Alchemical storytelling lab

This workshop explores the inner workings of stories and storytelling through two distinct narrative structures: the Hero’s Journey and Kishōtenketsu (起承転結). Through comparative analysis and creative experimentation, participants will examine the fundamental elements that make up a story—change, character, action, scene, act, and movement.

Drawing on a method that bridges narratology and the alchemical imagination, the workshop speculates on a power hidden deep within stories: their capacity to transform perception, organize experience, and open new possibilities for thought and action. Participants will leave with practical tools to stir imagination, structure ideas, and develop stories of their own.

Structure

Part I — Presentation & Discussion

An introduction to narrative structures and their relevance in a world shaped by war, extraction, and systems of exploitation. Through a comparative reading of the Hero’s Journey and Kishōtenketsu, we will explore different understandings of conflict, transformation, and meaning-making.

The presentation draws on thinkers and storytellers including Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, Dan Harmon, Marie-Louise von Franz, Rumi, Ibn Arabi, Laura Marks, and Plato.

Topics include:

• The anatomy of narrative
• Change and transformation in storytelling
• Conflict versus emergence
• Narrative as an alchemical process
• Stories as tools for individual and collective imagination

Part II — Creative Experimentation

Participants will engage in guided writing exercises designed to translate ideas, memories, questions, or observations into narrative forms. Using the frameworks introduced in the presentation, attendees will experiment with story structures and develop a short story, narrative sketch, or conceptual narrative.

Facilitation and feedback will be provided throughout the session.

Part III — Sharing & Reflection

Participants are invited to share their work in whatever form feels appropriate: reading aloud, oral storytelling, collaborative reading, or discussion of the process itself.

The session concludes with a collective reflection on narrative structure, imagination, and the role of storytelling in times of crisis and transformation.