As a poet, I was born in search of story. With a jazz-piano-playing father and a mother who spins trash into treasure, I learned to turn stories inside out, to play with language and as a way of shaping meaning out of what sometimes feels meaningless. My love of stories led me to Chicago’s classrooms, where, as a teaching artist in Chicago Public Schools, I encourage young people to search for their own stories through the creation of original poetry, movement and performance.

Immersed in this work, I became curious about the way in which story manifests itself in arts integration and education around the world. What does story look like in other cities, in other classrooms? In what ways do writers and artists use story as a tool for global social change? How does story play a role in community development and progressive education reform?

And that’s when I found out about the Katha Institute of New Delhi, India (right here in CAN’s margins!).

So here’s the story.