Mary Hess

I have quoted Maria Popova before in this site, as she is one of the most interesting writers and curators of storying today. Here she draws on some of Herman Hesse’s work to talk about the magic of books (which of course is also the magic of story).

Leaf Seligman tells a powerful story in this TEDx talk about the ways in which the stories we tell can make and break connection, can draw us beyond the “either/or” worlds too many of us inhabit.

Here’s a neat — and transformative — project based at the University of Minnesota which focuses on supporting learning dreams for adults, and by extension, their families. It’s not about faith, per se, but there is much that those of us who work on faith formation can learn from it.

I’m not always the biggest fan of either Facebook or the Huffington Post, but here’s some useful advice on how to create a “talk to me” video — remember, you don’t have to post it at Facebook!

I resonate so much with this statement: “We educators have this need or impulse to take an expert stance in the classroom. It’s comfortable to be the expert. I found that relinquishing some of that stance and giving students ways to be the experts can lead them to lean over each other’s shoulders, teaching each

Here’s an interesting example of inviting popular films into sustained engagement in faith formation — all through the mechanism of Sunday School!

I have to admit I’m not a fan of this site’s title — ClergyStuff — but that’s only because I think it’s a great resource beyond clergy. The website explores ways to engage the narrative lectionary, which is a calendar of texts offered as an alternative to the revised common lectionary. The goal of this

“Photovoice” is a research strategy/community intervention model. One of the faculty on my dissertation committee, M. Brinton Lykes, has done extensive work with this strategy in circumstances where people are recovering from horrific warfare trauma. Now it is also being used in congregational settings. This piece has a nice overview, along with a useful example.

Maria Popova has a lovely reflection on Neil Gaiman’s lecture on “How stories last.” Both are definitely worth the time!

Linda Buturian, an instructor at the University of Minnesota, has put together a lovely free e-pub that lays out a variety of assignments and ways to use digital storytelling in learning settings. It’s a great resource!