Philosophy and Approach
The Sense of Place Story Method
At the heart of this work is a simple truth:
Personal stories of connection to place inspire us to care for places. And that caring helps people and places thrive.
But in the midst of our busy lives, those connections might be hard to find.
How do we, as Mary Oliver wrote, “find our place in the family of things?” Especially if we’re not from where we live now, or don’t feel a sense of belonging there? How do we heal the disconnect so common in our world today?
These questions led me to a process I’ve now used with parks, museums, historic sites, communities, and individuals for more than two decades.
I call it the Sense of Place and Story Method.
People enter this work through different doors.
For some, it begins in professional practice: how to create programs, stories, and experiences that invite genuine connection, meaning, and care.
For others, it begins in personal life: a desire to feel more rooted, more connected, more alive to the places that shape us.
For everyone, this work helps strengthen our relationship with the places we inhabit—and, through that, deepen our connection with ourselves and one another.
Whether you are designing visitor programs, leading community initiatives, or developing creative projects, this approach will give you tools and practices that shift both how you work and how you think about what you create.
Interpreters develop programs that become meaningful experiences.
Communities and organizations strengthen identity, belonging, and stewardship.
Individuals uncover stories rooted in lived connection.
How this work unfolds
All of my programs follow a shared arc of discovery:
Connection → Meaning → Story → Caring → Engagement
This reflects how people come to know and care about places, personally and collectively.
It begins with connection.
Through reflection, meaning emerges.
Stories take shape.
And as connection deepens, caring becomes possible.
What this reflects is a journey from “place knowledge” to “place relationship.” Relationship is the bond that makes stewardship possible.
Your sense of place forms where knowledge and experience meet, and where a place begins to shift from abstract to familiar. As you know more and feel more, the connection grows.
A sense of place story is one rich with memory, detail, and meaning. Just remembering your stories can rekindle the bond you feel with a place.
To help people stay oriented in this terrain of memory, place, story, and meaning, I use a compass model with four quadrants of exploration.
The Sense of Place and Story Compass
This compass brings together four connected areas of exploration. Each program or individual may begin in a different place, but all four dimensions are engaged over time.
Knowledge of Self: Learning from personal stories, memories, and experience.
Knowledge of Place: Exploring layered histories, cultural narratives, ecological realities, and multiple perspectives.
Craft of Story & Meaning Making: Reflecting, integrating, and shaping meaning into stories and expressive forms.
Craft of Engagement: Developing techniques, tools, and practices that foster deeper connection and impact.
You don’t need to memorize or internalize the framework to do the work. You just need to find your way into it.
How This Work Emerged
This work began while I was traveling as a full-time touring songwriter. I would return to places I loved and find them changed—sometimes dramatically. I wanted to understand what helps people care for the places they live in, return to, and risk losing.
At concerts, when I sang about my own relationships with places, people often came up afterward to share their stories—places they had loved, places they had lost, places they had fought for, places that had shaped them.
Again and again, I saw the same thing: when people remembered their own stories of connection to place, caring deepened. So did belonging. So did the desire to protect what mattered.
That realization led me to create workshops for communities and nonprofits, where people uncovered their own stories of place. Participants consistently left feeling more connected—to themselves, their surroundings, and one another.
Those early workshops grew into the programs I now offer for parks, museums, and historic sites, as well as for writers, creatives, and communities. They became the foundation for the Sense of Place and Story Method, and for my Sense of Place and the Art of Interpretation training, which I now offer at sites across the country.
Wondering What’s Possible with the Sense of Place and Story Method?
For Interpretive Professionals: Design programs that move beyond information delivery into meaning-making experiences visitors remember.
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For Community Organizations: Offer experiences that strengthen collective identity and inspire stewardship.
Explore Community Engagement →
For Writers and Creatives: Uncover stories that resonate because they are rooted in place and meaning.
Explore Programs Offered →
For Tourism and Heritage Organizations: Create experiences that bring a true sense of place to life.
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If you’d like to explore how this could work for you, your community, or your team, I’d love to hear what resonates and see what’s possible.
Reach out to get started →
