As a member of the 11th International Digital Storytelling Committee, I can say on our behalf that we are very pleased to welcome you to this landmark conference held in the Washington DC region of the United States and we look forward to your arrival this June 2023.

Let's get started with a quick overview of what to expect.

Getting There
You may be arriving by car or by one of our three major airports in the Washington/Baltimore metro area. Ronald Regan Washington National Airport (DCA) is the closest airport to the hotel hub, The Courtyard by Marriott, Silver Spring. (IAD) Washington Dulles International Airport and (BWI), Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, are two other choices ranging between 25 and 30 miles away from our conference hotel.

Hub Hotel
Washington DC, formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or DC, is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The district is forted by Montgomery County, Maryland. Our hub hotel, The Courtyard by Marriott Silver Spring, is located in the heart of downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, in less than one mile from Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus where most of our activities will be held. The conference hub hotel offers space for socializing and eating and is in near proximity of a variety of restaurants, shopping centers, and entertainment.

Transportation
Throughout your conference journey this week, you will be escorted by Adventure Tours motorcoaches. On the UMBC and Smithsonian-based conference days, you and other registrants will beat not only the summer heat and humidity but also the stress of independent travel.

The Experience
Day one, Tuesday, June 20th, opens on the University of Maryland Baltimore County's campus (UMBC) in the Performing Arts and Humanities building, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore MD, with a morning plenary and conference sessions followed by an afternoon in Baltimore City with site visits, storytelling tours, and community project exploration.

Day two, Wednesday, June 21st, opens on the Montgomery College Takoma Park Silver Spring Campus and honors the traditional conference framework, providing opportunities for participants to present their scholarship and story work, enjoy local story art, and reflect on the day's learning. Day two will be held at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center (CU) building using the GPS address 930 King Street, Silver Spring. The programming culminates with a celebration of digital storytelling.

Day three, Thursday, June 22nd, begins in Washington, DC, and offers special gallery tours and workshops within several of the Smithsonian Institution's spectacular museums and Day three will be held at four locations in Washington, DC: National Portrait Gallery at 8th and G Streets NW; National Museum of African American History and Culture at 1400 Constitution Avenue, NW; National Museum of American History and National Museum of the American Latino at Constitution Avenue, NW Between 12th and 14th Streets; and Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage/Capital Gallery at 600 Maryland Avenue, SW. The day ends with a reception at President Lincoln’s Cottage in DC.

Day four, Friday, June 23rd, is virtually hosted by StoryCenter on Zoom as an online conference in the same format as days one and two - offering a mix of research papers, panels, pecha kucha presentations, and workshops in 1-hour 15-minute-long sessions. All virtual sessions occur on this date.

Get excited for a robust schedule designed to carry our theme of “Radical Listening!” Stories are a record of our shared humanity, and when we listen, we find there is more in common than what divides us. Digital Storytelling honors and values collective community knowledge by accessing the greater wisdom in the whole and fosters community-designed solutions and shared vision.

We express our sincere appreciation to all of you who generously helped us make this event come together and we look forward to seeing you there!

Safe travels! See you soon!

Video Director:
Jazel Martinez, Montgomery College
Digital Storytelling Intern

Voiceover:
Jennifer Baugh

Writers and Editors:
Jennifer Baugh, Jazel Martinez, and Matthew Decker

Photography, Video, and Music:
Jennifer Baugh, GettyImages, and WeVideo

8th and G Streets, NW, Washington, DC 20001 | Mapnew window

Websites: National Portrait Gallerynew window and American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallerynew window 

1400 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20560 | Mapnew window

Website: National Museum of African American History and Culturenew window 

1300 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20560 | Mapnew window

Note: The Molina Family Gallery of the National Museum of the American Latino is located in the National Museum of American History on the National Mall at Constitution Avenue, N.W., between 12th and 14th Streets, Washington, D.C.

Websites: National Museum of American Historynew window and National Museum of the American Latinonew window 

600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20024 | Mapnew window

Note: Capital Gallery is adjacent to the National Mall and national museums with direct access to the L'Enfant Plaza Metro station and Virginia Railway Express commuter platform.

Websites: Folklife and Cultural Heritagenew window , Folklife Festivalnew window , and Capital Gallerynew window

United States of America

MARYLAND

• Baltimore
• Silver Spring
• Washington D.C. 

Conference "Hub Hotel"
The Courtyard by Marriott Silver Sving Hotel
8506 Fenton St, Sliver Spring, MD 20910

Day 1:
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
1000 Hilltop Cir, Baltimore, MD 21250

Day 2:
Montgomery College
Cultural Arts Center, Montgomery College
7995 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Day 3:
Smithsonian Institution
National Mall
Between the Ulysses S. Grant and the Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial, the Mall covers 309.2 acres (125.13 ha). Between Constitution Avenue NW and Independence Avenue SW at 7th Street, the width of the Mall is 1,586 feet (483 m).

Day 4:
StoryCenter
Online conference via Zoom