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Story of Impact: Brave Spaces in a College Cohort

November 26, 2024

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Professor Alex Quinlan was introduced to Narrative 4 while leading the Brock Scholars Program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Though the program was popular with students and well-aligned with their academic and civic goals, Quinlan felt something was missing. While developing the curriculum, he attended a panel with N4 co-founder Colum McCann, N4 Artist Ishmael Beah, and N4 Artists Network Director Felice Belle. Their discussion on the power of storytelling inspired him to pursue training as a Story Exchange Facilitator and he soon began integrating these practices into the program.

Starting with his freshman-level, humanities-focused literature course, Professor Quinlan incorporated Narrative 4 practices—such as deep listening and engaging in discourse with curiosity—to deepen his students’ connection to both their coursework and one another. To further enhance the program, he enlisted the support of Katy Detloff, a senior anthropology major at UTC, as an intern. Katy’s role focused on applying Narrative 4’s methodology to create an accessible, open platform for students to share their experiences and engage with complex topics like power and oppression. Katy facilitated Narrative 4 Story Exchanges with course participants and hosted listening sessions to gather insights into their experiences. Her personal commitment to processing her own journey as a student leader served as a courageous example for her peers, inspiring deeper engagement and reflection within the group.

“On her first day with the class, Katy modeled the Story Exchange with me in front of everyone. Although she had confided in me that she was nervous beforehand, she shared her story, and the immediate shift of energy in the room was palpable. Seeing Katy share allowed my students to put down their own “emotional guards” and a new energy emerged in the space; suddenly the air felt lighter, and students were more open to connection.” – Quinlan

Professor Quinlan and Katy have led three transformative Story Exchanges within the course, each one inspiring growth and connection. The first exchange, held at the start of the fall semester, introduced students to N4 practices and built instant connections among the freshman class. The second exchange took place after a class visit to the Peace and Justice Memorial and Legacy Museum, both institutions centered on sharing the painful history of violence and racial injustice in the South. This experience allowed students to draw ties between their coursework and the exhibitions they witnessed. The Story Exchange provided students with a space to process how they felt about the stories they had absorbed.  Katy shared that Narrative 4 created the potential for “brave spaces” in these difficult conversations.

The third exchange happened one week after the 2024 Presidential Election. Initially, Quinlan had only planned two Story Exchanges during the course but students urged him to schedule another one before the course concluded. They even devised their own prompt for the final exchange – “tell us a story about how you were able to find hope in the midst of a difficult time.”

This group of incredible students has exhibited courage while processing their experiences through the Story Exchange and their Narrative 4 experience won’t end when the course closes out this winter. In 2025, UTC will launch a Narrative 4 club, advised by Professor Quinlan and fellow UTC Professor and N4 Regional Associate Kate Rudder. The club has already enlisted 13 founding members and aims to take Narrative 4’s practices beyond the classroom walls. As one student noted, “My hope is that we take what we’re learning here to meet and help other students and create someone new and powerful at UTC.”