October鈥檚 spotlight is on Fabrice Guerrier and his , (pronounced syll-a-ble). Guerrier, a 2015 graduate of the , started the business in August 2017 in Washington D.C. He is chief executive officer, and David Russell is chief marketing officer.

Syllble Studios 鈥� pronounced syll-a-ble 鈥� is a collaborative storytelling startup that publishes fiction books and original serialized stories through collaborative writing.

Here鈥檚 a few highlights of the business since it began:

• The first collaborative book was published December 2017.
• The studio hosted its first collaborative writing meetup in Washington D.C. in April 2018 at Social Tables.
• The first 鈥淥ne Book in One Week鈥� titled 鈥�The Wall鈥� was published July 15.
• Guerrier presented a few weeks later at the Street Entrepreneurs Community Driven Incubator Fundraiser, hosted at Amazon DC headquarters.
• The fourth book, titled Mike鈥檚 Coffee written by Taiwo Adesina, Valeria Lake and Brittney Jones, was published last month.
• The studio is completing the manuscript of a Novel titled 鈥�Caden and the Dangerous Fools鈥� co-authored by four writers from four different continents (U.K., Palestine, U.S. and Brazil).
• To date, more than 112 writers from six countries are engaged in creative ventures with the studio.

  

Guerrier, a Haitian American writer and poet who also works for the U.S. Department of State during the day, brings a varied background to his business venture. As he explains below, he has always been attuned to storytelling, and his studies at CJP fed into that interest.

He has also worked at the United Nations advocating for Least Developed Countries; founded The LEEHG Institute, a social venture; and served as president of the board of directors at Coming to the Table, a national racial reconciliation organization.聽He earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree in international affairs and leadership studies from Florida State University.

Guerrier is a 2018 Gabr Fellow at the Shafik Gabr Foundation, and has been a PEN Haiti Fellow at the PEN American Center, a Senior Fellow at Humanity in Action, and a Seth Godin AltMBA participant.

Tell us how your business began.

At the age of 14, I moved to the United States from Haiti. And during my high school days here, I would often walk around these halls carrying in my small hands a small notebook filled with all sorts of business ideas I would conjure in and out of the classroom while dreaming of building something from the very ground up through perseverance.

I don鈥檛 really remember when exactly I ever decided to become a business owner. But I do believe ideas are alive and they are starving to find the right group of people to bring them to life. They absolutely found me early on. I just needed to find and sort out the right ones worth fighting for.

I have been writing my novel for about two years and with my passions for creative writing, storytelling and technology, building this creative company and if done right, I believe we can change the course of history but it will require hard work.

How did your 黑料正能量 education impact your choice of career and business?

One might wonder how a master鈥檚 degree in conflict transformation can be relevant to business? I would say in today’s changing and disruptive technological age, more than ever it鈥檚 relevant in how business is conducted. I would argue bringing a different perspective to a field such as business is an advantage.

At the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, so much of what we studied has shaped key foundations for business acumen but most importantly how we relate with each other and how we live in right relationships with our customers.聽 For example, these concepts are all applicable: the theory of change, human centered design, strategic analysis, tenets of healthy organizations, implementing adaptive structures especially through Margaret Wheatley鈥檚 work and thinking deeply both on an international and interpersonal level through the lens of a reflective practitioner.

Storytelling is key to transforming the mindset and hearts of people, I learned that especially at CJP, also as a member of Inside Out Playback Theatre Troupe and working as national president of Coming to the Table. You see it in our dialogues, our novels, our TV shows and movies, they remain a key aspect on our capabilities to transform our collective psyche.

Creative writers can spend years writing to finish a book, get seen or even get published. We believe collaboration is the future of fiction. Through a sharing-economy-based approach, we connect writers locally and all over the world to build peer-to-peer production houses and get them to finish a compelling story in just a few weeks.

How do your values impact your business operations?

Values are the DNA of the company culture and what you are building. Values are the ways your business and team interrelate chooses to show up in the world and the impact you intend to make. You have to be clear on those values. A value-based approach of conducting business is the way of the future. At Syllble鈥檚 early stage now, values show up for me when I work directly with my cofounder David and all the creative writers we engage.

Share 3-4 鈥渂est business鈥� insights.

