Tusculum to be host site for interfaith storytelling program

Tusculum College will be a host site for Appalachian Storybridge to Peace’s Interfaith Conference and Workshop on Friday, Sept. 15.

The Tusculum event will feature Muslim storyteller Arif Choudhury and Jewish storyteller Noa Baum and will be held in the Behan Arena Theatre in the Annie Hogan Fine Arts Building on the Greeneville campus from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

“We live in a world where we are no longer isolated from one another,” said Dr. Ronda Gentry, director of the Center for Civic Advancement at Tusculum College. “It’s important that we take time to learn from one another. When we do this, we may discover we have more in common than we thought.”

She added that the intent of the event is to promote understanding and an atmosphere of learning between persons of differing faiths. The idea for this conference came from the United Religious Initiative, which aims to bring people together and learn from one another.

Choudhury is a storyteller, filmmaker, theater artist and standup comic. He performs “More in Common than You Think,” his one-person program of stories for schools, libraries, conferences and festivals around the country and abroad. He tells humorous stories of growing up in one of the few Bangladeshi-Muslim immigrant families in Chicago.

Baum is an award-winning storyteller, educator and public speaker performing internationally with diverse audiences ranging from the World Bank and universities and congregations, to festivals, government agencies, schools, and detention centers.

Born and raised in Jerusalem, Noa offers a unique combination of performance art and practical workshops that focus on the power of stories to heal across the divides of identity and build bridges for peace.

The event is free and open to the public; however, reservations are strongly encouraged as seating space is limited. Reservations may be made at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/N7XFYQD.

In addition to Tusculum College, three other locations will participate in the event, including the Holston Valley Unitarian Church in Johnson City, the Jonesborough International Storytelling Center and East Tennessee State University.