Hello to one and all, I am so excited to present ‘Maya the Story Explorer’ to you and discuss how it came to be and what I hope it will achieve. If you want the quick version click here, if you want to know where to find me online click here.

What exactly is this “Maya The Story Explorer”? Well, in short its as the name suggests. Me, Maya, will be exploring stories. What exactly “exploring stories means” I will get to in a moment, but first, I want to touch based on why I chose the name ‘Maya the Story explorer’.

While the basics are likely self evident; My name is Maya, and I love to explore the stories all around us, I want to dive deeper into the “why”.

I will admit it wasn’t my first choice of name. I thought at first to keep it separate from me with only “the story explorer” as the name. Then I saw that name was already taken other places online. It made sense (it’s a fun name) but I was still a bit bummed. When speaking with a family member they suggested “Maya The Story explorer”. The more we discussed it the more it felt right. I’m hoping to share parts of my story as well, and there will be a lot of “me” in this platform. My thoughts and feelings, things I have experienced which I find important to share, or just share because I love it. In other words, the name gives an indication that there will be personal touches to stories I share along with the more factual and researched content.

With that said, while the stories I share for the most part won’t be objective, they will be factual. If I am sharing stories of something which I haven’t directly experienced, I will looking them up, giving the facts, and sharing my sources.

Its also important to state that while this platform has my name on it, it’s about more than me. Its about the stories. I want to give voice, and/or more reach to stories of all kinds. Stories which are important to hear, stories that will make you smile, stories which will teach a lesson, or open your eyes to a new way of viewing things, and the list goes on. Stories are all around us, they shape the world we live in. Stories are powerful, beautiful, and a lasting legacy that’s existed for as long as humans could communicate to one another.

Stories are also everywhere. We have personal stories that we have either experienced or seen from afar. There’s stories through history, through art (Music, visual art, dance, theater, the written word, etc), stories in places, in architecture, in objects, in the shape of and of the very land we walk.

Stories to me are more than a simple concept they are a tool for hope, Empathy, awareness, passing traditions, learning, and so much more. I hope to use this platform to highlight stories of all kinds. I hope its also a good tool for me and others, to practice looking beyond the surface of whats around us to the stories and complexities that lie beneath.

Thank you so much for being here and taking the time to learn more about my vision for the “Maya the Story Explorer” platform and being part of it’s story.

With Love,
Maya, The Story Explorer.