Comments on: The Soultribe Practitioner Interviews: Melissa Lindgren and the Knitta’s

By: Kathryn - Collage Diva

Kathryn - Collage Diva — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:42:51 +0000

Great interview! It is so true that, “there is no way one person was going to be everything you needed.” This is not only true of our spouses but also of our parents, friends, etc.

By: Monica

Monica — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 20:24:08 +0000

Great interview.
I have a little, little church that is my soultribe. One of my favorite gatherings was one centered on telling our favourite stories. We’ve referenced that gathering many times since then, “Remember G’s story of running away (and hiding in the grave yard) from her sisters who wanted to cast demons out of her? What a great story!” I think we need to make it an annual or semi annual gathering focus.

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 04:55:32 +0000

The thing I loved most about the knitting group (as the proud sister of the sassy one being interviewed) was that I wasn’t the leader and that we all had something to do with our hands which eased my anxious anxious mind about who was going to talk and who was going to keep the conversation going. :) Also, I loved learning to knit, so much.

The storytelling… yes, you’re right, it didn’t go quite like imagined. There was a lot of storytelling in a subtle casual sense. I remember having to put my knitting down in order to tell a real story. I wonder if that was some of it for those of us who were new to knitting… our focus was really on learning a new craft.

Great interview both of you. :)

By: Rebecca Dallin

Rebecca Dallin — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 02:45:20 +0000

This was a great interview! I only came to knitting a couple of times (once or twice early on, once recently) because I don’t really knit, but I think you hit the nail on the head, Melissa, when you said the stories flow more naturally from the “…that reminds me of this one time.”

And yes, snacks are bonding. Always, always always have food.

By: Jennifer/The Word Cellar

Jennifer/The Word Cellar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 02:09:48 +0000

I’m in love with this idea of creating community through storytelling. I went to The Moth (www.themoth.org) when i was in NYC, which is a public event that seems to contain various communities of regulars. It’s like a loose collection of soultribes in a way. I must admit that I’m intrigued and intimidated by the thought of trying to create my own local community centered on telling stories. It feels so…risky. And yet stories are so basic and intimate. Maybe that’s why it feels risky? Stories make people vulnerable, make them come undone, and then knit them back together again. You need to be in a safe place to allow that to happen. I’m not sure exactly what to do with all of these thoughts, but I’m glad to hear Melissa’s experience. I will keep mulling this over….

By: kazari

kazari — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:32:56 +0000

oh, oh, oh!
I will especially remember this bit:
“Soultribes. I think they are capable of being a central community for people but most likely not the ONLY community”
And I completely get the bit about how when people come together, they don’t always interact or do what you hoped they would.
I love the idea of connecting through stories – I wonder how best to intentionalise that?
thankyou!