carapace. I’m the producer of a true, personal storytelling show that happens at Manuel’s Tavern on the second Tuesday of the month. It’s a beautiful smorgasbord of people showing up and telling their awkward, brave, hilarious, shocking, revelatory truths. We have a rich tapestry of live literary events in the Atlanta community; Carapace is a proud part of it.

2. Storytelling through walks and talks. Strolling on a path or through the woods with someone else and regaling each other with our tales from recent days or long ago is my favorite way to human. Plus, we have amazing places to walk around here — from the South Peachtree Creek Trail and Cascade Nature Preserve to Arabia Mountain and Red Top. Let’s take this conversation outside.

3. Storytelling over food, especially at a good ol’ potluck. I’ll bring the dessert if you bring the deviled eggs. Let’s wash dishes and build community together.

4. Storytelling through theater. Whether it’s our amazing live performance scene or a great film, there’s nothing like sitting in a darkened theater, having stories bend our imaginations toward new realities we’d never dreamed of and putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes for a while — with popcorn.

5. Storytelling through a great date. Never thought I’d still be dating at this age, but here we are. One of my favorite sayings is, “You can either have a good experience, or you can have a good story.” Every time I leave the house for a date, I tell myself, “I’ve got plenty of good stories; I’m ready for a good experience.” I’m looking at you, 2026.

6. Storytelling through redefining abundance. It’s pretty easy right now to get lost in fear and scarcity — to fall down a rabbit hole and ponder if I’ll be able to afford health care. But then, I go to a potluck, take a walk, phone a friend, go to a thrift shop or volunteer for Second Helpings Atlanta. Heck, I even have a jar of coins picked up on walks to remind me that abundance can come from anywhere. It’s just a matter of where you turn to look.

7. Storytelling by wearing the perfect hat. There’s nothing like a sassy cowgirl hat, a cute chapeau, hipster toboggan, designer baseball cap or what-have-you to make a bad hair day better, top off the outfit or spice up your life. One of my elders observed that I could pull this off because I have “hattitude.” (Always with a good pun, that one.) The clothes we wear tell a story about us and what we believe about ourselves.

8. Storytelling through a great Instagram account. Look, I know. Many of us are losing hours and days of our time to the tiny little screens in our hands. Still, as long as this vice is in my life, I praise the ones who do it well.

9. Storytelling through podcasts and NPR. Can’t get enough of ’em. Won’t shut up about ’em. Sorry. Can’t stop; won’t stop.

10. Storytelling through advocacy. I was bullied quite a lot as a youth. Some people will take that as an excuse to turn it around and pick on others. I’ve turned it into my passion: advocating for those whose stories we need to hear more. I think it was Maya Angelou who said the problem with the word marginalized is that it only works if we think of ourselves at the center.

11. Storytelling as passion and purpose. Similarly, I feel like I spend a lot of time advocating for the art of storytelling itself, reminding folks about the importance of stepping outside our narrative to see that everything we do is a story. The more we are able to see stories as the water we’re swimming in, the better we are able to move from hapless victim to narrator. Come see (or book!) my Teapot show — my first full-length show — for more stories about purpose, passion, power and possibility.