Ottawa's (un)Told Marks 14 Years of Free Personal Storytelling

For 14 years, the Ottawa storytelling series (un)Told has turned private memories into public art. The event runs on the fourth Sunday of each month at the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre, hosted by Ottawa Storytellers. Admission is free, and no reservation is required.

The format is deliberately intimate. Tellers take a small stage with what organizers describe as no seat for judgment. Subjects range widely: a childhood house with 100 stairs, or the ordeal of navigating a parking garage as an inexperienced driver. Every story begins untold, and the event's name is built around that idea.

What does the name mean?

Patrick Holloway, co-president of Ottawa Storytellers, explained the design of the title during a recent event.

"The main word is 'Told,' and the 'un' is lowercase and bracketed because it's not as important. The name suggests a progression from not being told yet to being told," Holloway said.

That progression sits at the center of the project. A story that lived only in one person's memory becomes a shared experience for a room of listeners.

How does the evening work?

Brad Denys hosts (un)Told. He frames the series as a celebration of personal storytelling and the connections people hold in common.

"At (un)Told, we promote the traditional art of storytelling and sharing our personal experiences and stories with the community. We are building on the idea of communal/familial exchange to feel connected, understood, listened to, gaining empathy and perspective," Denys said.

He points to an older model of gathering.

"Think of telling stories around the fire at the end of the day. At (un)Told, we are unique from all the other events produced by the Ottawa," Denys said.

Why free admission matters

Many third spaces — places where people gather, relax and connect informally — charge for entry. (un)Told does not. The organizers keep the door open and the price at zero, which lowers the barrier for both tellers and listeners.

The free model reflects a demand the organizers say they heard directly from audiences. Gail Anglin, co-president of Ottawa Storytellers, described the shift that shaped the series.

"Audiences were wanting something that connected more directly to their own lives," Anglin said. "They wanted stories of others' experiences that paralleled or expanded their own."

What does this change for Ottawa?

The series gives residents a monthly venue where lived experience, not reputation, is the price of entry. Over 14 years it has built a community of like-minded storytellers who learn perspectives beyond their own, one Sunday at a time. As the name promises, stories that begin untold do not have to stay that way.