What if storytime wasn’t about comfort—but about truth?

Highlighting Design Studio for Social Intervention’s “No More Fairy Tales” story, this adult workshop takes the familiar shape of storytime and stretches it open. Together, we will read children’s books not to settle into their lessons, but to pause, question, and gently disrupt them. Where are we being soothed into false clarity? What narratives are being reinforced? What is left unsaid? As an extended, collective storytime, this space invites participants to slow down and look closely—making room to counter, question, and uncover the lies embedded in dominant narratives. We will practice noticing how these stories shape young people’s understanding of power, race, and belonging, and how we, as adults, can intervene with intention. Because when we learn to interrupt the story, we begin to change it.

Facilitator: Tanya Nixon-Silberg