FAQs

Is there any kind of story you don’t accept? 

We don’t accept stories that are too graphic, not clearly related to the prompt, or that inspire immediate concern for the author’s health and safety. That being said, we are happy to work with you to revise your piece to meet the criteria. Many stories are about mental health, however, you can write about any topic that fits with the prompt. 

I started writing a story to submit, but it brought up a lot of emotions and I’m not sure what to do now. Who should I talk to? 

The Resilience Project has put together a list of resources that you can use: go/gethelp. There are plenty of people on campus who are ready to support you with whatever you’re going through. We understand that writing a story like this can be really difficult and we want you to put your well-being first. 

Who has access to my story when I send it/how many people see it?

April Poole, Hannah Quinn, Emma Erwin, and Patrick Freeman of the Resilience Project team are the only people who will read your story when you send it. We ask for your email so that we can stay in touch about your story or the January event (if you choose to participate), but we will never share your information. Once your story is up online, it will be completely anonymous. If you have any questions about privacy issues, please feel free to contact us at resilientstory@gmail.com. 

I’m worried my story isn’t serious enough…

As long as the story fits the prompt, you can use any tone you want! We appreciate having a range of stories and it can be helpful for other people to hear a variety of experiences to which they can relate. 

How long does it have to be?

Check out the other stories on our website to get an idea of the length. We don’t have a specific requirement, however, if you’re planning on reading at the event, we’ll ask you to keep it around 5 minutes. If you want the online version to be longer, that’s great. 

I wasn’t there last year, what is the story telling event like?

Last year we had about 350 faculty, staff, and students attend the event. 15 student stories were read over the course of about 2 hours, with a brief intermission. We provide free Midd Cakes cupcakes and have pillows for people to sit on the floor in order to create an informal and comfortable environment. Please be mindful that due to the nature of the stories, the story telling event can be an emotional event for many in attendance. However, we do our best to make you feel safe.  

I want to submit my story online, but I don’t want to be involved with the event- is that ok?

Yes! You can have your story be posted online and not have it be read at the January event. There’s an option for this on the submission form. Also, remember that if you don’t want to read your story at the event yourself, we’re happy to find a volunteer to read it for you!