• Execute: One of the best business insights I learned working on an early-stage startup is that you have to execute. It doesn鈥檛 have to be perfect but you have to ship and ship often, talk to your customers and bring them something they want!
• Team: The team and group of people you surround yourself with is key. If you don鈥檛 have the right team nor invest in the people you serve and work for, your company will not thrive.
• Vision: You need vision that can drive the direction of a company to inspire a shared vision for future employees and customers. My vision for Syllble is to have millions of writers all around the world collaborating, publishing many books, telling new and great stories and for our platform to be the center point of Hollywood鈥檚 next hit movies, tv shows, animation and more! But what remains key to 鈥榲ision鈥� is having the ability to exactly show small step-by-step how to reach this vision. That is the challenge.

Read another Business Spotlight on The Emotional Health Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The six-year-old troupe, co-founded by theater professor and applied social sciences adjunct professor , includes current undergraduate and graduate students and alumni. It specializes in improvisational theater that includes the audience and actors in storytelling sessions, 鈥減layed back鈥� through action, dialogue and music, that encourage connections and conversation about difficult social issues and challenges. Inside Out has engaged with students returning from study abroad experiences, international peacebuilders, descendants of slaves and slaveholders, sexual abuse survivors, ex-offenders and migrant workers, among others.

The grant, funded by the Phoenix, Arizona-based (CPCP), provides mentorship and guidance as Inside Out develops a partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia to confront issues of race, immigration and reconciliation in communities around the state.

A grant from the donor-advised聽 will fund engagement with the Shenandoah Valley鈥檚 Hispanic and Haitian migrant workers, building on previous work on the Eastern Shore with similar populations. The grant also provides funds to develop and disseminate a 鈥渢oolkit鈥� for participatory arts organizations around the country to engage in similar partnerships.

Both grants will enable Inside Out members with unique opportunities to interact with well-known and inspiring mentors in the field: Hannah Fox, program director of the , and Michael Rohd, founding executive director of the Center for Performance and Civic Practice.

鈥淭hese two grants build upon our previous work, strengthen our capacities and challenge us to work intentionally with partner organizations,鈥� said Vogel. 鈥満诹险芰� students are able to practice their art in direct connection with social justice action networks. This is a game-changer in our ability to practice arts for change.鈥�

The Catalyst Initiative: racial healing in church communities

Inside Out is one of six grantees around the United States to receive the recent round of Catalyst Initiative grants. The $6,000 grant 鈥渟upports place-based project teams comprised of an individual artist and a civic partner to conceive and execute a small-scale local arts-based project created in response to an expressed need by the partner,鈥� according to the organization鈥檚 website.

Inside Out is partnering Father Daniel Robayo, rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Harrisonburg and a new member of the.

Vogel and Robayo recently returned from a two-day workshop in Phoenix with CPCP staff to begin developing their project focused on building awareness and insight into white supremacy and privilege.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think anyone would deny that these kind of conversations need to happen, but it鈥檚 often difficult to find a welcoming space,鈥� Vogel says. 鈥淔ather Robayo and the diocese have offered this space to promote cooperation between congregations, denominations and ethnicities. Our project will most likely consist of storytelling sessions at churches around the state bringing together diverse groups.鈥�

The project will be implemented from January to October 2018. CPCP staff will make site visits to monitor the project and give guidance and critiques.

JustPax Foundation: Building Just Communities

In 2017, collaborating with Charlottesville-based 聽and funded by the the nonprofit (USDAC), Inside Out hosted storytelling sessions with migrant workers on Virginia鈥檚 Eastern Shore. They also produced a 鈥渢oolkit鈥� for participatory arts organizations around the country to engage in similar partnerships.

The JustPax Fund grant provides more funds for Inside Out to work with regional migrant workers, and to continue developing and disseminating the toolkit.

Part of the grant will be used to host a Jan. 5-8 training workshop with Hannah Fox, program director at The Centre for Playback Theatre. The organization was founded by her father, Jonathan Fox, and Jo Salas, two co-founders of the playback theater concept.

