Interview with Storyteller Debi Mason, our September Member Spotlight

At our September 20th meeting, Debi Mason will share about her written work, community leadership, and creative process. She’s dedicated to creating lasting memories and building meaningful connections through the art of story.

About Debi Mason

Playwright, storyteller, actor, director, teacher, preacher, and praiser, Debi has over 50 years of experience working in the arts. She has traveled extensively throughout the United States telling stories and preserving stories of the African American diaspora. Her published works include Arizona Clay, an autobiography of her life growing up in 1950s Arizona and her solo performance piece Stories from Granny’s Porch. Debi is the former Managing Artistic Director of the Black Theater Troupe in Phoenix, a founding member of the Black Storytellers of San Diego, a member of the Storytelling Association of California and the current president of the Berkeley chapter of the California Writers’ Club.

Her stories center on African folktales and original tales for children, spiritual poems and verse for people of color as well as political commentary. Working with people of all ages and ethnicities, her HADITH! workshop takes participants on a journey through the basics of telling a good story from beginning to end using body movement, voice, music and imagination. Presently, Debi is focusing on her “I SEE YOU” project for older adults which provides platform and opportunity for a much-needed dialogue and understanding of difference.

An Interview With Debi Mason:

What do you consider essential elements of story?

Remembering that what we are doing is live performance.  We are painting “word pictures” and telling personal narratives, folktales, political commentaries, religious and/or spiritual interpretations.  Every culture has storytelling and stories that have been passed down from generation to generation.

Who are some writers you admire whom you think are good storytellers?

Zora Neale Hurston, Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Octavia Butler, Ben Tucker, Wayne Harris and more.

You incorporate movement and music into your creative workshops. How do you transform those elements into the written word?

I use lyrics from familiar songs when I write articles or even the book I am currently working on. I use songs that the reader can immediately recognize and begin to hum. Those that attend my workshops either have a piece already written that they want to be able to tell and I will assist them in that endeavor.  How they transform those elements into the written word is not what I teach. I teach the use of music and movement for performance.  Remember:  Everybody gotta story to tell! Working with seniors in particular is amazingly rewarding in developing their legacy stories.

As the elected President of Berkeley CWC serving my second term, it is exciting to assist in the development of a storytelling component of the organization. That is my hope anyway. Storytelling is necessary in all genres of the written word including novel and historical fiction, poetry and the like. 

Where are you in your writing career?

I’m published and looking for more publishing opportunities including newsletters, articles, blurbs and blogs. My passion will always be storytelling, performance first, and then the publication of my original stories in book form.

What advice would you give other writers?

My advice is to put a sign over your computer or in your writing space that says simply, “Just Do It!” Write consistently, at least 15 minutes a day. And remember that writers read. My favorite author is Zora Neale Hurston.

How has the California Writers’ Club benefited your writing?

One of the highlights of this past year was the Speaker Series. We were able to take a deep dive into the complexities of AI and what it means to every writer, journalist, poet, and wordsmith. Good stuff! Very informative and inspired a great deal of useful discussion.

Learn more about Debi Mason on her website: Another Thought.

Have a Question for Debi? Ask Her at Our September Speaker Series

We’d love to have you come out to our September meeting on Sunday the 20th to hear Debi and also our highly knowledgeable main speaker, Laurie McLean, agent with Fuse Literary Agency and former San Francisco Writers’ Conference director. Everyone has a story to tell, or something to say, and the world becomes richer when we can all bring our words to the global literary landscape. Laurie will discuss how to navigate the changing publishing industry and take charge of your literary career, providing solid information and taking ample audience questions.

Learn more about the September meeting or get tickets.