Recent Events
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Presented jointly with the Center for Health Communication at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, this educational panel asks how can storytelling raise awareness of urgent public health issues — and begin to shape a meaningful response? This panel of skilled storytellers will share insights from their own experience and offer ideas about how journalists, authors, and community organizers can leverage personal narratives to powerful effect, including HSC’s Annie Brewster.
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Annie Brewster and facilitator Lani Peterson discuss The Healing Power of Storytelling as a part of the Healing Story Alliance author series.
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On January 14, Dr. Annie Brewster and Rachel Zimmerman held a compelling conversation about using narrative to process life-altering events. "Constructing & Reconstructing the Stories of Our Lives” was hosted by The Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation at Massachusetts General Hospital.
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On September 24th, 2024, Annie Brewster served as the guest facilitator for a book discussion with Jennifer Crystal, author and HSC story editor and Creative Meetup writing facilitator, about her new memoir, One Tick Stopped the Clock. Jennifer was bitten by a tick at age 19 but wasn't diagnosed with Lyme disease and other chronic illnesses until her late twenties. She experienced a dramatic fall from the heights of post-college success to the depths of despair. Through her narrative of resilience and perseverance, Jennifer demonstrates what it means to refocus broken dreams and create a new normal.
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In September 2024, HSC partnered with artist and writer, Sara Nesson, to bring you her performance of Body of Water. This chronology of love, loss, and reconciliation follows Sara’s journey as a landlocked distance swimmer struggling to find the way home. Her monologue weaves lyric storytelling, myth, and sacred text as Sara shares how her life was altered by myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).
Learn more about Sara and future performances by visiting her website.
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Starting in January 2024, Health Story Collaborative had the privilege of working with The Boston Home, a long-term care community for adults with advanced Multiple Sclerosis and other progressive neurological disorders, to facilitate multiple Healing Story Sessions for their community. Several brave residents have taken on the challenge of narrating and sharing their stories with their fellow residents, caregivers and staff at The Boston Home. We are honored that they have agreed to share their written stories for others to engage with and find connection and compassion.
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On May 28th, 2024, students from the Harvard Medical School advanced elective, "Harnessing the Healing Power of Stories: Narrative Theory and Narrative Practice," taught by Dr. Annie Brewster and Dr. Jonathan Adler, hosted an evening of transformative story sharing. Watch a recording of this event to hear about the lived experiences of three individuals navigating health, wellness and life. Their stories transcend illness as a celebration of hope, human resiliency, and dignity.
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On April 13th, 2024, Health Story Collaborative had the honor of facilitating a Healing Story Session at SCIboston's annual fundraising gala, with two amazing members of their community, Dianne Viktus and Matthew Klos. Listen to their stories as they share the trauma, pain and challenges they have faced on their journey with a spinal cord injury, and also the hope and healing that carries them forward.
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In December 2023 we partnered with the Social Health Network to bring you a panel discussion about navigating the holidays, which can be an especially challenging time for those who live with chronic or terminal illnesses. How can we gracefully navigate the holiday season while being kind and considerate toward our bodies, hearts, and minds? Additionally, how can we provide the best support to those in our lives most impacted by these circumstances? Listen to three panelists as they share their stories of struggle and resilience during the winter and holiday seasons.
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We all will face mental health challenges in our lifetimes, to varying degrees, directly and indirectly, but with certainty. The Unfixed Mind chronicles the real-life stories of six individuals living with mental health conditions, capturing the humanity and complexity of navigating their diagnoses in today’s world.
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Join Harvard Prescriptions for a discussion with Harvard Medical School Professor and founder of the Health Story Collaborative, Dr. Annie Brewster. Explore the role of storytelling in medical treatment and how such practices center patient perspectives in clinical settings. Dr. Brewster shares how her perspective as both a physician and patient influences her work in narrative medicine.
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Meghan O’Rourke, author of “The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness” talks about health, stories, and chronic illness with Jonathan Adler, Health Story Collaborative’s Chief Academic Officer.
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This event focused on how engaging with your own unique healing story can help you process what comes next--come to terms with an illness, create new ways to thrive, and even reclaim your personal power amid fear, change, and uncertainty. Annie Brewster and Jonathan Adler discuss the research supporting the health benefits of storytelling, and how to apply these concepts to your own life.
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WBUR Host Robin Young talks to Annie Brewster about "The Healing Power of Stoy about "The Healing Power of Stoytelling," Brewster's own journey, and the Health Story Collaborative she created.