About Ex Fabula
Mission
Since 2009, Ex Fabula has been connecting community through the art of true, personal storytelling. Ex Fabula, which is Latin for “from stories”, presents storytelling workshops, StorySlams and Community Collaborations where people listen to each other, feel heard, and grow in empathy and understanding. Special projects like the Ex Fabula Fellowship, the Puente Project, and Equal Access use personal stories to address the factors that divide us, and Real Stories MKE on WUWM 89.7 FM extends the reach of powerful stories told by community members.
By producing live storytelling events, we celebrate the power of true and personal stories to connect us. Paradoxically, stories reveal our shared humanity while also acknowledging that each person’s journey is unique. We can learn a lot from listening to the life experiences of those who are different from us. Each tale of struggle, triumph, and discovery reveals who we are now, and who we hope to become.
Ex Fabula is committed to diversity and hosts events throughout the city – from Bronzeville to Bay View and Westtown to Sherman Park.
Our Brand
Elements of the brand
For our logo, we leaned towards images with circular elements, because Ex Fabula’s work is all about connecting and convening. We often have people sit in circles at workshops, and we even host events called StoryCircles where people share stories that are works in progress. A circle made sense, so that’s where we started.
We knew we wanted to incorporate a microphone to represent the amplification of voices. Specifically, under-represented voices. We also liked the idea of a mic pointing slightly upwards on an angle to give a sense of movement and optimism.
Finally, we didn’t want to feel stuffy or overly formal. Since our StorySlams are public events that usually take place in the evening, we wanted something that would give us a live entertainment feeling. Along with vibrant colors, we leaned towards a handwriting style font, to hint at “personal touch.”
In addition to Cubano and Lovehearts as our primary fonts, we are now using Atkinson Hyperlegible (developed by the Braille Institute of America) wherever possible for accessibility purposes.
Our Name
What does “Ex Fabula” mean?
Ex Fabula is a Latin phrase meaning, “From Stories.” Everything we do, from building community to fostering connection to elevating voices, flourishes from stories.
How is it spelled?
It’s two separate words! Ex Fabula, with a space (not a hyphen!) between each word.