Deep in a forest, a young boy uncovers a shiny, jagged hunk of obsidian. A newborn fawn watches curiously as the boy stuffs it into his backpack. The fawn asks him why he's collecting such a sharp, heavy stone. The boy explains that gathering and carrying obsidian is a tradition among his people and quickly takes his leave. So begins Eric Garza's tale. The Burlington resident is a lecturer at the University of Vermont Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, a consultant, and a podcaster. Last spring, Garza, 42, participated in the pilot edition of Parallel Narratives, a six-week course at the South End herb shop and healing center Railyard Apothecary. The brainchild of Burlington performing artist and teacher Trish Denton, 37, Parallel Narratives merges traditions of folk storytelling and ensemble theater work with playful exercises in personal introspection. The objective is for participants to develop and share a fantastical version of their life story — that is, their own parallel narrative. Like most folktales, Garza's story happens in an unspecified place and time and is filled with supernatural phenomena. But the experiences that inform it are real. At age 21, Garza attempted suicide and had a life-changing near-death experience. In his parallel narrative, the young boy collecting obsidian becomes brittle and deformed as he grows older, eventually shattering like glass under the weight of his burden — a metaphor for Garza's suicide attempt. "There are rough patches," Garza said, "and sometimes those rough patches are hard to talk about.""It's good to have a metaphor in which to encapsulate something that is traumatic or dark," said Denton. While some stories may take such grim turns, Parallel Narratives is not necessarily about probing one's most trying times. "The challenge isn't to bare yourself before us," Denton said. Billed on Railyard's website as "self-direction through storytelling," the series offers a hybrid mode of understanding and sharing experience through oral narrative, with Denton as creative facilitator. As she put it, "I know quite a bit about how to be a symbol-reading, folktale-telling, surreal creative being — want to try that on for a minute?" Six participants joined Denton for last spring's inaugural session, which was co-led by Burlington therapist Pamela Formica for this session only. Five others to date have worked with Denton privately. The process begins with telling — not writing — a condensed version of one's life story.…
Deep in a forest, a young boy uncovers a shiny, jagged hunk of obsidian. A newborn fawn watches curiously as the boy stuffs it into his backpack. The fawn asks him why he's collecting such a sharp, heavy stone. The boy explains that gathering and carrying obsidian is a tradition among his people and quickly takes his leave. So begins Eric Garza's tale. The Burlington resident is a lecturer at the University of Vermont Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, a consultant, and a podcaster. Last spring, Garza, 42, participated in the pilot edition of Parallel Narratives, a six-week course at the South End herb shop and healing center Railyard Apothecary. The brainchild of Burlington performing artist and teacher Trish Denton, 37, Parallel Narratives merges traditions of folk storytelling and ensemble theater work with playful exercises in personal introspection. The objective is for participants to develop and share a fantastical version of their life story — that is, their own parallel narrative. Like most folktales, Garza's story happens in an unspecified place and time and is filled with supernatural phenomena. But the experiences that inform it are real. At age 21, Garza attempted suicide and had a life-changing near-death experience. In his parallel narrative, the young boy collecting obsidian becomes brittle and deformed as he grows older, eventually shattering like glass under the weight of his burden — a metaphor for Garza's suicide attempt. "There are rough patches," Garza said, "and sometimes those rough patches are hard to talk about.""It's good to have a metaphor in which to encapsulate something that is traumatic or dark," said Denton. While some stories may take such grim turns, Parallel Narratives is not necessarily about probing one's most trying times. "The challenge isn't to bare yourself before us," Denton said. Billed on Railyard's website as "self-direction through storytelling," the series offers a hybrid mode of understanding and sharing experience through oral narrative, with Denton as creative facilitator. As she put it, "I know quite a bit about how to be a symbol-reading, folktale-telling, surreal creative being — want to try that on for a minute?" Six participants joined Denton for last spring's inaugural session, which was co-led by Burlington therapist Pamela Formica for this session only. Five others to date have worked with Denton privately. The process begins with telling — not writing — a condensed version of one's life story.…