Pitch your story for Field Notes!

Para leer este anuncio en Español, haz clic aquí.

Thanks for your interest in Field Notes! The pitch window for this year’s show has closed. We hope you’ll pitch a story next year!

CISA’s Field Notes is a live storytelling event celebrating the many ways local food and farming touch our lives. This will be our sixth show (!) at the Academy of Music Theatre in Northampton, and we’re looking for storytellers!

All Field Notes stories are true, personal tales from community members like you about an experience related to local food and farming. Pitch us your story idea by November 27th, and you could be chosen to tell it at the show on Saturday February 8th! See how to pitch at the bottom of the page.

Field Notes is for everyone

Food is a part of everyone’s life. Whether you’re a farmer, chef, service worker, gardener, food activist, passionate home cook, or anyone else with a story to share about local food or farming, and this event is for you.

Never been on stage before? That’s okay, we’ll help you get there. All performers will have the opportunity to workshop their stories and performance with a professional storytelling coach.

What stories are we looking for?

Any true story from your life that includes local food or farming will be considered. Stories can be funny or sad, serious or silly, and anything in between. The point is to offer the audience a glimpse of life in our local food system through your eyes, not a persuasive argument about anything (no TED talks or essays, please). Final stories will be around seven minutes.

Need some help thinking of what story you would tell? Well, have any of these happened to you, related to food or farming?

• A moment or chapter in life that showed you who you are, or who you want to be
• When you pushed past a limit, or did something you never thought you’d do
• Life forced you into a situation, but you found joy or meaning in it anyways
• A moment when your perspective totally shifted, when your core beliefs were challenged or reaffirmed
• A time you discovered a new passion, or decided to share your passion with others
• When you learned life lessons in unlikely places

For even more inspiration, check out every Field Notes story told before here. They include lessons from the grooviest wildlife rehabilitator, the challenges and joys of making our local food system more equitable. a new American’s first bite of a hamburger, and much more.

The storytelling experience – what’s it like?

Past storytellers have described their Field Notes experiences as “thrilling,” “terrifying,” “exceptional,” and “oh so worth the effort.” It’s a great opportunity to grow your performance skills and confidence with public speaking and get to know fellow storytellers from all walks of life.

If your story is chosen, you will…

• Attend a two-hour group orientation with coaches and other storytellers the first weekend of January (date and time TBD) 
• Meet periodically with storytelling coaches to work on your story, and practice your story on your own between meetings
• Be invited to help promote the show
• Perform on stage at the Academy of Music the afternoon of Saturday February 8th!

Storyteller benefits and support

• Complimentary tickets: performers will receive 4 comp tickets for friends and family! 
• Stipend of up to $500. Storytellers who need childcare to attend Field Notes activities will be offered an additional stipend. 
• Transportation to in-person activities if you don’t have access to a car.
• Language support: if Spanish is a storyteller’s most comfortable language, CISA will provide interpretation services during workshops and the final performance. Translation and interpretation of the final performance will also be available for Spanish-speaking audience members to enjoy. Information about Field Notes is available in Spanish here – please share with your Spanish speaking friends! 

Take it from past storytellers themselves

“Field Notes was a wonderful experience and really helped grow my confidence in public speaking. It was really great to work towards a goal with a fun group of people. To farmers, I say go for it! It was totally doable.” (Kerry Taylor, Brookfield Farm. See her story)

“I’m very happy I worked through my fear and was able to tell people who I’ve become today. When I go out in the food truck, people recognize me from Field Notes, and it makes me happy that a piece of my story touched their heart.” (Supicha Hillenbrand, Thai Chili Food Truck. See her story)

“Don’t overthink it, just do it. People want to hear your story and you’re the only one that can tell it. It’s fun, challenging, exhilarating, life changing, confidence building, educational, uncomfortable at times, and entertaining…and that’s just at the first workshop. You rock and your story will too!” (Bruce Hopper, Pure BS Maple Shack. See his story)

Pitching your story

The final deadline for pitches is Wednesday November 27th, but the sooner you pitch the better! That gives us more time to consider your story and even help you improve your pitch. We will notify you if your story was chosen in early December.

There are two options for pitching:

1. Call 413-247-4153 and leave a voicemail.
2. Submit your story idea in writing using the form below.

Your pitch should be brief, but give a sense of your full story. It’s not just a teaser! Try to share a few sentences about each of these things:

• Where were you? What was happening?
• What was the tension or conflict?
• What was at stake because of it?
• What was the outcome?

Stuck on story ideas?

Trust your gut, and ask friends for advice! The best stories make you feel an emotion in your body while telling it, and they capture others’ attention and make them feel something too.

The pitch deadline is November 27th

   We can’t wait to hear your stories!