Kiera Lewis

Telling stories, grasping cultures

A young college graduate looks for common ground in her hometown of Brattleboro and in Oman

What foundational myths influence our perception of our culture? Does story have power to shape and create new realities? And if so, do we as storytellers have the authority to choose how we shape our communities?

I've found that for the most part we do.

We as a people have shaped our lives, justified our very being, by resting our belief on a story we've been told about who we are and how we should live.

In American society, one can point to Disney movies, fairy tales, and Mother Goose riddles and rhymes, with their seeds of moral imperative wrapped subtly in a world of fantasy and lore. We find that they lead the way we live our lives.

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