A story can travel farther when someone gives it a voice. On September 21, the Taichung Public Library hosted the “2026 National Storytelling Volunteers Gathering—Gathering Moments, Keeping Stories Alive「2026全國故事志工總動員－拾光．讓故事繼續」” at the Taichung Green Museumbrary, bringing together storytelling volunteers from libraries and schools across Taiwan. The event featured Lin Chia-li(林嘉俐), Golden Bell Award winner for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Drama, and Lang Ya-ling, Artistic Director of Wan-Shih Theatre(頑石劇團藝術總監郎亞玲), who shared their performance experiences and led theater workshops. Through exercises in voice, facial expression, body movement, and character transformation, the workshops guided volunteers in making their storytelling more engaging and their performances more vivid.

Shi Chun-fu, Deputy Director of the Taichung City Government Department of Cultural Affairs(文化局施純福副局長), said that since taking office, Mayor Lu Shiow-yen has continued to promote Taichung as a city of reading, investing comprehensively in library facilities, collections, and services. The city has allocated an annual book-purchasing budget of NT$100 million for several consecutive years and has brought reading into residents’ everyday lives through mobile library services and a wide range of reading activities. Storytelling volunteers are an important force in promoting reading. In the hands of a volunteer, a picture book can become a dialogue, a character, or even a short play, helping children discover the world through stories and develop a love of reading.

Deputy Director Shi noted that Taichung presents more than 2,800 picture-book storytelling sessions and performances each year, attracting more than 90,000 participants. These services reach schools, communities, social welfare organizations, and underserved rural areas. The National Storytelling Volunteers Gathering not only recognizes and appreciates the volunteers’ long-standing commitment, but also provides opportunities for cross-city exchange and professional training, allowing participants to share their experiences, exchange ideas, and spark new creative approaches while strengthening the quality and capacity of storytelling services.

Two storytelling theater groups took turns on stage during the event. The Naughty Kids Theater from the Taichung Public Library’s Fengyuan Branch brought audiences into the world of the story with “Who’s Number One? 「第一名是？」”, while Teacher Lin’s Children’s Storytelling Theater from the Taipei Public Library demonstrated a range of storytelling and performance techniques with “The Red Envelope 「紅包」”. Once picture books move onto the stage, written words are transformed through voice, facial expression, and body movement into vivid, three-dimensional theater. Volunteers in the audience watched the performances while sharing their own storytelling tips and experiences. One volunteer noted that storytelling is usually presented in their own individual style, but after observing the performances, they realized that voice, rhythm, and body movement can all become powerful storytelling tools, giving them greater confidence to experiment with different forms of expression.

Lin Chia-li shared her performing career under the theme “Be Your Own Benefactor, and Be a Benefactor in Someone Else’s Life「做自己的貴人，也做別人生命中的貴人」”.  Drawing on her experience as an actress, she discussed character interpretation and emotional expression, encouraging volunteers to consider how they can make characters more vivid and multidimensional. Lang Ya-ling, meanwhile, brought the stage into the workshop, using four fundamental elements—time, space, character, and plot—as the foundation for practical exercises. Volunteers participated in hands-on activities and exchanged ideas throughout the session, taking the next step from “knowing how to tell a story” to “knowing how to perform a story,” thereby enhancing the professionalism and expressive power of storytelling services.

The Taichung Public Library noted that its branches offer storytelling programs every weekend, including “Stories Under the Clouds 「雲朵下的故事圈圈」” at the Main Library, “Owl Storytime「 貓頭鷹說故事」” at the Taiping Pinglin Branch(太平坪林分館), and “Mermaid Story House 「美人魚故事屋」” at the Da’an Branch(大安分館). Through the lively storytelling and performances of volunteers, these programs bring the joy and warmth of reading to children. Taichung has also established 12 storytelling theater groups, which not only perform at libraries but also extend reading services into local communities, bringing good books and engaging stories into residents’ everyday lives. The gathering of storytelling volunteers from across Taiwan at the Green Museumbrary was more than an opportunity to exchange experiences—it was also a chance to encourage and inspire one another. Volunteers returned to their communities with fresh ideas and renewed energy, ready to create more diverse and heartwarming reading experiences for children and families.