鈥淎ll of our members have been trained but some have not had the benefit of the formal training that is the gold standard for playback theater,鈥� Vogel said. 鈥淲ith actors coming from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Richmond and Washington D.C., this should be a phenomenal opportunity to learn and practice new skills with truly gifted actors.鈥�

This is not the first time 黑料正能量 has hosted playback theater trainings with celebrated practitioners; movement co-founder Jo Salas and playback director Ben Rivers, who works in Israel/Palestine, have led trainings and special Summer Peacebuilding Institute classes.

Twenty spaces are available for the course. Email insideout@emu.edu for more information.

Course offered at 2018 Summer Peacebuilding Institute

Vogel and Foster will co-facilitate a course on participatory theater June 11-15 at the 2018 Summer Peacebuilding Institute at 黑料正能量. For more information, see the course description . To learn more about SPI, click

鈥淲e wanted to hear from outside the community how this abuse is manifested and focus on how we can better support those who have experienced it,鈥� said senior Katrina Poplett, who led the program planning for the second year with senior Jonatan Moser.

In an opening event focused on intersectionality, representatives from five campus groups 鈥� , , the , and 鈥� were invited to share 鈥渟tories and statistics about how sexual assault affected that particular group,鈥� said Poplett. 鈥淚t was powerful and personal and we closed with a candlelight vigil as a witnessing.鈥�

Take Back the Night events are held around the United States and around the world. The first march was held in 1975, commemorating the death of a woman who was murdered while walking home alone at night in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

黑料正能量 has a long tradition of hosting the annual program, according to Professor , faculty advisor to the planning committee.

TBTN hosted several events around campus, including a Wednesday chapel that involved the sharing of stories and poetry.

黑料正能量 20 participants in the men鈥檚 only discussion Wednesday evening 鈥渢ook the conversation to some really interesting and insightful places,鈥� said Ben Rush, who co-hosted 鈥淗ow Language Legitimizes: A Second Look At What We Don鈥檛 Think of Twice鈥� with Joseph Mumaw and Professor . 鈥淥ur goals were to take the conversation away from the overt, symptomatic examples of sexual violence and point it towards a conversation about the way subtle things embedded in language and societal assumptions contribute to the problem.鈥� [Read Ben’s blog post about leading this event.]

A Thursday coffee house offered space for expressive arts and sharing, followed by a session with the playback theater group. Sarah Regan and Ana Hunter-Nickels, representatives of the Social Work is People (SWIP) club, were the hosts.

Friday鈥檚 chapel, planned by the 黑料正能量 , featured Sabrina Dorman, executive director of the local anti-sex trafficking organization New Creation, Inc. This was followed by a walk-through reflective exhibit in the Campus Center.

Eastern Mennonite Seminary also hosted a Tuesday chapel service to engage with themes of #metoo and #Ibelieve you.

This year鈥檚 TBTN events were in the second year of a three-year thematic exploration of sexual violence at the micro-, meso- and macro levels, Poplett and Moser said.

鈥淟ast year was on a micro-level, focused on what was going on here on campus, opening a space for conversations we didn鈥檛 see happening,鈥� Poplett said. 鈥淭his year, we鈥檙e focusing on the meso-level, with organizations and community, and next year will be more of a macro level.鈥�

The leaders situated TBTN events within recent national events, including U.S. Department of Education decisions related to Title IX.

At all events, counseling center staff were present and other resources were available if students or community members were in need of support.

Many of the students involved in Take Back the Night come to their volunteer work by learning more about systemic issues in their coursework and through clubs such as SWIP or . Moser, a double major in and , says a combination of factors raised his awareness as a first-year student.

鈥淚 had just learned about sexual violence and sexism and how often it happened and I was really horrified by that,鈥� Moser said. 鈥淕etting involved in Take Back the Night has been a way to give back.鈥�

Poplett, a major who is also in the accelerated MA in restorative justice program, began attending TBTN events her first year on campus and became a leader as a sophomore.

鈥淚 think a lot of my passion lies in giving voice to people whose stories aren’t normally told,鈥� she said.

The event 鈥� which includes speakers and interactive arts-based opportunities for reflection, learning and healing 鈥� is Saturday, March 19, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in 黑料正能量鈥檚 Suter Science Center. It is free and open to the public as well as the campus community.

