Great Gifts for Storytellers

Who Qualifies as a Storyteller? 

Anyone who enjoys telling stories! The obvious answer would be teachers, writers, speakers, and spiritual leaders. That said, my mom’s uncle is one of the greatest story tellers I’ve ever known. He doesn’t fall into any of those categories but he’s gregarious, has great timing, and knows how to deliver a punchline. He possesses a larger than life personality and a fantastic laugh that draws others to him like moths to a flame. Can you think of anyone in your life who has a way with words and has wielded those in ways that have impacted you greatly? These thoughtful gifts are for them!

Meaningful Gift Ideas for Storytellers

PostSecret books

In 2005, Frank Warren started a community art project in which he distributed post cards and asked people to write down their secrets and post them to him anonymously. Within the first year, Warren had received over 10,000 postcards. The confessions range from heart-breaking to hilarious; thought-provoking to provocative. Since then, the PostSecret project has grown to include several books, a website and museum exhibits. These postcards remind us as readers that everyone has a story to tell and can generate a great discussion around whether we keep secrets, or secrets keep us. 

PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives

My Secret: A PostSecret Book

The Secret Lives of Men and Women: A PostSecret Book

A Lifetime of Secrets: A PostSecret Book

Confessions on Life, Death, & God

The World of PostSecret  

Poetry Magnets

Poetry magnets are classic and you can find all kinds of different versions or spins on the original. They’re great for getting creative juices flowing!

Personalized Moleskine Cover

You’d be hard pressed to find a writer who doesn’t own a Moleskine notebook. Why not help make theirs more unique by gifting them a beautiful leather cover with their name or initials engraved on it? Etsy is a great place to find these (the one pictured is from Extra Sudio) and the opportunity to support a small retailer. 

Audible Subscription

It’s probably safe to bet that the storyteller in your life enjoys listening to stories as well. An Audible subscription is perfect for the person who is busy and on the go. While many people prefer to hold (and smell) a book in their hands, with audio books, you can tune into a great story while commuting or doing the dishes. In turn, this allows people to tick more books off their Goodreads list than they otherwise would! 

Spotify Subscription

Spotify makes it easy to curate perfect playlists, discover new music you’d like, subscribe to your favorite podcasts and more! 

Kindle Unlimited Subscription

If you're purchasing a gift for someone who owns a Kindle, the Kindle Unlimited subscription is a great gift idea! At $9.99 per month, the subscription grants access to over 1 million book titles, magazines, and thousands of Audible books as well.

Coffee Shop Giftcard

Treat them to free coffees while they chat someone’s ear off or burn the midnight oil to meet a deadline. 

Wine Club 

“Write drunk; edit sober” is frequently misattributed to Ernest Hemingway, but people love this quote nonetheless. There may be something to it? If libations put your storyteller in their element, consider gifting them a WSJ wine club subscription or one-off case. Wine not their thing? You can find similar schemes for any alcoholic beverage: beer, whisky, gin, etc. 

MasterClass

Intimate, self-paced courses and workshops taught by some of the greatest writers of our time. There is truly something for everyone here and it makes a memorable gift. Who needs more stuff, anyway? Experiences are where it’s at!

ReMarkable Tablet

The world’s thinnest tablet, ReMarkable is replacing notebooks and printed documents and re-inventing the way people jot down their ideas. With a display that looks and feels like paper, you can convert handwritten notes to text, take notes directly on PDFs, sync with other devices to transfer files and more. At $399, it isn’t cheap, but everyone I know who has one raves about it. Who knows, maybe this is where your storyteller will begin penning their memoir?

Jade Facial Roller

Searching for a gift for someone who has to speak publicly a lot? Chances are their facial muscles (particularly around the jaw) could use a spa retreat. Facial rollers feel really good and have several health benefits. Jade is great for cooling and calming the skin. Using it to massage overworked facial muscles can ease tension and encourage lymphatic drainage. These rollers are sold in many places at various price points. If you’re looking to really splurge on a facial roller, check out ReFa’s luxury line beloved by celebrities.  

Once Upon a Time: A Storytelling Kit to Make Family Memories into Tales

This captivating storytelling kit includes 20 illustrated cards with questions to prompt the telling of family memories and life stories. It also includes a keepsake journal to capture every tale. Step into the world that you and your child know best: your very own Once Upon a Time.

Literati & Light Candles

Inspired by great works of literature and tales of enchantment, Literati & Light soy wax candles and diffusers make a fun gift for someone who loves storytelling. To give you an idea: Wuthering Heights is scented with heather and rain. Rivendell has notes of moss, cade and mixed woods. Gatsby puts off an aroma of champagne, citrus and verbena. 

‘If…’ Questions for the Game of Life

'If...(Questions for the Game of Life)' is a book series by Evelyn McFarlane. Each book is full of creative question prompts to spark wonderful conversations, memories and storytelling. These books are guaranteed to spice up the chat happening at any dinner party, vacation, road trip, or date.

Recording Their Life Story

Don't miss the opportunity to have you or a loved one's personal history recorded and preserved. Storii gives you access to a database of thousands of life story questions. Questions can be answered with video, audio, text, and/or images. Answers can easily be shared, downloaded, or printed off as a keepsake.

Crunched for time? Storii's Life Story Calls makes it super simple to capture your loved one's memories and stories with virtually no effort on your part. Storii makes a great gift and enables people to build up a legacy over time to be cherished for many lifetimes.

Storii offers a Life Story Gift Box, which makes a great gift for grandparents. Your loved one doesn't need WiFi or a smartphone - Storii works with landline phones too! They receive calls on selected days and times asking meaningful life story questions. Their answers are recorded, transcribed and stored on their secure Storii profile. Recordings can be shared and downloaded with other family members who would enjoy hearing them too!