“How storytelling can heal the world”: Colum McCann and Narrative 4 inspire campus and community through storytelling
When Wanjiru Mbure, Arts & Sciences Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, arrived on campus in August 2022, creating the A&S DEI Spring Speaker Series was one of her priorities. During the fall semester, Angela Leruth, Senior Lecturer of French and Francophone Studies, raised the idea of bringing Narrative 4 and its co-founder, novelist Colum McCann, to campus. For Mbure, it was an easy decision. “I appreciated the focus on storytelling as an inclusive practice with power to transform both the teacher and the student,” said Mbure.
This inaugural session of the speaker series, presented in partnership with the Charles Center and the Center for the Liberal Arts, focused on the power of storytelling to connect and build community and attracted more than one hundred students, faculty and staff over two days. McCann and the Narrative 4 team hosted a “Story Exchange” workshop and a small-group facilitator training, both designed primarily for A&S faculty and staff but open to individuals from across campus. A Thursday evening keynote by McCann, How Storytelling Can Heal the World, was free and open to the public and attended by students, faculty, staff, and members of the community.
McCann is the author of seven novels, three collections of stories and two works of non-fiction. His most recent novel, Apeirogon, became an instant international bestseller and has won several significant international awards. Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, McCann is the recipient of many international honors. (Read full bio). His nonprofit, Narrative 4, helps students and teachers create connection through the power of storytelling. Through the unique Story Exchange process, Narrative 4 facilitates a “one-on-one experience of sharing stories to combat isolation, break down barriers, and tap into the power of art, education, and action.” (Read more about Narrative 4).
Philip Wagner, Clinical Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior in the Raymond A. Mason School of Business, joined the small-group facilitator training to guide others through the Story Exchange experience and integrate it in the classroom and beyond. “There have been few trainings or events that have impacted me to the extent that Story Exchange did,” shared Wagner. “I was so fortunate to be able to go through facilitator training and lead one of the facilitation sessions and that process also allowed me to see just how powerful this activity is. Our tight-knit campus community is already wonderfully collegial, friendly, and collaborative; but to watch colleagues—some of whom I’ve never met—deepen connections and relationships through this activity revealed just how integral stories are to our day-to-day professional lives.”
On day two, a larger group of faculty members from across campus gathered for a Story Exchange workshop. A session on integrating Story Exchange practices into the College Curriculum (COLL) followed, led by John Parman, Director of the Center for the Liberal Arts Director and Associate Professor of Economics.
Gladys Krause, Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education joined from the School of Education. “Participating in the Story Exchange was a humbling experience,” she said. “Listening to the stories of others and sharing my own created a tight-knit and safe environment for working together. I can see the potential of using this framework and I look forward to learning more about how to implement it as an instructional resource in the classroom.” Molly Swetnam-Burland, Professor of Classical Studies, had a similar experience: “I felt privileged to participate in the Story Exchange Workshop. It was a powerful experience: each of us opened a bit of our lives and personal histories to new people, and in return learned something unexpected about our peers and colleagues. In telling our stories, we come to know each other as unique, beautiful, vibrant individuals: we took many paths to this place, each one worthy of celebration, each one with lessons that can be shared and passed to others.”
“The story exchange concept was new to me,” said Myriam Cotten, Associate Professor of Applied Science. “It is a powerful way to connect with each other. As soon as we get into storytelling, universal human experiences emerge, enabling people to connect with others and show empathy for them.”
For faculty members, integrating Story Exchange techniques into the classroom experience, particularly with the COLL curriculum, was key.
“One thing the story exchange made very salient for the faculty was the role that narrative plays in our teaching,” said Parman. “When discussing what they do in the COLL classroom, and in classes more generally, faculty kept returning to the idea that they really are using the power of stories to convey something they care about deeply, something they find important… It's not enough to simply tell students facts or describe methodologies, you must craft a compelling story to get them interested and invested.”
Adrian Bravo, Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences, found practical application throughout the experience. “Lessons I learned through this experience are quite transferrable to the classroom and I see value in discussing my own personal stories with topics covered in my course as it may have a deep impact among my students.” Leah Glenn, Frances L. And Edwin L. Cummings Professor of Dance and Africana Studies, and Director of Dance Publicity and Visibility, noted, "I found the process to be affirming as I have been using many of these same principles in my COLL 100/Movement as Communication course. These interactions were restorative and a welcome addition to a busy week."
Michael Gaynes, Senior Lecturer of Art & Art History, has used similar techniques in COLL 100 classes, “… through simple things like first day introductions and icebreakers as well as more structured projects. Students exchange stories about a sense memory or a personal object and then return their partner’s story through a constructed or cast art object. The day of storytelling is electric, full of chatter, laughter, and blather, yet is vital for practicing how to ask questions and listen respectfully. Within the COLL 350, especially, Story Exchange presents a model for respectful dialogue, developing personal awareness, and learning humility and empathy.”
Elizabeth Harbron, Director of the Charles Center and Professor of Chemistry, praised Mbure for inviting McCann and Narrative 4, who “modeled and set in motion a process of trust building, open dialogue, and collaboration that will long outlive their physical presence on campus.”
Mbure looks forward to facilitating ongoing collaboration around the story exchange framework. "I am excited to see how this core group of early innovators will integrate storytelling to enhance the experiences of our students while also strengthening the interdisciplinary bridges within our curriculum as they share their experiences with other colleagues across the A&S community."
In his keynote, followed by an open forum with questions from the audience, McCann described storytelling as “the ultimate human democracy in that we all have a story to tell.” As students, faculty, and members of the community lined up at microphones to ask questions, the conversation returned repeatedly to the healing power of storytelling. A power that, once felt, is not easily forgotten.
“Storytelling,” said McCann, “can both mend and break our hearts… in these broken times, we’re looking for something that can repair us.”
Colum and the Narrative 4 facilitators were an outstanding group. It took a team effort to bring them to W&M to kick off the A&S DEI Spring Speaker Series. I am especially grateful to the Dean Team, The Charles Center and The Center for the Liberal Arts, Angela Leruth (Modern Languages), Elizabeth Harbron, John Parman, Gail Pascaris, Amy Detwiler and Chloe Allen for helping to make it happen.
– Wanjiru Mbure, Arts & Sciences Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
