Stories of Courage and Resistance
2026-03-08 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Join the Healing Story Alliance for a special gathering to share and explore stories of social justice in action in its many faces and forms. Through folk tales and personal stories, we will dive deeply into multiple experiences of justice in action. We all deserve to be treated with respect and to have our needs heard and responded to. Since resources and power are so unequally distributed in this world, it is vital to stand up for those in need. Hearing the stories of justice in action can give us courage and inspiration in these tumultuous times.
Stories of Courage & Resistance
March 8th 7:00 pm-8:30 pm EDT
Register here to Receive a FREE Zoom Link:
https://www.simpletix.com/e/social-justice-in-action-march-8-2026-tickets-257775
Can’t attend in real time? No Problem!
All registrants will receive a link to watch the recording.
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Featured Tellers
Sherry Norfolk is an award-winning storyteller, author and teaching artist, performing and leading residencies and professional development workshops nationally and internationally. A dynamic storyteller, Sherry has appeared in the Manitoba International Storytelling Festival, Taiwan International Storytelling Carnival, International Art of Storytelling Festival (Miami, FL), International Storytelling Center (Jonesborough, TN), Singapore International Storytelling Festival, Manila International Storytelling Festival, and many more festivals, schools, libraries, museums and universities nationwide. A Kennedy Center National Teaching Artist, Wolf Trap Teaching Artist, Young Audiences Teaching Artist, and an Arts Integration Teaching Artist on the rosters of several state arts commissions, she leads residencies in PreK through high school classrooms across the country and southeast Asia. As co-editor and/or co-author of five books that explore rigorous, standards-based storytelling strategies for learning across the curriculum and a former Adjunct Professor at Lesley University, Sherry is a recognized leader in integrating learning through storytelling. shnorfolk@aol.com
Lani Peterson is known for her personal tales of wit and wisdom. She is not only a storyteller, but a psychologist, story consultant and coach. With a specialty in the use of story as a healing art and change agent, Lani has been storytelling, leading workshops and teaching about story at universities, organizations, hospitals, homeless shelters and prisons for over 25 years. When she is not telling, teaching, counseling or coaching, Lani stays busy living a life that she knows will lead to more stories. lani@lanipeterson.com
Nancy Wang, playwright, dancer, director, actor, and project manager is the founding co-director of Eth-Noh-Tec, an Asian American kinetic storytelling theater non-profit, with her husband Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo. Drawing on her background in modern and ethnic dance, theater and playwriting, she co-scripts and choreographs Eth-Noh-Tec’s synchronistic and seamless tandem movements for performance. Eth-Noh-Tec has performed as featured tellers in festivals, schools, museums, libraries and conferences around the world. As a playwright, her plays of Asian American themes include: Leave Me My Dreaming; Unspeakable Moons; Takashi’s Dream; In Need of Goddesses; Bittersweet; Red Altar; and Shadows & Secrets. She is also the co-author of a children’s illustrated book – A New Pair of Wings and has recently published her novel Red Altar based on her ancestors who in 1850 started the fishing industry in California’s Monterey Bay Area. nancy@ethnotec.org
Community Tellers
Jim McKeever of Fayetteville, New York, has made a dozen trips to the US-Mexico border since 2019, volunteering with human rights organizations that assist asylum seekers and others fleeing violence and poverty. For the past year, he has focused on his long-standing volunteer work with the Syracuse Immigrant and Refugee Defense Network. “The courage and resilience of the men, women and children I have met at the border and right here in Central New York inspire me to continue this vital work,” he said. “They deserve our solidarity as we fight against the cruelty and evil of this administration.” mckeever262@gmail.com
Mallory DeJohn, human rights advocate and public health employee, volunteers for the Syracuse Immigrant and Refugee Defense Network (SIRDN) to make direct contributions to immigrant and refugee defense in Central New York at the leadership and guidance of affected communities. Mallory supports SIRDN by informing the public of legislative efforts that benefit the lives of immigrants, farm workers, and migrant workers. Mallory monitors streets in Syracuse weekly and responds to urgent notifications of ICE as an eye witness in order to confirm and deny sightings using photo or video evidence. mustardpatch@proton.me
Emcee
Jim Brulé is a transformational storyteller, death doula, teacher, and mentor. He teaches spiritual storytelling for healing and growth. His workshops address multicultural wisdom and end-of-life themes. His substack, Healing Monsters, dives deeply into old folktales and stories to pursue healing for individuals and communities. https://transformationalstorytelling.org/

Learning from All Our Relations
2026-03-11 19:00 - 20:30
In alignment with the guiding principle that every living thing carries its own sacred creation song, this OARS in the Water event invites us to gather with “all our relations” to honor and recollect the profound lessons whispered to us by the more-than-human world. Join for free here.

About our Hosts
Hears Crow (Nootauau Kaukontuoh), “she hears the crow”, is a woman of the Eastern Woodlands. She lives her life in the tradition of the Nanhigganêuck, the people
known today as the Narragansett. She is a Storyteller of Longhouse Tales, told in many different ways, including Native Sign Language, call and response as well as other
traditional styles. She brings to life the oral tradition at schools, community centers, Indigenous gatherings, and wherever the stories lead her.
Jim Brulé is a transformational storyteller, death doula, teacher, and mentor, drawing on a unique background that includes advanced degrees in both clinical psychology and artificial intelligence. For the past decade, he has directed Transformational Storytelling, an online school that trains spiritual storytellers from diverse traditions to craft narratives that inspire healing and foster spiritual growth. His current endeavors include his “Healing Monsters” substack, his podcast (with Maria Gillen) “From Cork to New York,” and recurring visits to Marrakech and the Atlas Mountains of Morocco to encourage storytelling across cultures.
