June 20, 2007

Laura Binah Feldman
Cultural Interpreter, Educator, Interfaith Chaplain

  As Navajo sand paintings are used to transition a soldier back into society or restore health to those suffering from disease, storytelling is a means of healing in many traditions around the world, as demonstrated by Laura Binah Feldman, the guest speaker at last month’s Pizza & Prose.  

 In a presentation on the power of storytelling, Laura had a profound affect on the audience during the June 20, 2007 lit series in Capitola.

 “Our personal story, community story, and the big picture”, Laura pointed out, is how we remain whole as individuals and how we connect to one another. She underscored this point by referencing the late author, and expert on mythology and religion, Joseph Campbell’s theory of how storytelling is what differentiates us from other species.

 After sharing a couple of stories from her own life, to illustrate the importance in the telling and the listening, Laura created the space in the room for audience members to tell their own stories and pose some wonderful questions. The idea of whether there is in fact such thing as a false story was discussed in some very thought-provoking ways. The so-called truths we tell ourselves to be able to live the life we choose. As well as how this relates to children and creativity. Stories have power and they are all a matter of perspective, as was heard in many examples throughout the evening. One woman spoke about her father’s embellished tales from WWII and how important is was for her, as much as for him, that he get to do what he wanted and perhaps needed, with those memories. His perceptions needed to be honored, she said, even if it meant that over the years he might go from being a mere soldier to Winston Churchill’s best buddy.

 One highlight from the evening was when Laura encouraged a man whose primary language is Spanish to tell his story. After first hesitating because of the language barrier, another member of the audience volunteered, at Laura’s request, to interpret. The audience then had the wonderful treat of hearing the story in Spanish first and then in English. It was like a storytelling dance as they found their rhythm and recounted the tale together.

 One man spoke of being a puppeteer to severely ill children at a local hospital when he was a teenager. When he started, he had no idea the impact this would have or that letting these kids be part of the story would help give them a sense of power over their disease.  

 In the end, a group of people who started out mainly as strangers to one another were connected through a very special evening with a very special speaker. As an interfaith Chaplain and teacher, Laura has become a cultural interpreter. She is a gifted story teller, but perhaps her greatest gift is how she gives courage to others to tell their stories