Friday’s circle was introduced by John O’Neal (pictured). In 1963 he founded the Free Southern Theater, the cultural arm of the civil rights movement. Although not a New Orleans native, he moved there in 1965. “I’m going to stay in New Orleans,� he said, “because I don’t have another 45 years to invest in making somewhere else home.�

People (including New Haven activist George Edwards, pictured) went around the circle and introduced themselves. One woman said, “I’m a good listener, but not a good story teller.� O’Neal responded, “The biggest part of storytelling is not what is said, but what is heard.�

He described the basic rules of the game: sitting in a circle so everyone can see everyone; listening while others are talking; no writing down anything that’s said; and no planning ahead about what you’re going to say, because that would interfere with the listening process. Easier said than done, at least for yours truly.

William O’Neal, John’s son and another member of the ensemble (pictured below with Carolyn Morris, director of Southern Artists) advised, “If there is ever a question about what story to tell, go for the one that comes from the deepest place that you feel safe sharing.�

Then the group of 20 divided into three smaller groups for the storytelling, each including some Gulf Coast visitors and some local people. One was Megan Finn, who had moved from Connecticut to New Orleans, then back to Connecticut just before Katrina hit. They’ve become regulars at the story circles.

A local woman named Catherine described the “hurricane� that engulfed her around the same time Katrina was devastating the Gulf Coast. “I lost my marriage and my home,� she said.

A New Orleanian named Roscoe said his family had been personally spared the fury of Katrina, losing neither their home nor any relatives. He said he had felt protected by an “unseen hand,� and that he had never cried about the tragedy. Catherine said he was suffering from “survivor’s guilt� but that he, too, had suffered enough. Hearing that, Roscoe began to cry – for the first time since Katrina came ashore, he said.

The circles merged back into one big circle and the members of each small group shared what they had experienced. That’s when Brandy Agerback began drawing her conceptual map of the feedback. Afterwards, William O’Neal said, “I felt like I was not alone.�

The circles culminated in a dramatic presentation called Katrina Stories on Sunday afternoon.

And Stephanie Robinson, director of the Jamestown Project at Yale, will be leading three gatherings this week called Elm City Circles to promote democracy and deeper connections among New Haveners.