Our Secret Territory - (Culture Tools) by Laura Simms (Paperback)

About the Book

Laura Simms is an acclaimed storyteller whom The New York Times has called a major force in the revival of storytelling in America. Laura's way of telling a story allows the mind of the listener to rest in a realm of imagination beyond thought, and stimulates its faculties of ...

Book Synopsis

Laura Simms is an acclaimed storyteller whom The New York Times has called a major force in the revival of storytelling in America. Laura's way of telling a story allows the mind of the listener to rest in a realm of imagination beyond thought, and stimulates its faculties of kindness and relationship. In this book she examines the spiritual and social aspects of storytelling, and its process of engagement.

Review Quotes

Storytelling, says Laura Simms, provides us with immediate relief from stress and self-preoccupation; urges us into wisdom; and ultimately connects us to our buddhanature. Part lyrical treatise on the power of storytelling, part memoir, Our Secret Territory is woven through with quotes, poems, and tales. Simms is the adoptive mother of ex-child soldier Ishmael Beah, author of the bestseller A Long Way Gone, and some of the most moving parts of her book deal with their relationship. When Beah first came to the U.S., Simms thought that he'd just stay with her for the summer, then in the fall she'd find a 'real' family for him to live with. He was silent when she told him this plan. Finally, he said: 'I thought you were going to be my mother.' Simms suddenly felt every cell in her body adjust to a binding decision. 'You are right, ' she said. 'I am your mother.' And that was that, she writes, 'as fast and decisive as an event in a fairytale, and as true as the best stories.'

About the Author

Laura Simms is an award-winning storyteller, recording artist, teacher, writer and humanitarian based in New York City. The New York Times has called her "a major force in the revival of storytelling in America." Remarkable performances of traditional stories interwoven with personal narrative have earned her worldwide recognition and honors since 1968. Laura has created an irresistible cutting-edge performance style that bridges ancient oral tradition and performance art. Her storytelling is meaningful and uncannily entertaining for her international audiences. Her warmth, depth of understanding, profound effect on listeners, diverse material, humor, gorgeous voice, and range of characterizations are her trademarks.

Her most recent one-woman show, Mercy into the World, premiered in 2008 at the Barbican Theater in London, University of Oslo, and Frontier Theater in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She has performed at venues worldwide, including the Khan Theater in Jerusalem, Royal Festival Hall in London, The Central Theater of Manila, and Victory Theater and Town Hall in New York City. Laura works with international organizations to train teachers and humanitarian workers. She received the Brimstone Award for Engaged Storytelling and is co-faculty with Terry Tempest Williams New Generation Environmental Project. She is the mother of Ishmael Beah, bestselling author of A Long Way Gone. Under a grant from Mercy Corps, Laura twice took her storytelling work to New Orleans for teachers and children in post-Katrina New Orleans. Most recently she began a storytelling project with International Medical Corps in Haiti. Her website is www.laurasimms.com.