New Haven Independent

Storyteller Catherine Conant (pictured) created a warm and welcoming circle for those who came to the two-hour session Tuesday night at the Community Mediation Center on Elm Street. As each person explained the origin of his or her name, certain themes emerged – the role of religion; the role of siblings in creating nicknames that stick for life; the importance of beloved family and friends for whom children are named, but who, in some cases, fell out of favor later.

Conant pointed out that all the stories contained the seeds of more stories within them, and that it’s in telling those stories that participants build trust to open themselves further to explore important themes more deeply, thus building more trust.

“The goal is to shape stories and then decide whether this will be the foundation of a community storytelling process,” she said, "about the experiences that make life in New Haven unique."

Conant said stories revolve around people, places or events. People tell stories for themselves, and sometimes for their friends, and, less often, for the larger world. “But if you share your stories,” she said, “they have the capacity to change lives.” And she pointed out that listening is as much a part of the process as talking. She said by the end of the fourth session, some participants might feel comfortable telling their stories at this year’s International Festival of Arts & Ideas. At last year’s festival, survivors of Hurricane Katrina told their stories and invited New Haveners into their circle.

Robinson (Sullivan is her husband’s name, which she uses in social situations) is founding president and CEO of the Jamestown Project, described as “a diverse action-oriented think tank of new leaders who reach across boundaries and generations to make democracy real.” At the end of the session, she told her story of stepping down from a high-powered job in the office of Sen. Ted Kennedy to start this new venture, and how a lot of people didn’t grasp the value of “promoting meaningful public conversations and engagement,” as the mission of the Project puts it.

Residents of the Greater New Haven area are welcome to participate in any or all of the remaining sessions and learn first-hand about how stories can build community and democracy: on Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon at the Hospital of St. Raphael, 1450 Chapel Street, on March 17, April 14, May 12 and June 2; and on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Community Mediation Center, 32 Elm Street, on March 20, April 17, May 8 and June 5. For more information contact Conant here.