鈥淪exual violence doesn鈥檛 just impact individuals,鈥� Stauffer says. 鈥淚t is a breach of relationship. How can we rebuild community in the face of violence? If we can build toward a healthier definition of community, I think we鈥檒l all feel safer and provide an environment for profound healing.鈥�

Stauffer鈥檚 project, titled 鈥�,鈥� began in 2012 with research among domestic abuse survivors from within communities of homeless women, undocumented Latinas and Mennonite women from Old Order or conservative church communities. Stauffer employed a strengths-based approach, with particular focus on the resilient ways in which women survive in spite of gaps in societal support networks. Her project employed strategies that empowered study participants, integrating storytelling interviews with circle processes and healing arts workshops.

Last spring, MA in biomedicine students were integrated into the project with a about adverse childhood experience. Most of the students are future health care providers, and the experience asked them to reflect on the symptomatic and diagnostic implications of personal narratives as they participated in storytelling, communication activities and playback theater events with co-facilitators, some of whom were domestic abuse survivors.

Stauffer and the planning committee have included some of these same components in the symposium, she says. 鈥淭his is an interdisciplinary event with planning, support and participation coming from various groups and departments across campus,鈥� she added, the representation of which is important to the idea of both community response and support.

Plenary presenters include , assistant professor of restorative justice and peacebuilding at 黑料正能量鈥檚 Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, and University of Notre Dame doctoral researcher Sheila McCarthy. Turner will speak on 鈥淗ealing in Community鈥� and McCarthy on 鈥淪exual Violence through the Lens of Moral Injury.鈥� , an 黑料正能量 graduate whose published writing has explored her identity as a survivor of sexual abuse, will share her poetry. Inside Out, a campus theater group which has also participated in other parts of Stauffer鈥檚 multidisciplinary project, will host a session on the innovative and healing art of playback theater.

鈥淭o me, this type of witness moves our peace stance from the rubric of a privatized individual journey to a much more collective awareness of the church鈥檚 role in embodying the challenge to 鈥榮peak truth鈥� to abuses of power,鈥� Stauffer says. 鈥淚t invites us as a community of faith to higher levels of transparency, truth and grace for all parties involved.鈥�

Afternoon breakout sessions in two 90-minute blocks options provide attendees with a variety of options, including:

• 鈥淗ow to Appropriately Respond to Disclosures,鈥� by Mike and Lavonne Yoder of in Milton, Pa.;
• 鈥淏ody Work and Response Mechanisms of Memory Storage and Release,鈥� by , director of 黑料正能量鈥檚 (STAR) program;
• 鈥淎rts Approaches to Trauma Recovery,鈥� with Janine Aberg;
• 鈥淚nternational Perspectives on Sexual Violence,鈥� by Diana Tovar Rojas and Myriam Aziz of 黑料正能量鈥檚 Center for Justice and Peacebuilding;
• 鈥漊npacking Consent, Unhealthy Relationships and Sexual Assault,鈥� by Chris Ehrhardt and Laurel Winsor of James Madison University鈥檚 (CARE) program;
• 鈥淪afe Church Protocols of Prevention,鈥� by Ross Erb and Jackie Hieber of , which provides sexual assault crisis services and other programs in Harrisonburg;
• 鈥淐ircles of Support and Accountability (COSA),鈥� by Sarah King and Daniel Foxvog;
• 鈥淩estorative Justice Dialogues in Crimes of Severe Violence,鈥� by , restorative justice coordinator for Mennonite Central Committee;
• 鈥淟GBTQ Perspectives on Sexual Violence,鈥� by , assistant professor of education at 黑料正能量;
• 鈥淚 Am Your Broken Place: The Grief of Sexual Violence,鈥� by , director of at 黑料正能量.

Stauffer says the project has involved 鈥渕any hands coming together.鈥� Members of the faculty and staff planning committee include Mansfield, the STAR director; Comer, director of counseling services; Roger Foster, co-founder of playback theater troupe; , history professor and department chair; Teresa Haase, director of the graduate program in counseling; and , professor of social work. The student-led has also helped to advise and support the symposium, and students are being encouraged to attend.

