119: STORYTELLER: Gauri Raje on anthropology, storytelling as listening, narratives of displacement and Scotland
Memoir Body, Healing Story with Janelle HardyShow Notes
It's episode #119 and I'm chatting with Gauri Raje, a storyteller, educator and workshop facilitator working with adolescents and adults from multilingual, multicultural and disadvantaged backgrounds. I first encountered Gauri when I signed up for the Anima Mundi School's Fairytale Kitchen series. Gauri is one of the two storytellers in that series, and one of 3 story interpreters, in that, after the story is told, she discusses it as a storyteller and anthropologist, alongside founder of the school, Jungian Analyst Faranak Mirjalili (who often co-tells with Gauri) and other special guests. How marvelous. I keep signing up for Fairytale Kitchen for their stellar storytelling skills alongside the wonderful nuanced discussions that arise after. So, how could I not invite Gauri on to the podcast? We have a shared love of anthropology, and story, and, to be honest, we don't have enough opportunities to listen to stories from true storytellers. You can trust that this conversation includes a story, told by Gauri, and a wonderful and wide-ranging discussion, including the reasons why Gauri decided to become a proper storyteller. But, first, a little more about her: Gauri is a first generation Asian migrant to the the British Isles. She has lived in various parts of the UK, before settling to Scotland 5 years ago. She completed her PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of Warwick, studying narratives of hunger and displacement among an indigenous community in western India over 3 generations. She has been apprenticed to storytelling from 2011, as a professional storyteller. She came to storytelling first as a listener, and then began her practice of storytelling through telling biographical stories. It is only after many years that she has begun to tell myths and ancient tales. She is fascinated with myths and ancient tales in how they hold community memories and create a container. It was so lovely to connect with Gauri, and I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy listening in. LinkedIN: linkedin.com/in/gauri-raje-8726654 Silent Sounds: https://www.facebook.com/gaurirajestorytelling Fairytale Kitchen: www.animamundischool.org/fairytale-kitchen
More from Memoir Body, Healing Story with Janelle Hardy
It's episode #144 and I'm chatting with Celia McBride, a Canadian multi-disciplinary artist originally from the Yukon, now living in Port Hope. As a playwright, Celia's work was developed by numerous theatre companies in Canada (infinitheatre, Nightwood, Factory), and produced internationally by Red Kettle Theatre (Ireland) and Looking Glass Theatre (New York). She was commissioned by the Stratford Festival of Canada for the Studio Theatre's inaugural season, and Walk Right Up premiered there in 2002. From 2005-2011, Celia was the Co-Artistic Director of Sour Brides Theatre, touring her play So Many Doors (Playwrights Canada Press) across Canada. In 2015, she released a feature film, Last Stop for Miles, adapted from one of her first plays. Since 2014, Celia has been working as a spiritual director and providing spiritual care in long-term care homes. She published O My God: An Un-Becoming Journey, a memoir, in 2022. It was so lovely to connect with Celia, and I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy listening in. Website: celiamcbride.com
It's episode #143 and I'm chatting with Victoria Albina, Nurse Practitioner with a Master's Degree in Public Health. This was such a great conversation! Victoria is intelligent, deep, knowledgeable and wise. We talked about how to identify when you're defaulting to perfectionism and people-pleasing, what the term 'somatics' means to her, what tipping points are like (the shift from thinking your feelings to feeling your feelings) and got into the fun stuff - all the 'nerditry and all the woo'. More about Victoria: she coaches codependent folks socialized as women to stop feeling anxious, exhausted and overwhelmed, so they can have better relationships with their partners, parents, and themselves. She does this because she knows this - she spent the first 30 years of her life stuck in codependent and perfectionist thinking. Being mean to herself, often without even realizing it. Demanding "perfection" from herself, not knowing that she was already perfect and worthy of love (just like you). Victoria is also a Master Certified Life Coach, and trained with The Life Coach School, the best boutique program in the country. She's a certified Breathwork Journey Meditation Facilitator, and she's experienced, having worked in health and wellness internationally as well as in the US, for 20 years. It was so lovely to connect with Victoria, and I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy listening in. Website: Victoria Albina
It's episode #142 and I'm offering you a body-based writing prompt that sources from your nipples. We all have them!
It's episode #141 and I'm telling you an Irish fairy tale, The Brewery of Eggshells. If this story resonates with you, I really encourage you to read and listen to a few different versions, and make the story your own. Then stick around after the story for some guidance on working with tales like this, and your personal stories, and then, to start your own personal mythmaking get started with my free on-demand workshop, Outline Your Memoir Using Fairy Tale and Myth as Your Guide.
It's episode #140 and I'm chatting with Nicole Breit, a writer and the founder of Spark Your Story, an online writing school. I met Nicole online when she reached out to connect over our shared love of writing, teaching writing, and the challenges and delights of marketing and teaching writing courses online, from Canada.