My month-long stint at Koh Samui’s Content Castle is over, a delight to teach and coach a house of writer residents. During the month, I was asked to come to Myanmar to conduct two days of writing coaching for MyJustice, an EU-funded, British Council-coordinated social justice project. At the outset, the participants, about half Myanmarese, insisted they were not writers. I was there specifically to help them write Learning Briefs on their three years working in the field, and blog posts sharing personal insights. But my stated goal at the outset was to reinvigorate their love of storytelling and their appreciation of their role in documenting and sharing vital stories. I just received this note from one of the group’s leaders, Vijaya Nidadavolu, Strategic Engagement Adviser, and it reminded me of the small opportunities we are given to contribute in unexpected ways. “The workshop was extremely well moderated and we have discovered some fine writers and stories amidst us. There is a story teller in everyone after all – so thank you for unlocking that.”

If you have a gig anywhere in the world where the people are openhearted, and the food is exceptional, I’m available anytime.