Summer Reading is an annual program for all ages at FCL that encourages our community to connect through a love of reading and stories. During the 2024 program, we set out to celebrate not only the stories we read, but also the power of telling our own stories! Throughout the summer, community members of all ages submitted personal stories from their own life. The stories were compiled into a single collection for the entire community to enjoy.
We hope that you enjoy reading through the stories your neighbors submitted and that it serves as a reminder that all of us have a story worth sharing! We are sharing two versions of the final project below. The first includes submissions from all ages of community members. The second includes submissions from community members 18 years old and younger to offer a more youth-friendly version of the project.
The stories in the final project are organized alphabetically by the author’s first name. All anonymous submissions are grouped together. If the author submitted their age and a title for their story, this information is included.
Tell Your Story Project - All Ages Collection
Tell Your Story Project - Youth Submissions
The Library reserved the right to decline stories that were defamatory or not in the community spirit of the Tell Your Story project. Viewpoints and experiences in this booklet are solely those of the authors and do not represent the Library’s stance on any topic.
Note: Humans put together this project! The Library accepted handwritten submissions to ensure the project was accessible to all. A small team worked to digitize the physical submissions. If you noticed an error in your story or have any questions about the project, please reach out to Sarah Zitter Masindi at sarah.zitter@farmlib.org.
About the Tell Your Story Project
The Library provided three prompts to inspire community members when thinking about the experiences they have had that could be good stories to share:
Adventure Awaits: Tell us about an adventure that you have been on
What defines an adventure? That is for you to tell us! Adventures come in all shapes and sizes, from the mundane to the extraordinary. Some adventures happen on the way to the grocery store, others take place on daring adventures to new states or even other countries. Was the adventure planned? Or did you stumble upon it? Share the thrills, the unexpected turns, and the memories with us!
Celebrating Connections: Tell us about someone that you care about
Who holds a special place in your heart? Perhaps it’s a grandparent who ignited your passion for creativity, a best friend or sibling whose qualities inspire you, or your spouse with whom you’ve shared cherished memories. Dive into the stories of the remarkable individuals who have shaped your life.
Life Lessons: Tell us about the most important lesson you have learned in life so far
Life is the best teacher! Reflect on your journey and share a valuable lesson you have learned. What pivotal moment reshaped your perspective? Was it a difficult or easy lesson to learn? Do you wish you had learned it some other way? Maybe someone else in our community is in the middle of learning the exact same thing.
Project Guidelines
The Library provided the following guidelines for submissions:
- Stories must be true as remembered by the storyteller
- Stories must follow one or multiple of the Tell Your Story prompts
- There are no story length requirements or restrictions
- Multiple stories may be submitted
- Stories will only be accepted June 1 - July 28, 2024
- FCL reserves the right to decline submissions that include inappropriate or defamatory content and that go against the spirit of the Tell Your Story project
Story Attributions
The name and age of each storyteller will be attributed in the final booklet. However, this information is optional. If you choose to include your name and age with your submission, it will be listed exactly as it was submitted. You may submit a first name only. Submissions with no name listed will be attributed to "Anonymous."