鈥淗aving students as an integral part of what we鈥檙e doing is key,鈥� Stauffer says. 鈥淭he investment and energy that students bring adds huge value to the whole process.鈥�

A final educative component, designed for 黑料正能量 faculty and staff and focusing on institutional dynamics, is being planned for this coming fall.

The 鈥淪ilent Violence鈥� project has been funded by a JustPax Fund grant since 2014. focuses on individuals and organizations working for effective change through innovative approaches to societal challenges relating to gender, environmental and/or economic justice. The fund is administered by through the Everence affiliate, Mennonite Foundation. Due to that support, the event is free and open to the public. No pre-registration is required.

Fitting, especially,聽for , which hails from an institutional home with Anabaptist peace-oriented values.

Then, a quick connection with the act to follow 鈥� pastor , author of 鈥淔lipped鈥� 鈥� resulted in a thematic 鈥渇lip鈥� of their own for聽this weekend’s聽performance in Hot Springs, North Carolina. No matter for this experienced group of actors, who rely on their quick thinking, improvisational and artistic skills, and a deep intuitive confidence in each other to spontaneously re-enact stories offered by volunteers in the audience.

Wild Goose, here we come!

A conversation in common

Always seeking new spaces and places to build community through storytelling and theater, Inside Out heads south to camp out and join the fun at the Wild Goose Festival beginning Thursday, July 9. That leaves plenty of time to catch, and enjoy, the vibe for this well-rounded group of 黑料正能量 faculty, alumni, and graduate and undergraduate students.

The festival 鈥渋s a place where artists, activists, thought leaders and seekers gather in both joyous and serious conversations about living into social justice,鈥� says Inside Out co-founder . 鈥淲e are so excited to be part of that conversation.鈥�

Billed as a celebration of justice, spirituality, music and the arts, Wild Goose鈥檚 myriad of speakers, poets, musicians and performance artists 鈥渋nvite respectful 鈥� but fearless 鈥� conversation and action for the common good,鈥� according the website.

鈥淲ild Goose seems the perfect place to find folks who share our pursuit of community and justice,鈥� adds co-founder . 鈥淭hese are 黑料正能量 values too!鈥�

Connecting communities in story

Inside Out takes the stage on the last night, at 5 p.m., Saturday, July 11, in the Performance Caf茅. The hour-long 鈥減erformance鈥� begins with fun, simple audience interactions, followed by an invitation to audience members to share a real story from their lives. The actors then provide an unscripted improvisation of the story.

鈥淭he playing back provides the storyteller a chance to witness their own story from the outside, discover new meanings and be affirmed by the community response,鈥� says Vogel. 鈥淲e are all connected, teller, performers and audience. We all witness the transformation together.鈥�

Stories and their tellers are honored in a safe space 鈥渇ormed with respect and dignity,鈥� Foster says.

In a happy coincidence, Inside Out provides what Vogel calls the 鈥渨arm-up act鈥� for Pagitt. She and her husband, David, worked with Pagitt when he was the youth pastor at Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The couple produced dramas for Wooddale鈥檚 popular weekly youth events, and also produced and directed a nationwide tour of 鈥淟iving on the Edge,鈥� a youth-oriented and youth-performed musical.

After Inside Out鈥檚 storytelling event, Pagitt takes the stage to talk about concepts from his new book, 鈥淔lipped.鈥�

鈥淗is book challenges assumptions and knowledge of God, looking to Jesus鈥� teachings for what we may have missed,鈥� Vogel said. 鈥淏efore he speaks, we鈥檒l ask the audience to share moments when we were upended, when our lives changed forever. What we share and learn together in 鈥榩laying back鈥� those experiences will help us be ready to explore Doug鈥檚 message.鈥�

Since its founding in 2011, Inside Out has worked on and off campus to promote storytelling and playback theatre as a movement toward social change and personal transformation. Actors have聽a range of backgrounds, from theatre arts and music to conflict transformation, and many have also been through 黑料正能量鈥檚 (STAR) program.

A two-day transdisciplinary seminar melding theater and narrative arts and the health sciences in April at 黑料正能量 (黑料正能量) drew students into interactions that explored these questions, using strategies of responsive listening and collaborative teaching. The event was part of the , led by professor and supported by a grant, which focuses on abuse and strategies of resilience.

