Shovani Shrestha and Courtni Culbertson are co-founders of the Storytellers Archive, a student led organization dedicated to promoting literacy in the community.
Shovani Shrestha was actually the first to come up with the idea of starting the organization, and had been playing around with the plans and logistics for about a year and a half before she even brought the proposition to Courtni. “Shovani really had the first idea, she came to me and asked me to be a part of it, and so I was really honored by that,” Courtni said. Since things are starting to open up again, they were able to work toward actually launching the club this past summer.
At it’s core, the club is a student led organization that celebrates the art of reading and writing. They hold a multitude of different activities for the club members to participate in and enjoy, such as club writing sessions, poetry slam fundraisers, and reading to kids. All the proceeds from the poetry slams are donated back to libraries and used for other community projects. The Storytellers Archive is also an open to all high school students in Keller ISD regardless of the school you attend.
The club usually hosts 2-3 meetings a month on Saturday afternoons in a public area, like a coffee shop or a park. Details about meetings may vary though, so join the Storytellers Archive Slack to be updated on important announcements, reminders and to just stay informed.
Growing up, Shovani was always an avid reader and writer while Courtni had more of an interest in writing. “The characters and stories I’ve read about through the years have really shaped a large part of my identity, and they’ve just brought me a lot of joy too,” Shovani said. Both of them wanted to create an open minded and welcoming environment where kids could come true and be themselves while sharing the same appreciation and love for the genuine comfort that stories can provide.
Storytellers Archive has big plans for the future and their path to success is contingent on making sure that people know how passionate and dedicated they are about their goals. They’re a very interactive and hands on organization, so while they need active participation from their members, the participation and involvement from the community is just as important.
The student-led organization, Storytellers Archive, is made up of hardworking and determined students that can achieve anything they put their minds to, with a bright future ahead of them.
Link to join the Storytellers Archive Slack: https://join.slack.com/t/storytellersarchive/shared_invite/zt-ts011dn7-ua4eyphCTFLweFmNupW8~A
Link to the Storytellers Archive sign up form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdw8_bRujMk7p6rzm185tbZSlHSnG7TYeA7NmSuE1ZN_FvAg/viewform