Hey there Pen Tale Friends

So, for our first email of 2012, we wanted to take a moment to re-introduce you to PenTales so you know exactly what we're all about. Here it goes:

PenTales is trying hard to build a culture - online and offline - where people stop and ask each other about the things we all care about, no matter where we are from or what age we are. What sort of things, you ask: well, universal human things like home, love, fear, friendship, regret...

Why? We believe that by sharing perspectives on the same topics we sometimes learn that while we're unique, we're not actually all that different from each other.

How? We try to encourage people to share stories in person and online. With your help, we've hosted live storytelling events in all different parts of the world (did you know we've got an awesome storytelling series in Reykjavik and Lahore?). We've built a simple website where anyone can send in their stories on our themes - in any medium.

And now? We'll keep thinking of new ways to get you guys to share stories. Plain and simple. Hopefully you'll help along the way.

Life Lessons
The idea behind the project is that if we pool all our lessons and nuggets of wisdom, we just might all be little bit smarter. Like owls. Owls are apparently wise.

Is there some life motto you always return back to? Something you wish someone had told you when you were younger? Well, this is your chance to share some of your hard-learned lessons with the rest of the world.

We're asking people - old and young - to give us their nuggets of wisdom.

Answer these 5 questions and help us build an arsenal of advice for humanity.

Hemingway Room
ATLANTA.BERLIN.LAS VEGAS.
In September 2011, PenTales announced the opening of the PenTales Hemingway Room - a small beautiful room in an apartment in Prenzlauer Berg, one of Berlin's most inspiring and creative neighborhoods. We've had some amazing people join us there, including Lady Gaga's old DJ and an award-winning film director. It's been such a success, we're taking this idea to other cities. Creative people can now apply to stay for free in Atlanta and Las Vegas. The only requirement: they produce creative work during their stay. Check out the BLOG for more info on how to apply and how to host your very own Hemingway Room.

Join
PenTales is a passion project run by friends. We're all just volunteers who hope we're doing a little good in the world. We're excited for anyone to join us and pitch in - in whatever shape or form. Here are some ways you can join the fun: host a storytelling event, become a regular contributor (writing / video / photography), help us with any tech stuff (we're not very good at it), copyediting, social media, and the list goes on and on and on...

TV
We have an awesome YouTube channel where we share all the videos from our events. PenTales fans also add short videos on our themes. Tune in and send in your own video story today.

Salon Nights
PenTales holds live story-sharing events in 26 cities around the world.
The events are run by friends, friends of friends, and kindred spirits, who, like us, believe in the power of storytelling.
Whether in Pakistan or Iceland, the salon nights all share the same universal topics. We then use the power of the web to make the tales told at the live local events available across borders. The larger idea is to create a connection between people of different background by getting them to talk about the same things.

www.pentales.com

Questions / Comments / Stories? Always send to writepentales@gmail.com