HSA: Kind Stories in Concert

ABOUT the STORYTELLERS

ONI (oh-knee) LASANA inherited a natural intuitive gift as a storyteller, poet, short story author, creative director, songwriter, performing and teaching artist. In 1992, she stepped into the world of storytelling presenting the prose of Paul Laurence Dunbar. A historical reenactor Oni brings to life Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth and Ona Judge.  She has presented on 3 continents for theaters, schools, festivals and organizations. A Webby Award-winning voice talent, she produced the podcast, Story Village with Aunti Oni. The host of The Love Of Dunbar Collective monthly meetup. At 70, she is writing her memoirs. www.OniLasana.com

Robin Moore has made his living as an author and storyteller for 42 years. He has written more than a dozen books published by the world’s largest publishers and has told stories to more than one million people. He served on the faculty of the M.A. in Storytelling and Creative Writing program at The Graduate Institute for 20 years. He is the owner of Groundhog Press, a small independent publishing house and works as a self-publishing consultant for first-time authors. He served as a combat soldier in Vietnam, earned a B.A. in Journalism from Pennsylvania State University and worked as a newspaper reporter and magazine editor before beginning his career as a storyteller in spoken and written word. www.robin-moore.com

Ai-Lin Chuah. Once upon a time, a data-processing geophysicist with a liking for green spaces walked into a storytelling meeting. …And 20 years passed. Ai-Lin lives in Singapore.  She has taught storytelling in classrooms, facilitated workshops for children and adults, and performed in museums, schools, at events and at storytelling festivals in Singapore. She enjoys fact-based tales as much as fantasy, and is partial to Zen and Sufi stories.  She loves trees, forests and the sea.  “Nature is a giant story-web.  All those Connections, the way things work…  How can one not be in a state of constant Wonder?” Ai-Lin is also a licensed Nature guide and Tourist guide, with special interests in sustainability, heritage, culture, and history.  She has discovered that storytelling skills work wonders on walking tours!

EMCEE

Regi Carpenter has been utilizing the power of stories to motivate, inspire, energize and focus individuals in corporate, academic and non-profit settings for over twenty years. Regi is the recipient of many awards, including Storytelling World, Parent’s Choice, and Parents’ Guide to Children’s Media Award. Her stories have been featured on Sirius Radio, Apple Seed Radio, The Moth, and NPR. Her story Snap! is a winner of the Boston Story Slam. Snap! is the true tale of her severe mental illness as a teenager and her journey back to reality. Regi is also the founder of Stories with Spirit, a creative initiative dedicated to bringing songs of joy and stories of hope to grieving children and the people who love and care for them in homes, hospices, and hospitals.

COMMUNITY TELLERS

Mona Seervai trained as a scientist, worked as an activist for a decade, until she found her element as a high school teacher. She taught in three different schools in Mumbai, and worked as Head of School for over 15 years. Currently retired, she continues to engage with schools offering the international curriculum as a consultant, as well as training teachers to deliver a social emotional ethical curriculum across the K-12 continuum. She is also training to be a mindfulness meditation teacher, along with continuing a personal practice with cognitively based compassion training (CBCT®).

Mona met Lani Petersen quite by chance during a workshop in Mumbai, and had a real a-ha moment! She has been a storyteller all her life, without even realizing – as an activist in her 20s, a teacher in her 30s and 40s, and as a School Head in her 50s and some of the 60s! All she did at school was tell stories, so many stories! Her former students do not remember any of the Chemistry or Physics she taught them, but they value the stories they shared – the ones she told and the ones she listened to! The parents and teachers at school, likewise. Going ahead, Mona wants to harness the power of storytelling and heal herself as well as help others heal through mindful awareness and storytelling.

Diana Andrews’ work has always been as a team member, so, after retirement, and in her personal life, it seemed natural to gravitate toward volunteer work, which often depends upon teamwork. Besides being a Girl Scout leader for many years she was on the local Food Pantry Board of Directors, is a Recycling Committee member, and volunteers at a weekly community dinner church. Those are just a few of her many volunteer jobs!

This past September, Diana answered a call for volunteers to help sort clothes, collected by way of a clothes drive in support of migrant families housed in a local hotel. One of the organizers reached out shortly afterwards, asking if she would be interested in helping transport some of the migrants to and from their hotel to the Senior Center, where they would cook meals. That has led to her volunteering for two hours a week at a playroom for the migrant children, who are too young to attend school.