By Anna Merriman

Copyright keenesentinel

At the heart of every small community across the country is one commonality: storytelling.

“Rural communities are communities with a lot of storytelling,” said Ed Heisler, one of the keynote speakers at this year’s Radically Rural summit. He added that, especially in regions where people are often physically far away from each other, storytelling is something that binds, allowing people to relate to one another and remember their joint past. “Storytelling is an essential part of how we understand ourselves and each other.”

And that will be the focus of keynote discussions at the Radically Rural summit to be held Oct. 7 to 9 in Keene.

The keynote for Thursday, Oct. 9, will involve Heisler and Alexis Flanagan, both of the Maryland-based Resonance Network, telling stories about their own relationships with rural communities. They will also invite the audience to share experiences, in an act of bonding and mutual understanding.

The Resonance Network’s mission is to build a world beyond violence by bringing together diverse populations.

Rather than one main talk, the summit keynote is broken into plenary sessions, with the first being “The Power of Resonant Storytelling” at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 8. There will also be smaller sessions and breakout groups during which participants can practice storytelling. And it will end with “Mending the Arc: Stories that Guide Us Forward” at 4 p.m. on Thursday.

“This is really an opportunity for people to step into what they know about the places that they love, the people that they love and the way the community is trying to help one another thrive,” said Heisler.

It’s also a chance to connect past and present, said Flanagan. “What we’re trying to shape from the beginning of the conference is an experience of being in a particular way that helps people connect to their curiosity,” she said, adding that the conference and this keynote are also about underscoring the connection to ancestors and descendants.

“Through telling the story of how we got here and remembering what has helped us and brought us to this point — this gives us a launch pad to imagine the future and our responsibility to the generations that are coming after us,” Flanagan said.

This is especially important in rural areas, which have seen many changes with industries leaving and younger people moving away more than they did in previous generations, said Heisler. Telling stories about their local communities allows participants an opportunity to reconnect with their shared past.

It also gives them a chance to bridge gaps that arise in every community — rural or not — that come from issues like racism and homophobia, he said.

“The nuances of how people understand their own stories is really important. Who are we and how do we build connected communities is an aspect of what is important in rural communities,” he said, adding, “There are opportunities through story to talk about what community is and what community isn’t.”

He says he hopes people will feel more connected to one another in a meaningful way.

“I hope that the way that they’re connected is in the way that it’s the essential part of what matters, what holds you about the past to this day-to-day existence,” Heisler said. “There will be a sense of pride and a sense of responsibility and possibility.”

Flanagan said she also hopes that participants leave with a sense of hope for the future. “Our stories will remind us of our interconnectedness and therefore amplify what is possible.”

For more information on this and other Radically Rural sessions, visit radicallyrural.org.