Behind Climate Science: A Storytelling Workshop
22-24 February 2026
Stellenbosch, South Africa
The South African Research Chair in Science Communication (SARChI SciCom) based at Stellenbosch University, with the support of Radio Workshop, will be hosting a storytelling workshop for South African climate scientists in February 2027. The workshop will be run by Transom Story Lab, which fosters the art of audio storytelling in a public-service tradition. Based in Massachusetts, United States, Transom has been running storytelling workshops for twenty-five years. Transom alumni have gone on to create work for shows and organizations like This American Life, Radiolab, NPR, and public radio stations across the United States. This will be the first ever edition of the Transom “stories behind the science” workshop to be offered in South Africa. Its main output will be a special season of the podcast The Academic Citizen.
Why storytelling for scientists?
Science is more than data — it is a deeply human endeavour driven by curiosity, discovery, and sometimes real sacrifice. But scientists are rarely trained to share the personal stories behind their work. Research is communicated through papers and presentations, while the motivations, risks, and moments of discovery that shape a scientific life often remain hidden. The Transom Story Lab has developed an approach that helps scientists share the heart of their work, turning technical findings into compelling stories that move, inform, and connect with audiences far beyond laboratory walls, collapsing the distance between scientist and layperson and combating distrust.
Workshop details
Participants develop both storytelling and communication skills that can strengthen their public engagement work. The workshop focuses on:
- Building a narrative arc from scientific experience
- Identifying the human story beneath the research
- Techniques for emotional engagement and controlled vulnerability
- Translating complex ideas into compelling narrative
- Telling a story live, in front of an audience, without notes
- Working one-on-one with experienced storytelling coaches
Day 1 — Principles of Storytelling
Introduction to narrative craft and the role storytelling can play in communicating science. Participants hear examples of powerful science stories and begin identifying the personal narratives within their own work. Afternoon small-group exercises begin shaping story ideas.
Day 2 — Building Narrative Structure
Participants share rough story drafts in small groups and receive structured feedback from instructors and peers. Sessions focus on narrative structure, scene building, and identifying the moments that give a story emotional power.
Day 3 — Telling Your Story Out Loud
Participants rehearse their stories one-on-one with the instructors and receive final notes. These sessions allow storytellers to refine pacing, structure, and delivery. At the end of this day, participants will audio-record their stories in a sharing session, which will later be released to the public as a special season of The Academic Citizen.
Workshop facilitators
Meg Bowles — Lead Instructor: Meg Bowles is one of the founding directors of The Moth, the internationally renowned storytelling organization. Over the past two decades she has directed and coached thousands of storytellers — including scientists, journalists, artists, and public figures —helping them craft personal stories for the stage and radio. Meg has directed live storytelling shows across the United States and internationally and has played a central role in shaping the modern revival of live storytelling. She is the author of the widely acclaimed book How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth. Meg brings extensive experience helping scientists transform complex research into powerful narrative.
Viki Merrick — Supporting Instructor: Viki Merrick, a founding member of the Transom Story Lab, is a producer of The Moth Radio Hour, the Peabody Award-winning public radio program heard on hundreds of stations worldwide. Over the course of her career she has coached and edited stories told by hundreds of storytellers for both live performance and broadcast. Viki is especially skilled at helping first-time storytellers find their authentic voice and translate personal experience into compelling narrative.
Sophie Crane — Workshop Director: Sophie Crane is the Executive Director of the Transom Story Lab and a documentary radio producer and editor. Her work has received numerous honors, including a duPont-ColumbiaGold Baton. Sophie also teaches audio storytelling at Dartmouth College.
A special South African storyteller will join the Transom team: to be announced end of October
Workshop host
The SARChI Science Communication is an NRF-funded research chair committed to research under the umbrella of science communication for social justice. The focus of the SARChI is to study the role of communications in connecting scientific research with the broader project of social justice and engaged publics, and to action-research best practice in communications modalities that serve the advancement of scientific knowledge. The research is led by Mehita Iqani, the SARChI Chairholder, who is Professor of Media and Communication at Stellenbosch University and a scholar‑creator working at the intersections of media, culture, creativity, and justice. She is the author and editor of numerous books on media, consumer culture, luxury, waste, and the Global South. Her most recent and forthcoming works include the co‑edited Handbook on Science Communication and Social Justice (forthcoming), The Cultural Politics of Food in South Africa: Media, Nourishment, Inequality (2026), Johannesburg from the Riverbanks: Navigating the Jukskei (2025), African Luxury Branding: From Soft Power to Queer Futures (2023), and Garbage in Popular Culture (2021). She is also the co-founder and host of The Academic Citizen podcast, and the writer-director of two short films, Fashion Dump (2025) and One Day at a Time (2026).
Applications
South African climate scientists are invited to apply for one of only ten places on the workshop. You qualify to apply if:
- You hold a PhD
- Your scientific research explicitly explores some aspect of climate change in Africa
- You can commit to being present for all three days of the workshop
To apply, only if you meet all three of these criteria, please visit this link. You will need to provide the following:
- A one-page CV listing your educational qualifications and your top five academic publications
- A 2-minute video telling us a bit about yourself and your research
Applications will open on 15 October and close on 5 November. The successful applicants will be notified by 30 November.
There is no registration fee for the workshop (which includes three nights of accommodation and all meals) at a wonderful venue in the winelands, near Stellenbosch. Transfers to and from the workshop venue will be provided from Cape Town International Airport where needed.
Successful applicants will need to cover their own travel costs to the Western Cape.