NEXT SOCIAL JUSTICE in ACTION CONCERT
October 18th
7:00-8:30 pm Eastern Daylight Time
Exploring social justice in its many faces and forms, through folk tales and personal stories, we dive deeply into multiple experiences of justice.
Join the Healing Story Alliance for a special gathering to share and explore stories of social justice in action in its many faces and forms. Through folk tales and personal stories, we will dive deeply into multiple experiences of justice in action. The Storytelling concert is followed by a community conversation. A recording of the concert will be made available to all registrants.
Format: The story session opens with a concert of seasoned tellers exploring social justice in action with stories and community tellers sharing stories of how they promote social justice in their community. The second half of the event invites listeners to respond and reflect on what emerged for them listening to stories of social justice in action in these troubled times.
Purpose: We all need a little more justice and kindness in our lives. Perhaps a story can take us there.
“If we want a beloved community, we must stand for justice.” Bell Hooks
About the Storytellers
Howard Lieberman is a Nationally known writer, storyteller, performance artist and political commentator/activist who grew up on the North Side of Chicago. He is a husband, father, corporate attorney, Irish ceili dance teacher and Director of the Irish Arts Center and currently lives in Stillwater MN. When not writing poetry and political essays Howard spends most of his artistic hours writing and performing personal narrative stories. His jaded yet surprisingly tender style has made him a favorite on the national and, thanks to Zoom, global performance scene. Howard is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Fringe Festival and The National Storytelling Network and is a current board member of Story Arts of Minnesota.
Carrie Sue Ayvar Grew up surrounded by stories, She learned early on the power of the oral tradition and its capacity for healing, inspiration, education, and entertainment. An award-winning Storyteller, Chautauqua Scholar and a National Credentialed Teaching Artist she has been connecting people, languages, cultures, and curriculums in both English and Spanish, for nearly fifty years. She believes, like her Grandpa Nat used to say, “If you don’t know the trees you may be lost in the forest, but if you don’t know the stories you may be lost in life.”
Heather Forest, is an award-winning storyteller, author, musician, and organic farmer. A pioneer in the American storytelling renaissance, she has appeared in theatres, schools, literature conferences, and major storytelling festivals throughout the United States and abroad. She is the author of seventeen children’s books and recordings based on multicultural folktales. A modern-day bard, her dynamic fusion of original music, poetry, and the sung and spoken word bring multicultural folktales to life in the imagination of her listeners. She is President of the Board of Healing Story Alliance, Inc. She views storytelling as both a fine art and a powerful tool for positive social change.
Community Tellers
LaSonya Cromartie is an interdisciplinary doula, peer lactation counselor, community organizer, and birth justice advocate with more than 22 years of experience supporting women and families. Her work is rooted in trauma-informed, evidence-based, and faith-centered care, while recognizing the impact of systems and policies on community well-being. Beyond birth work, LaSonya is a passionate political activist committed to civic engagement, voter education, economic opportunity, affordable housing, and equity. She believes advocacy is an extension of care and uses her voice, lived experiences, and organizing skills to empower communities, amplify marginalized voices, and create meaningful, lasting change.
Ruth Berson works at Washington University in St Louis in the College Writing Program where she teaches first-year composition and in the Writing Center where she coaches writers at all levels (undergrads, graduate students, fellows, and faculty) on all kinds of projects.
She finds storytelling of great use in class and in tutoring sessions. Stories sneak behind the barriers students have put up to make sure they only think what the teacher expects them to think, and thus give them access to their pre-thought thoughts.
Feel free to visit her at https://writingcenter.wustl.edu/finding-your-voice-medical-school-personal-statements/ or at www.thewritingprocess.net
Emcee
Laura Preiser is an advocate for persons with disabilities. Her study of psychology and law brought her to the field of conflict resolution. Her research focused on teaching young adults on the autism spectrum to respond to difficult interactions with greater flexibility and insight through the use of improv. Nowadays, she is a writer, a listener, and an enthusiast for those finding their voice amidst personal struggle. She serves on the Healing Story Alliance’s Program Advisory committee.
PAST CONCERTS
Healing Story Alliance is a not-for-profit, educational, arts organization which provides online resources and concert, workshop, and community programming
in support of storytelling as a healing art. Please donate to help make programs like these possible.
To listen to past Kind Stories in Concert visit our archive of recordings.