The Power of Storytelling highlights the many ways in which the hearing and telling of stories profoundly shape our lives and can be called upon to bring us closer together.
• Stories entertain and inspire joy, creativity, and curiosity
• Stories we hear (particularly as children) influence our values and psychologies
• Listening to the stories of others fosters empathy and connection and can expand our minds
• Telling our own stories is therapeutic, empowering, and fun
• Stories provide education and context for future generations
• History is made up of stories that happened to real people. And stories are used to share that history
• Stories can be dangerous when used as controlling propaganda for selfish or cruel ends
• Stories we hear shape our often differing perceptions of current events
• Once they gather enough momentum stories alter the social and physical environments in which we live.
• Stories are healing; a way to reflect, inspire, re-evaluate, comfort, and motivate
Featured Storytellers
From their personal experience, the individuals featured in this documentary have a lot to share about the art and influence of storytelling. Click on their names to learn more.
Lois Lowry —Newbury Award-winning Author of “The Giver” and “Number the Stars”
Antonio Rocha —Internationally acclaimed Mime and Storyteller
Anne Hillerman —New York Times Bestselling Author and retired Journalist
Odds Bodkin —Master Bardic Storyteller, Author, Musician, and Educator
Lynnette Elizabeth Johnson —Spoken Word Performing Artist, competitive slam Poet, Author
Linda Baker —Ute Historian, Beading Artist, and Southern Ute Indian Tribal Council member
Mark Todd —Poet, Author, retired Journalist & University English Professor
Michael Ackerman —Outdoor Educator and Guide, Avalanche Safety Expert
Hans Carlson —Author, Director of the Blue Hill Heritage Trust, and retired University Professor
Galen Hecht — Environmental Advocate for rivers and watersheds, Poet, endurance Trail Runner
Producer/Director
Joanna Weaver is a documentary filmmaker working on independent productions and as a member of Sunlight Media Collective, an organization covering topics at the intersection of Wabanaki Tribal sovereignty and environmental stewardship from a predominantly Wabanaki perspective since 2015.
She served as a Producer and Assistant Editor for We Are the Warriors, a 2023 documentary about the learning process a small town high school went through to remove its Native American mascot. Joanna was Co-Director/Editor/Videographer/Co-Writer for This River is Our Relative, a 2023 documentary about the Penobscot Nation’s intrinsic kinship connection to and environmental advocacy for the Penobscot River. In 2021 she was editor for the Sunlight Media Collective documentary short Kihtahkomikumon (Our Land), about the Modahkomikuk (Indian Township) Passamaquoddy Tribe’s reunion with 140 acres of their unceded Ancestral territory. In 2017 Joanna produced The Maker, a short film focused on a man driven to turn his passion for traditional crafts into an everyday reality and legacy.