Story Work
Field Notes on Self-Discovery and Reclaiming Your Narrative
- Publisher: Broadleaf Books (Augsburg Fortress)
- Published: 2025
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Publisher's Description
A guide to understanding the stories we tell ourselves and the actions needed to reclaim power over our narrative. We absorb the world around us through stories. It's how we make sense of our surroundings, our communities, and ourselves. There's often truth and validity in these stories. But the stories we tell ourselves are not an end-all, be-all. Instead, they're all part of a larger, ongoing, unfinished narrative--one that we must continually refresh, expand, and contemplate to stay soft and open-hearted. Here's the thing: we can choose to keep these stories open to possibility and imagination--or we can choose to keep them closed. That's where Story Work comes in. Through essays and prompting questions, GG Renee Hill invites readers to breathe new life into the stories we carry. She leads by example, by penning the raw material of her own life: an upbringing raised by a mother with schizophrenia, and a lifetime of internal and external forces trying to minimize that impact. It was a long, old, heavy story Hill silently carried with her--the powerless girl who lost her voice in the wreckage of her mother's condition -- until she turned to writing and began to change the meaning she'd assigned to her experiences. And she doesn't stop there. Hill invites readers to the transformative practice of creative self-discovery through storytelling -- treating our life experiences as creative material that we have the power to shape. For the person searching, Story Work is the answer that enables us to live with an open-hearted curiosity--one that both fuels and grounds us.
Endorsements (8)
“Story Work is a beautiful guide for turning pain into power; into story. GG Renee Hill empowers us into self-discovery, reminding us that we can use our barriers as fuel for transformation. With poignant stories of life with her mother as an engine, Hill illuminates the room: We can reclaim our voices and shape our own paths.”
“With her vivid and vulnerable writing, GG Renee Hill gently guides us to our own inner sage. By sharing her own story of how writing led her back to herself, Hill offers generous and insight-inspiring journal prompts that give us permission to do the same. A treasure of a book.”
“GG Renee Hill's vulnerability is both courageous and contagious. She shows us how we can all cast off the burden of shame by spilling our secrets onto the page, wrapping our wounds in words, and finding healing in the power of storytelling.”
“In this heartfelt and deeply personal book, GG Renee Hill offers invaluable strategies for transforming pain into power. A must-read for anyone seeking to reclaim their strength and heal the wounds of past trauma.”
“In Story Work, GG Renee Hill does more than teach the art of storytelling; she embodies it. With raw honesty and heartfelt reflection, she models the very method of story work she invites you to explore. With intimate personal narratives, carefully crafted reflection questions, and guided exercises, this book is not just something you read--it's something you experience. Bringing intention and care, GG Renee Hill gently moves alongside you, helping you uncover, shape, and honor your stories. I paused in each chapter to breathe in its beauty, depth, and invitation to step more fully into my story. Whether you are a writer, an artist, an activist, or someone longing to understand yourself more deeply, this book is a gift. Those who journey through its pages will not only witness the power of storytelling--they will emerge transformed by it.”
“Story Work is a book anyone who has ever felt like an outlier can count on to feel seen and understood. Hill's poignant perspective around the possibility that awaits on the other side of telling our stories is a liberating message of second chances and new beginnings. Gentle, thoughtful, and relatable, her stories are honest and vulnerable as Hill crystalizes what it means to reframe your past and your path--without judgment and with deep care.”
“Let me say this: I thought I understood the power of storytelling before reading Story Work, but this takes it to a whole different level. GG Renee Hill doesn't just tell a story--she invites you in, pulls up a chair, and makes you feel like you're right there with her. Every chapter feels like a look into Hill's heart--intimate, vivid, and so vulnerable. The way she shares her relationship with her mother and navigates the complexities of mental illness? Whew. It transcended the pages. I saw my own family, my own memories reflected back at me. I know there are so many of you who will see yourselves in these stories too.”
“Story Work is a soulful, truth-telling companion for anyone ready to examine the stories they've been told--and the ones they've been telling themselves. With tenderness and clarity, GG Renee Hill invites us to witness her journey of rewriting a painful past and reclaiming her power through the page. Her words are both balm and blueprint, reminding us that healing is not about having the perfect story, but about having the courage to keep writing new chapters. This is the kind of book you return to again and again--dog-eared, highlighted, and held close.”
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