Story Shepherds Retreat

Laura Hope Gill has been creating and teaching in the Narrative Healthcare Program at Lenoir-Rhyne University here at the Asheville campus for ten years. When Laura first attended a workshop last year in Derry, Northern Ireland, on the fiftieth anniversary of Bloody Sunday, she would never have thought these Story Shepherds were once mortal enemies with orders to kill one another. She would also never have thought they had all once been suicidally depressed, addicted, and completely alienated from community and family. Now they travel the world telling their stories, stories of rage, stories of losing their souls, stories of returning to themselves and to community. Five Peace Builders of the “Troubles” in Northern Ireland will be presenting at the Story Shepherds Retreat September 29 – October 1 at the William Black Lodge in beautiful Montreat, NC for an unforgettable event! Day passes and tickets to evening programs are available on Eventbrite.

Several of the group are interviewed in the current PBS series Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland. Three are featured in the Theatre of Witness book We Are the Ripple Effect. At the very heart of their visit lies their love and friendship, their kindness and generosity in sharing and understanding.