The community of approximately 60 learners included graduate students in the , undergraduate students in various health science courses, trained facilitators from the Pennsylvania-based non-profit , and a group of actors from , 黑料正能量鈥檚 playback theater group.

The focus of the workshop, said Stauffer, was the mind-body connection from a health sciences perspective. 鈥淎ll life experiences are filtered through our neurological and biological systems. If we are not intentional about addressing unresolved issues, they play out in very negative ways on our health. Our goal in this seminar was to help students make that connection. When we surface and share our stories, we can build community and work towards resolution and resilience in ways that then offload the negative impacts from our bodies.鈥�

The transdisciplinary emphasis brought together Stauffer, who teaches in the MA in biomedicine program, and playback theater troupe co-founders and , also a professor of theater.

鈥淭he collaboration between people who would identify as scientists and people who identify as artists is very exciting,鈥� Foster said, pointing out that the workshop created a space where both are valued equally.

Listening as a 鈥榙iagnostic tool鈥�

After the event, students talked about connecting with their fellow students in ways they鈥檇 never experienced, and how sharing their own stories helped them move toward healing in their own lives.

The ability to listen and show empathy is a unique diagnostic tool with a different sensitivity than a blood pressure cuff or an EKG machine, said one student.

鈥淏y listening to stories of others, I have been able to see the impact of ACEs on the individuals they are today,鈥� said Wally Al-Kakhan, MA 鈥�15 (biomedicine), adding that the experience helped him understand both himself and his fellow classmates better.

The workshop helped biology major Grayson Mast understand the benefits of a holistic approach to healthcare , as well as contributing to a foundational understanding of psychosocial trauma. 鈥淲e all have moments in our past that have torn us down and made life more difficult. Learning how to affirm someone鈥檚 ability to discuss a traumatic event in their life is really important,鈥� said Mast, who hopes to go to medical school.

When contacted for an interview several weeks after the seminar, Mast said that the workshop was 鈥渙ne of the most important educational events of my first year at 黑料正能量.鈥�

Sharing 鈥榙eep鈥� stories

The seminar began with a playback storytelling event that surfaced stories of adverse childhood experiences (known as ACE鈥檚). Playback theater is a kind of collaborative art in which members of the audience volunteer to tell a story and then watch as the actors 鈥減lay back鈥� an interpretation of the event. But before that happened, the group led a series of informal interactions that helped to build community, and to voice and normalize natural tensions and unease about the topic and the format.

鈥淲e heard everything from 鈥業 don鈥檛 understand鈥� to 鈥業t鈥檚 really difficult to talk about this鈥� to 鈥楾his makes me nervous鈥� and even 鈥業鈥檓 irritated that I have to give up my weekend for this,鈥欌�� Foster said.

Although specific stories cannot be shared because of confidentiality, Foster says one general story about a father spending time with his children provides an example of what the audience heard. 鈥淭his seemingly positive story of a really good day was actually very painful, because that parent had been very neglectful, and that one wonderful day was a marker of what this person had been without,鈥� Foster said. 鈥淭he story really opened the audience to the possibilities and the idea that all stories have meaning.鈥�

The next day was dedicated to work in small groups 鈥� telling, listening, and responding to stories. Mike Yoder, co-founder of Guidespring and a facilitator of similar events for 14 years, says he was moved by the depth of responses from the students.

鈥淭o watch them share with their friends and embrace them with really powerful responses was a very moving experience,鈥� Yoder said. 鈥淚 heard them say things like 鈥業 didn鈥檛 know that happened鈥� or 鈥楾hat breaks my heart鈥� or 鈥業鈥檓 amazed that you lived through that but it hasn鈥檛 defined you.鈥� Watching them make those connections, to show sadness for what they鈥檇 experienced but then also identifying with their strength鈥攖hey were truly thrilled by the experience of building those relationships of trust.鈥�

At the end of the seminar, the group participated in a second theater event that focused on audience members鈥� stories of change and resilience.

鈥淲e wanted them to think about strategies to move forward, and the networks of people they rely on to help them move forward,鈥� Stauffer said, linking the students鈥� experiences to what she鈥檚 learned from her research of resilience strategies among domestic violence survivors in communities of homeless women, undocumented Latinas and Mennonite women from Old Order or conservative church communities.