Custom illustrations by Wing Lam Chan. Connect with Wing @lamc_illust on Instagram.Learn More about the project
In early 2024, our Publication Manager, Mikaela Brewer, was (not unusually) thinking about writing. But she was thinking about writing outside of being a writer/editor. What can words be? What can they do? At Unsinkable, we began a year-long newsletter between spring 2024 and 2025, offering creative prompts alongside a fictional folktale to follow: The Legend of Unsinkable.
The newsletter was a wonderful success, engaging nearly 1,000 members of our community. When it concluded in 2025, our team imagined a new life for it: How could we create something that our community could hold in their hands, close to their hearts, and visually visit whenever they need to?
The Legend of Unsinkable became a custom-illustrated, interactive workbook written by Mikaela and illustrated by our Visual Storytelling Support, Wing Lam Chan. It’s more than a storybook—readers become part of the narrative and are invited to reflect, create, and see their own story woven into something larger. The Legend of Unsinkable lives somewhere between folktale and companion, guiding folks through moments of storytelling, healing, and self-expression. Through writing, drawing, and reflection, experiences become part of our shared legend. Whether just beginning a storytelling journey or finding yourself in a new chapter, this space was created for everyone.
Why this matters…
Workbooks are often expected/assumed to be completed in isolation, but maybe they don't have to be. Many are also oriented toward writers and tend to emphasize a final product: A poem, essay, or memoir, for example. We believe that words can just be words, in any way that supports us.
But finding words is often the hardest part when we glance across the vast landscape of our lives and experiences. The Legend of Unsinkable invites everyone on a journey to finding words, rooted in story and experience, with no expectation of a finished product.
Through The Legend of Unsinkable, we're hoping to foster local community connection, personal exploration, and group storytelling. Our team has prepared detailed resources, including a custom facilitation guide to accompany the story-workbook, video readings of the legend with Wing & Mikaela, and accessible options for gathering and ordering materials. Alone or in combination, these materials were designed for story stewardship. We’ve imagined The Legend of Unsinkable in classrooms, libraries, community centres, company/business gathering spaces, and Sunday morning couches.
We hope you’ll consider spending time with the materials below, whether on your own or with your community.
Please let us know if you have any questions or need any additional information about The Legend of Unsinkable experience. We’re excited about the possibility of bringing this project to life with you.
If you’d like extra support, Mikaela is available for a phone call, Zoom, an in-person meeting, or an email exchange. Reach out: mikaela@weareunsinkable.com
From the Creator
Experience the Story-Workbook
video readings with creators Wing & Mikaela
Share Your Experience
After completing The Legend of Unsinkable story-workbook, please use this space to share more about your experience! Your notes & feedback will help us celebrate you, measure our impact across communities, and ensure you have the resources & support you need.
Facilitate the Story-Workbook
This guide is for library hosts, reading group facilitators, and community organizers who want to bring The Legend of Unsinkable to life in a shared, circular space.
The workbook is a 12-part storytelling journey rooted in community, memory, and the belief that we can never truly sink.
This program runs in a 13-week frame and is designed to unfold gently, one part per session, with Week 13 reserved for reflection and debrief. The program honours the workbook’s spirit: no expectation of a finished story, no pressure to heal perfectly, and no single ‘right’ response. Your role as host is to hold the space, not to lead an answer.
Our digital facilitation guide (in colour)
Our print-friendly facilitation guide (in black & white)
Tag us!
We’d love to see your photos featuring The Legend of Unsinkable: @unsinkablestories
The Legend of UnsinkableCopyright © 2025 by Unsinkable Ltd.All rights reserved. No part of this publication, either writing or illustrations, may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher and authors, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.This book is intended for entertainment only, and as such, any responsibility for actions taken by reading this book lies with the reader alone and not with the authors or publisher. This book is not intended as medical, legal, or business advice. Any resemblance to places, events, or people is purely coincidental.Story: Mikaela Brewer | Illustrations & Design: Wing Lam Chan | Published by Unsinkable Ltd."The Legend of Unsinkable" was originally published on weareunsinkable.com as a newsletter between April 2024 and March 2025. This is its second edition.