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Storytelling
keeps communities alive
Hello friends,
It’s raining here in Portland, Oregon. I’ve got a mild cold, so have been getting a lot of rest. As a consequence, I’ve not been doing as much writing as usual. When my brain is muzzy, other kinds of simple work tasks are easier than what some call generative work.
As a result, though, I’ve been reading a lot. As usual, I’ve also been thinking of the power of storytelling. This month’s Patreon-funded essay is about the power of storytelling and community. It’s about keeping memory alive in the face of rage and grief. It’s about the family of a young man named Keaton Otis, and art, and coming together.
Recently, I made a visit to a memorial art installation. A simple, yet beautifully moving piece, this memorial was a community effort. Many people came together over many months, cleaning the street and sidewalk, preparing the space.
Designed by artist Sharita Towne, the existing cracks in the tarmac on this side street near an old, failing mall were then slowly filled with gold paint, creating rivulets of brightness, of promise.
Inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi, the gold acts as to repair what is broken, making it once again beautiful and whole. The gold-hued rivulets also mimic the tracing of tears across a cracked and grieving face.
A plaque and more gold-filled cracks grace the piece of sidewalk. Across the way, other names of the beloved dead have been chalked. They will wash away at the first rains.
The gold will remain.
You can read the rest here: Stories Keep Communities Alive.
What does storytelling mean to you? Is story a welcome escape and respite? Is story an aid to memory? Do you tell stories around the fire? Or during phone calls?How do you keep in touch with the stories of your life?
best wishes - Thorn
Want more witchy novels from ten authors? This pay-what-you-can StoryBundle closes on November 2nd: Witches, Wands, & Wanderers.
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