As spring rolls around, Boise, Idaho anticipates Treefort Music Festival — an annual five day event showcasing the art of musicians, writers, dancers, filmmakers and more, all within the margins of downtown Boise.
Storyfort, the primarily free and all ages literary sector of Treefort, awaits its 12th year of operation, under fiction writer and Director, Sam Berman.
Starting at a small storefront space on Main Street, Storyforts’ humble origins date back to 2013 with writer, former BSU educator and Storyfort Co-Founder Christian Winn with the help of numerous local businesses.
Since its inception in 2013, Storyfort has hosted a variety of writers, making it a priority to offer opportunities for anyone and everyone to share their stories. Storyfort’s ethos aligns with that of Treefort — it’s for everyone.
“I came to it as a writer first … somebody who appreciates good storytelling on many different platforms,” Winn said. “My idea was basically to have good storytelling going on—to entertain but also to instruct and do quality stuff.”
Storyfort aims to celebrate and acknowledge not only the art of writing, but the rich diversity of human experience. It was established with the intention of sharing stories, amplifying a diverse range of voices and creating awareness on issues affecting marginalized people — both locally and abroad.
Storyforts’ selection process mirrors Treeforts: Although there are headliners, the festival itself is geared towards highlighting the works of young artists who are enthusiastic to interact and perform with established artists.
“They’re people with their first book out, or their first book under contract, or working on their second book. There’s a few exceptions to that, certainly,” said Berman. “I’d like to kind of harbor the next generation of writers.”
Berman mentioned that Storyfort aims to host those who have published work within the last year, taking care to consider books that haven’t breached Boise’s literary awareness yet. Berman emphasized difficulties since, “there are more good, talented, even local writers than there are spots.” Berman also noted how Storyfort simultaneously works to put Boise on the radar for book touring.
“I have to lead with what work is moving me — and what work is moving people I trust, honestly,” Berman said. “I want this to be a stop the same way Portland, [Oregon] and Seattle, [Washington] are on people’s book tours.”
Berman’s background with readings in larger cities such as Los Angeles and New York City forged an appreciation for concision that is reflected in Storyforts’ setup. He explained how the approach of having short, quick successions of readings is to diversify the experience and heighten its impact on audience members.
“It feels like going to see a band play in a half hour time slot,” Berman said. “Especially in terms of reading, distillation is important, so someone reading a great two pages is gonna stick with an audience a lot more than someone reading a good ten pages.”
Perhaps most importantly, however, is Storyfort’s culture of writer-audience interaction, which fosters a fertile ground for making connections on professional, intellectual and friendly levels. Those who want to see a writer have the opportunity to ask questions, a feature built into the schedule.
“Honestly, years before I had ever published a story, having a professional writer go ‘You’re gonna be pretty good, you seem smart, you’ll figure it out,’ is kind of invaluable to young writers,” said Berman. “I just want young people to come, be around the writers.”
Coming to Storyfort gives local writers an opportunity to rub shoulders with those who have walked their paths before.
Artists and non-artists need community, and Storyfort works to foster that.
Berman explained that simply dedicating one night to a small group of writers and friends can be just as impactful as the presently-perceived literary milestones of scenes past. If changing the world and reinstating the importance of art are too large-scale or lofty of ideals, then we might as well change our Thursday nights, even if it’s only for six writing friends.
More information on Storyfort’s schedule can be found on their website: treefortmusicfest.com.
“Art is amorphic and changes … [If] they took away all the pens, art would still be made in some form or fashion,” Berman said. “I don’t get to decide how the world is, but I do get to decide the way my brain is interpreting things.”
Other artists’ collectives and reading series Berman and Winn mentioned are: The Backyard Artists, Death Rattle Literary, Campfire Stories reading series and Duck Club’s Off-Season Stories.
Platypus Poetry open mic readings at Zero Six Coffee Fix and The Hemingway Center Reading Series on campus are also fantastic and underrated series that are free and open to the public.
