Authentic storytelling workshop: How do I want to tell my own story?

Course for FLINTA*

Dates: 5 times on tuesdays January 5 – February 2, 2027;
6 PM – 9:15 PM (including a short break of 15 minutes)
Location: Turmstraße 75, VHS Berlin Mitte, Room 304
Fee: 67 €
Reduced fee: 39 € (Fee reductions available in accordance with the implementing regulations of the Berlin Adult Education Centers)
Registration/Application: Applications may be submitted until Decemer 22, 2026 (to: [e-mail] , Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis).

Gouri Sharma

Authentic storytelling workshop (course language: English)

Do you find it difficult connecting with your authentic storytelling voice? Are you keen to express yourself in a more empowered way? And are you curious to explore and work with your inner creative blocks?

Whether you want to turn your long-standing idea into a TV pitch, want to write a powerful personal profile for socials, or deliver a strong performance, an authentic storytelling voice is key.

In this 5 week-long workshop, you will be guided through a series of creative writing exercises, embodiment practices and group work to help you:

• Connect more with your authentic storytelling voice
• Reconnecting with a sense of safety in self-expression as you work through creative blocks and inner critics
• Work and write with and from the body
• Align more with your values and gain deeper clarity on your vision

This programme has evolved from my personal and professional experiences over the past 20 years as a journalist and writer covering war, race and gender inequalities, politics and diaspora histories for international media sites such as Al Jazeera English, the BBC and MIT Tech Review, and now as a performer as part of the Berlin-based erotic spoken word collective, Sluts in Sarees.

I’ve dealt with pitch rejections (my record is six no’s in one week!), built and continue to maintain relationships with editors in Delhi, Hong Kong, USA, UK, and Qatar, among others, navigated race and gender dynamics with editors who overlooked me, and found the confidence to talk on stage about some of my most slut-shamed moments. I understand how difficult it is to start a career in industries where authentic storytelling and knowing my voice and values are crucial, and I know what it takes to keep going. This programme will support you in developing the tools you need to take full ownership of your voice and career, whichever path you are taking.

Gouri Sharma is an independent journalist, writer and producer with nearly two decades of experience covering current affairs, race, gender, media, and diasporic life.
She has worked across print and broadcast journalism, consultancy writing, editorial and communications, with a career spanning the UK, India, Qatar, and Germany. With roots in London, Punjab, Nairobi and now Berlin, her writing centres on the stories and histories that are often unseen and unheard.

• • Once a week, 4 units per session (45 mins each / FLINTA only
  • Please bring something that you are working on ie a performance piece, pitch or personal profile, which will be worked on as the weeks goes on.
  • Please bring a couple of pieces from their favourite author, social media influencer or actor in preparation for a group exercise.
  • Participants will be invited to breathwork and movement throughout different sessions.
  • Homework will be given after each session, primarily to work on their pieces and read texts etc for the next session.
  Methods (among others):

  • Working with author texts and exercises, such as Margarat Atwood’s ‘3 Adjectives’ Voice Audit to help participants self-identify with more clarity.
  • Writing from the senses – exercises that engage each of the five senses
  • Values-based writing exercises.
  • Embodiment and movement practice aimed at inviting a sense of safety.
    Liz Gilbert’s exercise, ‘Write a letter to your fear’*
  • The Artist’s Way – shadow creative exercises
  • Exercises and embodiment techniques to develop your authentic voice amid the age of AI
  • Power reframing exercise

  Please note:
  This course is open exclusively to FLINTA*- participants.

Registration

Registration is possible upon submission of a brief, informal application. Please email us explaining why you wish to participate in this course and what prior connection you have to the subject matter. The course is designed for 5 to 10 participants. Admission is granted on a “first come, first served” basis. Applications may be submitted until December 22, 2026 (to: [e-mail] ; receipt will be confirmed via email).
This course is open exclusively to FLINTA*- participants.

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