WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Kate Barber was attending last month’s Story Jam: Bi-monthly Storytelling Circle when she spotted a face she hadn’t seen in 27 years.

Norwich resident Irit Librot was familiar to Barber, the community outreach coordinator at JAM, a White River Junction-based nonprofit organization that emphasizes community connections through media, including podcasts and videos.

Librot had helped Barber, of Cornish, through the days after the birth of her first child, who arrived 3½ weeks before his due date 27 years ago.

When Barber realized who Librot was, she decided to share a story about the nurse who helped her through that challenging time and reassured her that she could handle motherhood. Barber shared how the nurse kept visitors to Barber’s Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center room at bay when she could tell Barber was becoming overwhelmed and gave her advice about breastfeeding.

All the while, Librot listened along, unaware that Barber was talking about her.

Then, Barber shared how after she returned how she sent the nurse a thank you note that included a bright orange vest to wear during her runs in the woods.

“That’s when the light bulb went,” Librot said about that moment in September. “I was like, ‘Wait a minute is that me?’ and she said, ‘Yes.’ ”

The two women stood and embraced; others in the circle cried. In the background, Barber heard someone say, “That’s why we come to Story Jam.”

To this day, Librot still wears the vest when she goes running in the woods; she had moved to the Upper Valley from Long Island and at the time it did not occur to her that she needed to be more visible, particularly during hunting season.

“I said, ‘You saved my life. You probably saved my life,’ ” Librot said.

Not all connections at Story Jam will be kismet like the one Librot and Barber made, founders Judith Hertog and Michelle Rogge acknowledge.

The ethos of the gatherings is creating connections, particularly between people who might not encounter each other elsewhere in their lives whether that be due to geographic locations, age, employment or belief systems, among other differences.

“Personal stories can bring people together,” Rogge, of Quechee, said during a video interview with Hertog, of Norwich, this month.

In the roughly year and a half since the duo started the Story Jams, they’ve seen just that.

The next gathering is scheduled to take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday (while the events are typically held every month, the October event is an exception due to scheduling conflicts) at JAM, located at 5 S. Main St. in downtown White River Junction. This month’s theme is “conflict” and all participants are welcome to share a five-minute story related to the theme.

“I’m not really good at talking, but somehow five minutes I’m able to do,” Librot said.

The comfort levels of the people sharing their stories is paramount to Rogge and Hertog. Unlike other storytelling programs in the Upper Valley, including AVA Gallery and Art Center’s Mudroom, which Hertog has been part of for more than a decade, Story Jams are not recorded and the only others hearing them are those in the circle.

They want participants to “share stories without the pressure of having to perform in front of an audience,” Hertog said. “It’s an intimate experience.”

While some people have gone on to refine the stories they share at Story Jam for the Mudroom, Hertog views them as two separate programs. Some people become Story Jam regulars, others drop in when they can and there are often new faces at each event.

“It doesn’t have an agenda or ideology,” JAM Executive Director Samantha Davidson Green said in a phone interview. “It’s just about getting to know people through stories. It’s a very beautiful group.”

For more information about Story Jam, visit uvjam.org. Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.