Story Swap: Reading Stories and Impacting Lives
Session Abstract
An aspect of literature is each person brings in his or her own life experiences while reading it. This has been the case for Army veterans participating in a unique reading group, Story Swap, at Fort Benning, GA. This same reading concept could be used for most adult people groups.
Target Audience
This presentation has the potential to interest attendees from different aspects of adult education. Those in education, administration, management, community service, and possibly healthcare environments might benefit from a literary group program. The presenter will discuss a reading program she implemented for veterans which could appeal to those working with adults in the community, military, or workplace. There will be an opportunity for participants to better understand how this literary concept could benefit those in a particular adult people group, and the presenter will provide details on how to implement a program similar to the one discussed in the session.
Session Description
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both." The opening line of Robert Frost’s famous poem, “The Road Not Taken,” seems to simply tell of a time in a person’s life. A wonderful aspect of literature is that each person reading this line brings his or her own life experiences into it. This has been the case for the Army veterans who have participated in a unique reading group for soldiers in transition at Fort Benning, GA.
Literature and the Veteran Experience, affectionately known as Story Swap to the participating veterans, uses classical and contemporary literature to provide these transitioning veterans an outlet to share their memories, thoughts, fears, and dreams.
The presenter will explain the development of this program, the literary works used during the sessions, and the impact of the program on her, as the facilitator/scholar, and the other participants. She will also provide suggestions for providing similar programs for other adult people groups. The presentation will conclude with the “voices” of those who chose this road, the one less traveled by, and truly see how reading literature and sharing their stories has "made all the difference."