Sharing stories: an interactive, interdisciplinary approach

Hayes, Tracy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-6520 (2019) Sharing stories: an interactive, interdisciplinary approach. In: Hayes, Tracy, Edlmann, Theresa and Brown, Laurinda, (eds.) Storytelling: Global Perspectives on Narrative. At the Interface / Probing the Boundaries, 122 . Inter-Disciplinary Press, Leiden, The Netherlands, pp. 260-269.

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Abstract

‘Tracy, come over here, read this...’, one of the students calls me over, continuing ‘It’s so sad’. Her gaze holds mine as she speaks, gauging my reaction. When she sees she has my attention, she points to a display cabinet in front of us. I look down and see medals, laid out with an explanatory note from the author, a famous book illustrator. I read the words, ‘In memory of my uncles, who died in the Great War.’ I look up at the student as she whispers to me, ‘They were so young, they were our age.’ Her voice tails off into a shared silent space that words cannot fill, yet is over-spilling with emotion… (to be continued). This article brings together reflections from both professional and personal perspectives, to address the interdisciplinary potential of storytelling, both as an approach to teaching and research, and as a means for communication. I do all that and more, by focusing on the particularities within an experience that was professional, personal and emotional. I share this with you in story form and, in the method advocated by Hustedde and King, invite you to slow down your mind and let my words sink beneath your skin, so that you reflect on the meanings of your own experiences. The ellipsis points are placed purposefully at the end of five sentences within the story to signify transition points at which to pause and focus the conversation. This is an evocative methodological approach I have adopted for my most treasured encounters, which I refer to as ‘magic moments’. I interpret these through creative non-fiction, taking great care to critically analyse each moment, to extract meaning and avoid it being merely ‘a nice story’. It is so much more than that.

Item Type:	Book Section
Publisher:	Inter-Disciplinary Press
ISBN:	978-90-04-39641-8
Related URL(s):	Publisher
Departments:	Academic Departments > Health, Psychology & Social Studies (HPSS) > Children, Youth, Families and Community Work
Depositing User:	Tracy Hayes
Date Deposited:	01 Mar 2022 09:58
Last Modified:	13 Jan 2024 09:03
URI:	https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/6355

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