The Power of Personal and Family Stories, Ethel Rohan
Thursday, 19 January 2023 , Olot
The Power of Personal and Family Stories, Ethel Rohan
For my community activity at Faberllull, Olot, I visited with English-language students at the Claude Academy. There, I spoke on the topic of “The Power of Personal and Family Stories.” I was mindful that the students held varying levels of English proficiency and tried to deliver a talk that was as accessible as possible. The group listened attentively and with apparent keen interest. After I briefly told the students about my life, writing journey, and the nonfiction manuscript I was working on while at Faberllull, Olot, I invited them to talk about their own stories. I received the most engagement from the group on topics such as the power of our names and our origin stories, and how all of that can shape us in powerful ways. We also discussed the power of family stories to preserve family records, memories, loved ones, and traditions. We touched briefly on family secrets, mysteries, and shame. The group further discussed issues of identity and belonging. Prior to my talk, the class instructor had invited the students to submit a short story in English on the theme of “Family Secrets, or Crime and Mysteries.” The contest winner was announced and they received a signed copy of my short story collection, In the Event of Contact. I read the winning short-story story aloud to the class, which seemed to delight them. I very much enjoyed the experience and hope the Claude Academy students and instructors found my visit as pleasant and engaging as I did