Dan Koehn
Dan Koehn is an essayist and arts critic who loves weaving humor, insight, and personal stories into his work. He’s perhaps best known for his Driven by Stories project, which captures real, unscripted stories from people across Madison to create a deeper connection within the community. His writing and storytelling have been featured in Isthmus, where he covers theater, music, and opera with a keen eye and a thoughtful approach. Dan has a gift for turning the mundanity of life into the absurd. His work reflects his unique perspective—one that comes from his own life experiences and a genuine curiosity about the stories others have to share.
In addition to his writing, Dan is a National Endowment for the Arts-winning opera adapter and has extensive experience in nonprofit management. By day, he works as a professional fundraiser at UW-Madison, where he’s focused on raising funds to support student leadership and community engagement. His nonprofit experience has been shaped by a long history of working in the field—and he’s passionate about making a positive impact.
Dan’s married to Mark, a retired journalist, and together they share their home with two dogs—a Havanese named Lui and a Shih Tzu named Oliver.
Mission
Driven by Stories is a multimedia project dedicated to capturing and sharing unscripted, authentic stories from everyday people. By creating a platform for a wide range of voices, the project aims to foster a deeper connection within the community and encourage empathy through storytelling. Each narrative, whether humorous, poignant, or absurd, reveals a unique aspect of the human experience—one that might otherwise go untold.
Vision
My vision for Driven by Stories is to build a community where stories from all walks of life are celebrated, shared, and valued. We seek to elevate the voices of individuals whose experiences are often overlooked, creating a space for meaningful dialogue and understanding. Through live performances, digital content, and a book, Driven by Stories aspires to amplify the power of personal narrative, sparking connections in a world that’s often too busy to listen
