http://susanohalloran.com Stories for an America as Extraordinary as its Promise Mon, 01 Mar 2010 01:12:46 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en As I'm watching the end of the 2010 winter Olympics, I'm thinking how much an international perspective can give us more  flexibility in our thinking. When we see that what seems "normal" to us in America is very abnormal somewhere else, if we let it, it can open our minds. ... http://susanohalloran.com/783-783 THE HABIT OF BEING OPEN TO POSSIBILITY During this holiday season, some of you may read or go see The Christmas Carol. In this play, the main character, Scrooge, bellows, “Bah! Humbug!” It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more Scrooge told himself how miserable life was, the more miserable he ... http://susanohalloran.com/bahhumbug-to-yes-i-can-775 I don't think any of us woke up this morning thinking, "Oh, this is great. I can’t wait to get to work and make someone feel unappreciated and frustrated today." No.  Much of the exclusion that goes on happens simply because we’re so focused on our own problems we don’t ... http://susanohalloran.com/pc-about-disabilities-770 From time to time, I like to share questions that are emailed to me such as this one: Q: A few of us at our college would like to perform stories around cultural differences similar to what you do in Tribes& Bridges and More Alike Than Not: Stories of Three Americans ... http://susanohalloran.com/performing-group-diversity-stories-755 Q: How did you get the people in your Kaleidoscope Discussion Videos to talk so openly? We’ve tried to interview people – to hear others’ stories – but I found most people don’t think they have much to share. A: First of all, thanks to all who sent messages about the ... http://susanohalloran.com/715-715 Chris Rock’s documentary, Good Hair, opens this week and it got me thinking about all the things I’ve done to my hair over the years. There was ironing my hair. Yes, I laid my head down on an ironing board like some wrinkled old shirt and came as close to my ... http://susanohalloran.com/chris-rocks-good-hair-744 From time to time, I want to answer questions that come to me via email that I think might be of interest to more than just the sender. Here's a question on funding that goes to arts funding but for anyone looking for sponsorship. Q: How did you raise the money to ... http://susanohalloran.com/funding-and-the-arts-734 All good outer work starts with inner work. We need to become good detectives on ourselves. Before telling a story around a social justice theme, interviewing people for your research, or inviting someone to speak to your class or organization, boldly delve into your own history of difference. Be willing ... http://susanohalloran.com/setting-the-right-tone-for-your-message-713 The struggle for gay rights goes on in every country. Thought you might like to see one way it's being approached in Ireland. Storytelling note: See how so much of good storytelling is what you don't say. Not knowing what is going on creates interest. There is no punch line, no ... http://susanohalloran.com/video-from-ireland-706 To keep celebrating the GRAND OPENING of this new blog and my teachers' diversity online course, I'm giving you a taste of one of the offerings from the www.inspireaclassroom.com (teachers') website. Whether you're a teacher or not, you might want to listen to these videos of people from all walks ... http://susanohalloran.com/everyday-folks-discuss-racism-699