University of the Ozarks will present “How Stories Can Save Us: An Evening with Mark Yaconelli,” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9, in the Rogers Conference Center.
The event is part of the University’s 2022-23 Walton Arts & Ideas Series. There is no cost for admission and the event is open to the public.
The event will be an interactive workshop format with small groups at tables.
Yaconelli is a storyteller, spiritual director, activist and author of “Between the Listening and the Telling: How Stories Can Save Us” as well as five previous books.
According to Yaconelli, “In an increasingly fast-paced and fractured world, sharing stories can be a radical and deeply human practice for uncovering the ties that bind us to one another. Story invites us to step into the reality of another person’s existence and instead of judgment feel kinship.”
In conjunction with the release of ”Between the Listening and the Telling: How Stories Can Save Us,” Yaconelli will present an enchanting meditation on the power of storytelling in our individual and collective lives. “Stories can tether us to what matters most: our families, our friends, our hearts, our planet, the wondrous mystery of life itself.”
Through his work with The Hearth nonprofit, Yaconelli has served communities across the United States and United Kingdom to bridge divisions, heal trauma, shed light on injustice, and recover hope. In this moving exploration, he shows us how we can recover the practice of storytelling to transform our world, our families, and ourselves.
As founder and director of The Hearth, Yaconelli has worked with The Ford Family Foundation, Compassion International, The Greenbelt Arts Festival, The Mexican American Cultural Center of Austin, among other organizations.
Yaconelli holds a master’s degree in spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union and received a spiritual direction diploma from San Francisco Theological Seminary. Interviews and profiles of Yaconelli’s work have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC Radio, and ABC World News Tonight. He and his wife have three grown children and live in Ashland, Ore.
Said Kirsten Powers, CNN senior political analyst, “Mark Yaconelli ushers us into rooms full of authentic stories, where facades fall and suffering and joy are metabolized. This is an immersive, elegant meditation, an offering of grace.”
Publisher’s Weekly said of Yaconell’s book, “In turn heartbreaking, funny, and consistently well written. The result is a moving testament to the power of confession.”