Online storytelling workshop.
This is an extraordinary, one-off opportunity to encounter three mighty women, from both sides of the Atlantic, talking in their own warm, inimitable and subtle ways about one of the most thorny but profoundly enriching topics for storytellers today: how do we reach out to tell stories across cultures? How do we treat other cultures with respect? How do we enter their world and invite them warmly into our own? Come and chat, explore, laugh, reflect and enjoy the discussion!
Sheila Arnold talks about ‘Rebirthing a Story’, reclaiming a racist text for black culture. Sheila has been a full-time Storyteller for seventeen years travelling through the United States and sharing a variety of stories – “whatever fits in her mouth”, and has won hearts wherever she went on previous trips to the UK. At her core, Ms. Sheila is a professional imaginator with a passion, vision and ministry of healing hearts, unifying communities and reminding people to share their stories.
Ila Chandavarkar will lead us to talk about unconscious bias, assumptions about what is ‘normal’ and start a discussion power, and privilege, stereotypes and inclusion. Ila runs training sessions on equality, diversity and inclusion for Cambridge Ethnic Community Forum, a remarkable umbrella organisation for Black and Minority community groups and organisations in Cambridgeshire, UK, with a membership of over 33 BME groups.
Shonaleigh Cumbers guides us through the ins and outs of telling stories from different traditions and respectful ways of adapting stories for a different audience. Shonaleigh is a Drut’syla – a living tradition holder. It’s a tradition you probably won’t have heard of. It’s a tradition that flourished in Jewish families, but that was almost wiped out during the holocaust: as far as we know, Shonaleigh is the last Drut’syla, whose telling and teachings are filled with the wisdom, depth and humour of her bubbe, her grandmother, Edith Marks, from whom she learned her craft.