CLASS | Tuesdays, June 16-July 28 from 6:30-8:30pm EST
>> No class June 30 <<
đONLINE delivered via ZOOM
Facilitated by Erin Hallagan Clare (I&A Founder)
Registration is through the Inward & Artward School of Creativity, a sister project to Story Parlor.
âIt is by such statements as, âOnce upon a time there was a dragon,â or âIn a hole in the ground there lived a hobbitâ â it is by such beautiful non-facts that we fantastic human beings may arrive, in our peculiar fashion, at the truth.â
â Ursula K. LeGuin, from âWhy Are Americans Afraid of Dragons?â
What if, at the edge of change, we are not lostâbut standing at the threshold of a story waiting to be told? In this six-week online class, weâll step into the landscape of fairy talesâwhere the ordinary becomes enchanted, where transformation is inevitable, and where meaning is carried through symbol, archetype, and image. Together, weâll wander beyond the limits of linear thinking and into the rich terrain of personal mythology, where new ways of seeingâand beingâbegin to take shape.
Through guided exercises, reflective prompts, and imaginative play, weâll trace the threads of the stories that have shaped us, listen for what stirs beneath the surface, and begin to weave a tale of our ownâone that honors where weâve been while opening toward whatâs possible.
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Class 1 | Mapping the Myth
Weâll chart the landscape of our personal mythology, uncovering recurring themes, questions, and beliefs that shape the stories we live inside of.
Class 2 | Crossing into the Dreamscape
Weâll step beyond logic and into the subconscious, exploring images, fragments, and dreamlike material that reveal what is asking to be seen.
Class 3 | Working with Archetype & Metaphor
Weâll work with archetypes and metaphor as portals into expanded possibility, discovering new ways of understanding our roles within our own stories.
Class 4 | Weaving the Fairy Tale
Weâll begin crafting our personal fairy tales, using the language of transformationâthresholds, trials, helpers, and changeâto shape our narratives.
Class 5 | Deepening the Spell
Weâll refine and enrich our stories by working with detail, texture, and symbolic resonance, allowing the deeper transformation beneath the surface to emerge.
Class 6 | Stepping into the Epilogue
Weâll gather to witness and celebrate our stories, reflecting on what has shifted and imagining what unfolds beyond the final page.Class 1 | Mapping the Myth
Weâll chart the landscape of our personal mythology, uncovering recurring themes, questions, and beliefs that shape the stories we live inside of.
Class 2 | Crossing into the Dreamscape
Weâll step beyond logic and into the subconscious, exploring images, fragments, and dreamlike material that reveal what is asking to be seen.
Class 3 | Working with Archetype & Metaphor
Weâll work with archetypes and metaphor as portals into expanded possibility, discovering new ways of understanding our roles within our own stories.
Class 4 | Weaving the Fairy Tale
Weâll begin crafting our personal fairy tales, using the language of transformationâthresholds, trials, helpers, and changeâto shape our narratives.
Class 5 | Deepening the Spell
Weâll refine and enrich our stories by working with detail, texture, and symbolic resonance, allowing the deeper transformation beneath the surface to emerge.
Class 6 | Stepping into the Epilogue
Weâll gather to witness and celebrate our stories, reflecting on what has shifted and imagining what unfolds beyond the final page.
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What to Expect
Weâll engage in guided creative exercises, prompts, and reflections each week
Weâll work within a gentle structure while leaving space for curiosity and surprise
Weâll prioritize process over perfection, while still creating a complete personal fairy tale
Weâll be invited (but never required) to share in a supportive, non-judgmental space
Weâll practice listening to imagination, intuition, and symbolic language
Weâll be entering a creative space for exploration and meaning-makingâwhich can feel deep and resonant, but is not therapy
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Who This Class Is For:
Those of us standing at a thresholdânavigating change, uncertainty, or becoming
Creatives, writers, and wanderers drawn to story, symbolism, and imagination
Anyone who senses there is more to their story than the one currently being told
Those curious about archetypes, personal mythology, and nonlinear ways of knowing
Those who feel caught in overthinking and long to access a more intuitive, creative voice
Anyone open to exploring their inner world through metaphor and image (no writing experience needed
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Erin Hallagan Clare is the founder of Story Parlor, a narrative arts space based in Asheville, NC, and (as of the fall of 2025) co-owner of the Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar. Launched in 2015 (formerly known as âStory Barâ), Story Parlor offers community-driven events and workshops designed to bring audiences and artists together through the universal language of creativity and story. Erin is also the founder of the Inward & Artward School of Creativity, a sister project to Story Parlor, which offers global classes, trainings, and resources that invite participants to reclaim creativity as an essential part of how they live, reflect, and make.
Erin is currently pursuing her PhD in Creativity at Rowan University where her dissertation is focused on the ontology of story and creativity. She studied film and theatre at Temple University, and earned her Masters in Psychology with a Creativity Studies specialization, with her thesis focused on creative facilitation. She holds graduate certificates from Pacifica University in Applied Mythology and the Narrative Psychology of Fairy Tales and certifications as a creativity coach (Kaizen-Muse and advanced training with Dr. Eric Maisel), an Enneagram practitioner (Narrative Enneagram and Integrative 9), and yoga instructor (Yoga Alliance with over 450 hours in training). Prior to these projects, Erin served as the Creative Director of the Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference (where she currently remains on the board), in addition to producing the PBS and PRX-affiliated project, On Story, for which she received a Lone Star Emmy for Best Arts/Entertainment Program in 2014.
A writer and storyteller, Erin regularly teaches creativity and personal mythology workshops at both Story Parlor and the Great Smokies Writing Program at UNCA. She has shared stories and written work at The Moth, Listen to This, NC Writers Network, The Great Smokies Writing Program, Jazz Hybrid, Testify, One Page Salon, and is a Moth Story Slam Champion. Her writing can be found in The Cleveland Review, Psychology Today, Thrive Global, and others, and she is a contributing author to The Coachâs Guide to Completing Creative Work published by Routledge.
Erin believes everyone has a story to tell, and that we are all creative. She is dedicated to making a difference through the transformative power of the arts.
>> You can watch Erinâs Creative Mornings talk on âParallelâ here.
Facilitated by Erin Hallagan Clare (Story Parlor & the Inward & Artward School of Creativity Founder)
The Inward & Artward School of Creativityâa sister project to Story Parlorâlaunched in the fall of 2025 with the intention of expanding the workshops and classes offered to a broader, virtual community.
The school takes its name from a guiding philosophy: that one must go inward in order to go âartward.â Creativity, in this framework, begins with reflection, personal narrative, and an honest reckoning with the stories we carryâabout ourselves, about others, and about the world. I&A helps participants explore those stories, untangle limiting beliefs, and cultivate sustainable practices that foster creative growth. The aim is not to teach a singular technique or discipline, but to provide tools and frameworks that allow individuals to discover their own pathways to expression.
Programming at I&A spans a range of offerings, from short-term workshops to extended creative facilitator trainings. These trainings are particularly impactful, equipping artists, educators, and community leaders with the skills to guide others in creative exploration. Through this work, the school cultivates a new generation of creative leaders committed to fostering inclusive, meaningful, and transformative arts experiences.
Together, Story Parlor and the I&A School of Creativity form a dynamic ecosystem of creativity aimed at dismantling the barriers and silencing that so often accompany early creative experiences, and to invite participants to reclaim creativity as an essential part of how they live. They affirm that creativity is not the province of a chosen few, but the birthright of allâa force capable of bridging divides, deepening empathy, and helping us see ourselves and one another more fully.