An audience of about 40 people turned out on a Thursday night recently to tell each other true stories.
It is an idea that originated in the United States, and now has its own website - The Moth.
The Wanaka version was organised by public speaking coach Lee Ball and her son, Luke, and has been given the name Smashing Stories.
Ms Ball told the Otago Daily Times this week Luke had been running the storytelling sessions in Santiago, Chile, monthly for several years - some in English and some in Spanish.
The pair decided to try it out in Wanaka and 10 volunteers were given five minutes each to tell their stories.
``It's random, so people when they come in, if they have a story, they put their name in a hat at the door and then the storytellers are drawn.''
One story at the Wanaka event was about preparations for a wedding in Chile; another was about being inspired to learn English.
``They were really unique stories,'' Ms Ball said.
``Really uplifting; a lot of fun; a lot of laughter.''
Ms Ball believed storytelling had become ``a lost art''.
``The biggest thing people say is, `I don't have any stories; I haven't done anything exciting in my life'.''
``I'm like, every day there's a story. In the small details of your life there's a story.''
Ms Ball said storytelling was a nice way for communities to connect.
``You just never know what's going to come out of people.
``It's really exciting.''
Ms Ball, who moved to Wanaka from Christchurch nine years ago, has been a member of Toastmasters for 15 years and runs public speaking courses.
``I feel like I'm moving more into stories.
``With people's speeches, it's all about telling stories.
``You have the structure of your speech, but the stories are actually what move, motivate and inspire people.''
Ms Ball said storytelling in the United States had become competitive and judges from the audience decided which stories were best.
``I'm just not sure about the competitive aspect at this point.''
Another night of Smashing Stories in Wanaka is being planned for June 12 and the pair plan to take the concept to other towns in New Zealand.
