On February 5, 2016, Kiran Singh Sirah, President of the International Storytelling Center and Folklore MA ’13, will present “Cultivating Community Through Story,” a public lecture at the Charleston, SC Main Library. The lecture is part of a current series exploring race, identity and civic engagement in response to recent events in the Charleston area, most notably the mass shooting at the Emanuel AME Church in June 2015. As reported by The Chronicle of Charleston, Sirah will offer “examples of social justice, race relations and community cooperation” to “explain how personal relations developed through storytelling can help residents better discuss and work through these difficult conversations.”
Additionally, as part of Sirah’s event, the Town of Jonesborough, TN in partnership with the International Storytelling Center will offer a formal Proclamation of Friendship between Charleston, SC and Jonesborough, TN, intended to promote healing, dialogue and on-going collaboration through storytelling.