Narrative 4 Open Mic Night is Bringing People Together Through Storytelling

James Lawlor pictured at Narrative 4 who are next week hosting the Narrative 4 Open Mic Night. Photo: Katie Glavin/ilovelimerick

Narrative 4 Open Mic Night is Bringing People Together Through Storytelling

by ilovelimerick correspondent Katie Glavin

Narrative 4, located on 58 O’Connell street, Limerick, are hosting a story-telling Open Mic Night based around the theme of loss on Thursday, March 30 at 8pm.

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The Narrative 4 Open Mic Night is being held in conjunction with a 6-week project in partnership between Narrative 4 and Milford Care Centre’s Compassionate Communities. This funded project was designed to allow the opportunity for participants to develop a language and understanding of how humans deal with loss in all its forms. Twenty students from Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh and twenty adults in the community worked with Narrative 4 to craft their stories, learn about loss and take part in a story exchange.

James Lawlor pictured in Narrative 4 with some of the unfinished pottery pieces made as a part of the project with Milford Care Centre. Photo: Katie Glavin/ilovelimerick

James Lawlor of Narrative 4 spoke about the collaboration stating “The project is ongoing so some of the students made pottery pieces relating to loss and they then took part of s story exchange. We got members of the community, adults, to come in and they exchanged stories with the young people. Everyone told a story of loss, so the young person took on the story of the adult and the adult then interpreted their story and told the story in the first person. Now the young people are going to colour their pottery using the story that they’ve heard from their partner because our experience of loss is coloured by other people. Our lives are coloured by other people, and this is a creative way to interpret that”

The open mic night is being held in a bid to bring people together and get people to open up about their experience of loss. James commented on how relevant the theme of loss is. He said “Loss can take many forms. It can take the form of bereavement which everyone goes through, it can also take the form of loss of friendship, loss of status, loss of the family home. These losses colour our personality.”

Pictured in Narrative 4 are youth and adults while sharing their stories of loss

By connecting people through the Narrative 4 Open Mic Night, Narrative 4 are hoping to lessen feelings of isolation and loneliness in the community through storytelling, sharing, and creating a sense of community. James Lawlor went on the express how Narrative 4 are contributing to creating a positive and connected environment which coincides with the work Narrative 4 does. He said “people from the community can come in and sign up on the night and tell a true story about the theme on the night. You can interpret the theme any way you want. It’s just about getting people to connect with humanity. It’s really helpful for people to articulate and think about these things and say ‘I’m not alone’. The parallel core mission of Narrative 4 is to break down barriers between people and address isolation and create a connection, there are health benefits to that. Our remit is to create connection with people, we do it primarily with kids but also with people in the community”

The Narrative 4 open mic night is a free entry event which all members of the public are encouraged to come along to and even share their own stories. 

For more information on Narrative 4 click here

For more information on upcoming events in Limerick click here