On Sunday, June 29, three of the world’s most influential author/activists will take the Lyman Center stage to discuss Narrative 4 (N4), which they helped found just over a year ago. “The Narrative 4 Story” – a discussion among writers Ishmael Beah, Colum McCann and Terry Tempest Williams, moderated by Narrative 4 Executive Director Lisa Consiglio and Newtown High School and SCSU teacher and alumnus Lee Keylock -- will take place at 2 p.m. in SCSU's Lyman Center.

Working closely with students, educators, artists and community leaders, N4 pairs high school students from different parts of the world and encourages them to walk in each other’s shoes by sharing their personal stories with each other. In less than a year, the organization has planned and conducted such story exchanges around the world, engaging nearly 1,000 participants.

N4 teaches that stories are a key to better understanding one’s neighbors, society and each other. The program’s effectiveness has drawn the attention of the national press, including The New York Times, which has written about it twice in the past year:  "Colum McCann’s Radical Empathy" and "The Tale of Two Schools."

Beah, McCann and Williams are committed to helping N4 expand its reach. Beah is a Sierra Leonean author and human rights activist who rose to fame with his acclaimed memoir, “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier.” An Irish writer of literary fiction, McCann’s works include the National Book Award-winning novel “Let the Great World Spin.” Williams, an American author, conservationist and activist whose writing is rooted in the American West, is the author of “Finding Beauty in a Broken World,” among other works.

The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. For further information, call (203) 392-6154 or visit Tickets.SouthernCT.edu.

Colum McCann photo credit: Brendan Bourke