List of the most popular hashtags for theme #STORIESMATTER

If you have a story you want to tell, tell it. (And if you have a story you don’t want to tell, that’s okay, too. Your stories, your choice!)

I’ve been on the road lately. Spending time in places where the people know my name and places where they don’t. Smiles, laughs, and tears have come as stories have been shared & stories have been lived. I’ve been lucky to find the company of friends near and far and my hands have been busy with work. There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t give a look to the bushes & the trees as they fly by my window & remember in the words of @lisagungor, my entire world is ablaze. // Tell me, what is something that reminded you of a story lately?

Sometimes, at readings, people bring me things. Like a well-loved copy of GOOD IN BED that I’ve already signed twice. Or a cutting board with a quote from one of my books laser-cut into it. Or a tote bag they won in a contest. Sometimes I’ll hear a name and recognize it from Facebook (“Oh my God, you’re THAT TJ?!?”) and I will feel like I finally got to meet a friend in person. And sometimes, someone will tell me, “your books got me through a hard time,” or “the first year of my child’s life,” or “my twenties.” I’m so grateful for all of it. #mrseverything #readersofinstagram #amreading #storiesmatter

Part of #weekinthelife is visiting my #99 year old #grandma I #love her so much and I am so #grateful for having her in my #life for such a long time. These #hands carried me from the day I were born, leaded me through so many beautiful moments in life, protected me in several moments and stroke my head when feeling down and sad! I don’t know how long I will be able to hold her warm hands, but her loving heart will always stay with me! ❤️ #love you grandma! #storiesmatter #pocketpages #mystorymatters #documentinglife #hereandnow #documentinglife #pocketscrapbooking #aeweekinthelife #projectlife #craftthestory

Yes! I have a yellow hairdryer! Loving this sunshine feature by Travis Hoefle aka @thewizardofoddtv ... #linkinbio for full video ☀️✨ #misssunshine #yourdoseofsunshine #spreadsunshine

On this day and every day, I celebrate women across the world. I Invite us to go back to the beginning of everything — to word — to a name. In Igbo culture of southeastern Nigeria, a name in itself carries the weight of a prayer and a story. My mother, pictured here, was named ‘Dorothy Nkemdilim Edemobi’. Dorothy means ‘gift of God’, and Nkemdilim, ‘let what is mine be unto me’, otherwise put, ‘may my destiny be fulfilled’. Her maiden name Edemobi, short for edeimobi means ‘I rest my soul’. My mother’s name was as such, ‘Gift of God whose destiny will be fulfilled that she may rest her soul’. She would marry and become, ‘Dorothy Nkemdilim Akunyili’. Akunyili means ‘wealth overflows’. She lived to share the wealth of her heart in the full glory of a life that positively influenced the lives of millions of Nigerians and beyond. The power of words has always mattered for Igbos, for words form stories and stories shape reality. A word holds space, for anger, joy, love, peace, bliss, words hold space for us to feel it all. The stories we tell ourselves with these words shape our mindset and in turn our reality. On this day that holds space for us all as women, my hope is that we reconnect to the power of our stories, the stories others tell us, the stories we tell ourselves, knowing that a word, a name, has the power to shape the destiny of a person, and a story has the power to shape the destiny of the world. What story do you want today to start telling? Tell it to yourself that the word may be made flesh. Tell it to all that we may roar together! #internationalwomensday #iwd #storiesmatter #doraakunyili #sheroars #ubuntu #iambecauseyouare #weare

“If I close my eyes, I can still see his little face. ⠀ I can smell his perfect, newborn skin, and I can feel him in my arms. ⠀ It feels like yesterday, but sometimes it feels like an eternity. ⠀ 6 years ago I held this sweet boy, as mine, for the last time before placing him into his wonderful mother’s arms. ⠀ 6 years ago I signed a big stack of papers relinquishing my rights as his mother so that he could have a better life. ⠀ I love this boy. I love him more than I could ever express. He was and is absolutely perfect in every way. ⠀ I wanted nothing more than to take that sweet baby home with me, but I knew he deserved more. ⠀ I don’t know how I did it. All I know, is that I had strength greater than my own that day. ⠀ Greyson is thriving. He is sweet, energetic, smart, and way too cool for his own good. ⠀ He has INCREDIBLE parents, wonderful sisters, and he lights up the world. ⠀ I would go through everything again for him in a heartbeat. We saved each other’s lives. ⠀ Adoption is amazing people.” ⠀ = @melindawpayne

Anthony Bourdain inspired the type of curious, people-first storytelling we strive for at Great Big Story. His sense of adventure and respect for the world encouraged us all to explore. As we remember him today, we hope to honor his legacy by pushing our curiosities as far as the mind can reach. #BourdainDay #StoriesMatter ❤

Yesterday just before my talk at the House of Commons, it was very nice to chat with Jeremy Corbyn. We did not talk about #politics, and we did not talk about #Brexit. We talked about books, novels—novels by African, Latin American, Middle Eastern, European authors, past and present. It was truly #inspiring to talk with such depth and breadth about #world literature at a time when politics seems to dominate everything, to celebrate how art and culture and literature continue to connect us beyond all #imaginary boundaries. #houseofcommons #parliament #literaturelover #worldliterature #bookshelf #jeremycorbyn #politicians #writers #storiesmatter #art #latinamerican #middleeastern #african #european #reading #conversations #instaphoto Dün Parlamentodaki konuşmamdan evvel Jeremy Corbyn ile sohbet etmek çok güzeldi, değerliydi. Siyaset konuşmadık. Brexit de konuşmadık. Onun yerine #kitaplardan konuştuk. Edebiyattan. Latin Amerika, Asya, Orta Doğu, Avrupa edebiyatından… Dünya edebiyatından ve bilhassa romanlardan konuştuk. Bu kadar kıdemli bir siyasetçi ile edebiyat ve sanat ve kültür ve kitaplar üzerine derinlikli bir sohbet gayet sıradışıydı ve kıymetliydi. #sohbet #edebiyat #kitaplar #parlamento #yazarlar #okumakgüzeldir #wordsoftheday