Second Story

Second Story: a time and place to listen, discover, and tell.

This program is designed for high school students who want to return to The Telling Room to deepen their sense of community and storytelling skills. This program focuses on community building through story sharing and telling, and helps us to hone our deep listening, story craft, and performance skills. Through games, prompts, and writing activities we work on finding the stories we want to tell, both deep within ourselves and within our communities. The semester culminates in a story sharing performance in front of a supportive audience.

If you’ve enjoyed YWL, YEA, Pub Workshop, or Works In Progress, this is a chance to deepen your sense of story and explore how the telling transforms when it is lifted off of the page and presented on stage.

If you have a specific writing project that you are currently working on, and would like to keep working on that and getting feedback, I would encourage you to sign up for Works In Progress instead. That program, run by Teaching Artist Andy Cole, is designed for high school students who want to keep writing, revising, and editing their work with a group of peers.

If you’re unsure which program would be a best fit for you, please reach out to Marjolaine with any questions!

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

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Marjolaine Whittlesey

Marjolaine Whittlesey grew up in France and came to Maine to go to College of the Atlantic where she focused on literature, ecology, and performing arts. Her innate love of teaching quickly took over and for the past twenty years she has taught French, theater, and creative writing to students of all ages. Her creative work in theater mostly centers around new work and physical theater, with a fun dose of Shakespeare thrown in for good measure. As Education Manager at The Telling Room she continues to teach all ages, empowering youth to find the stories they want to tell, and helping adults accompany them. She loves collaborating with passionate artists and educators who invite students to trust their voice.

WHO: High school students who want to return to The Telling Room to deepen their sense of community and storytelling skills. Past participation in a Telling Room program is required.

WHERE: Second Story meets at The Telling Room, at our new location, 55 Washington Avenue, Suite 1E, in Portland, ME.

WHEN: Fall semester of Second Story will meet Wednesday afternoons from 3:30pm - 5:30pm, September 30th - December 16th, 2026.

COST: Free! Please consider donating to help keep this unique afterschool literary arts program free for all students.

CONTACT: Questions can be directed to Marjolaine at marjolaine@tellingroom.org.

COVID-19

As we welcome students back into our space for in-person programs, we will be implementing social distancing protocols to ensure that our space remains a safe and hygienic environment for students to participate in our programs.

COVID-19 Policies

For Parents, For Students, After SchoolThe Telling RoomAugust 31, 2026Programs