WEEKEND ROUND-UP: LISTENING, IMMERSION, AND PEACE-MAKING

 
LISTENING: Above is a TED talk by Julian Treasure, on the topic of listening (sorry for the funky dimensions). It has to do not just with how we listen to other people, but how we take in our whole sonic environment. On the TED website there's an interactive transcript of the talk, and more information about the speaker's work on his blog. 

GETTING LOST IN STORIES: In a book published earlier this year, Frank Rose explores how we get lost, or immersed, in stories. In that book, "The Art of Immersion: How the Digital Generation is Remaking Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and the Way We Tell Stories," Rose says that new narrative forms (such as the novel) and technologies (the internet) have allowed us to become ever more immersed -- and involved -- in the stories we hear and tell. Rose argues in favor of the virtues of transmedia storytelling, but admits that not all transmedia stories are equal, or necessarily any good. 

STOPPING VIOLENCE BY SHARING STORIES: The StoryTelling & Organizing Project (STOP) is a collaboration of several anti-violence groups that collects and shares stories about "everyday people taking action to end interpersonal violence." By sharing stories, the project aims to build true community-based solutions to such violence, ones that do not involve the police, child protective services, or other social services, but rather are formulated by the communities most affected. What can we learn from stories? STOP says, "We can learn a lot about what works and what doesn't. We can find out what helped survivors feel supported or what helped people change to stop their violence. We can get good ideas about how family, friends, neighbors, and community members can create safety and accountability among ourselves. We can build healthy, self-determined communities." Listen to some of their recorded stories here.