news – Antonia Liguori / Participatory Storytelling

Building Bridges: A New Partnership Between Teesside University and the University of Macerata

This week marked an important milestone in a journey that began almost a year ago with conversations, shared interests, academic exchange and a growing recognition that two universities from different countries had much to learn from one another.

I am delighted to share that Teesside University and the University of Macerata have formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), creating a framework for collaboration in research, education and knowledge exchange. To formalise the MoU, I had the pleasure to meet Professor John McCourt, Rector of the University of Macerata and discuss more in detail the next phase of our collaboration. The partnership will support joint research projects, staff and student mobility, collaborative publications and new opportunities for international engagement.

New Book: Story Work for a Just Future

Delighted to announce the publication of our open access book Story Work for a Just Future: Exploring the Plurality of Knowledge and Method within the Digital Storytelling Community.

This collection from 47 authors in 15 countries represents the diverse voices of our international Digital Storytelling community, both in style and content. We hope it will inspire deeper connections, fruitful collaborations, and the creation and sharing of new stories that together will build a just future.

You can explore the book here: https://doi.org/10.5479/si.30758276

Very grateful to everyone who contributed to this important piece of work and to the Smithsonian Scholarly Press (SISP) for giving us the opportunity to publish with them.

Digital Storytelling as a Tool for Everyday Activism

On Saturday the 22nd of November I’ll be joining the The Federation
for Detached Youth Work annual conference in Leeds for a plenary talk exploring ways in which Digital Storytelling can be applied as an approach for everyday activism. The conference theme this year is Detached Youth Work in the Digital Age.

Digital Storytelling combines the traditions of sharing personal narratives with creative digital methods to amplify unheard voices and ‘gently disrupt’ dominant knowledge systems. Over a five-step process – story-circle, scripting, audio recording, video editing, and screening – participants craft two-minute videos merging images and voiceover.
Rooted in facilitated peer exchange, this approach encourages empathy, mutual learning, and a deeper understanding of complexity and difference, making it an effective method for practicing everyday activism and fostering dialogue even amid disagreement.

For more information on the event: https://www.fdyw.org.uk/

Listening as a Duty.

How Digital Storytelling Transformed My Life… And Many Others

I am delighted to be one of the keynote speakers at the 12th International Digital Storytelling Conference that coincides with the 1st International Conference on Social Technologies of Memories, co-hosted by the Museu da Pessoa in Brazil and StoryCenter.

My talk will focus on experiencing the privilege to learn every day from everyday life experiences for my own development and the development of Digital Storytelling as a practice. I will go through lesson learnt from a diverse range of international projects as a way of framing the duty of listening as everyday activism.

For more information on the Conference: https://dst2025.org/

“The Uninvited Guest”: Storytelling, Lived Experience, and Public Engagement with Persistent Pain

We’re excited to announce “The Uninvited Guest,” an innovative theatre performance that brings the lived experience of persistent pain into focus. Through a vibrant blend of comedy and storytelling, the production invites audiences to reflect on the realities of chronic pain – often invisible, always impactful.

Co-created by Theatre Space North East with Flippin’ Pain, Teesside University’s research team, and community members, and supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Impact Acceleration Account at Teesside University, “The Uninvited Guest” exemplifies how the arts and research can come together to deepen public understanding of health. By weaving together personal stories, academic research, and creative interpretation, this performance sheds new light on the personal, social, and emotional effects of chronic pain, challenging myths and opening up space for empathy and dialogue.