stories to sell?

                                                                                stories to consume…

to ingest…to digest

                              we carry them in our stomachs

                                                                      and on our backs

                                                                                                    whose stories

not our stories

                              others’ stories…

                                                            those people…

                                                                                          their stories

story is central to our work because what we do all day is take stories in, the stories of our clients, learners, friends.  a woman shared her story at a conference about violence and learning.  her story of a client telling her that she can’t bear to share her story again because it is all she has left.  her story has become a commodity that she peddles to gain access to services, to shelter, to resources.  what does this do to her, to her story?  what is the impact?  what about those of us who hear her story.  how does it impact us, where does in fit into our lives? what about our story.  does it fit anywhere?  If she is a woman of colour, I hear her story and it resonates with mine. my liberation is tied up in her story (Lily Walker).  it must be.  It has to be.  what do I do now?

power

there is power in telling a story and there is power in listening.  Reflecting on our power is difficult.  It is difficult to acknowledge our power…  particularly when we are unaware of our location, specifically our social location; that being our race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ability… where are we located as the listener in relation to the storyteller?  Do we consciously ask ourselves this?  Or must we remain objective, free and clear of any judgment.  If we locate ourselves things may become clearer, or they may become muddier…at least we are aware of our power.