Posts Tagged ‘Synanon’
JONESTOWN SURVIVOR Writing for Jonestown Report
I am excited, and determined, this week to finish up two articles for THE JONESTOWN REPORT (November 2016 on-line edition). One article will be a review of Eusi Kwayana's A NEW LOOK AT JONESTOWN, from the Guyanese perspective. I love Eusi and his wife Tchaiko, who have been mentors (to me and to my son Raul) over the years as I tried to be a teacher who opened my students' eyes to the "REAL" history taking place all around us. I get to re-visit his book and all the reasons I felt enriched after reading it, as it evolved before being ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR – What’s Going On?
JONESTOWN SURVIVOR- What’s Going On? This has been a busy summer for me. I’ve traveled to Washington, D.C. (my birthplace), New York (my husband’s birthplace), San Francisco, Oakland, Visalia, Tijuana, and all over southern California. I have presented at libraries, senior centers, street fairs, and conferences. I have had a number of interviews related to my life (Peoples Temple, Woodstock, Black Panthers, and/or Synanon) for documentaries, newspapers, blogtalk radio, and research projects. When I am not taking care of that, I am an activist. I do work on making the world a more sane place for all of us. I am politically ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR AT BAY AREA BOOK FESTIVAL 2016
JONESTOWN SURVIVOR AT THE BERKELEY BAY AREA BOOK FESTIVAL I hosted an author’s table this weekend (June 4 and 5, 2016) at my second Bay Area Book Festival. I set up a table with photos of Peoples Temple. I had an aerial photo of Jonestown in 1978, which shows how much hard work we put into creating the community. I had photos of the Evergreen Cemetery tombstone and the newer panels listing the names of all of those who died in Guyana. I had photos of some of the ceremonies and gatherings we survivors have held over the years. And, ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR to Speak at San Bruno Senior Center
JONESTOWN SURVIVOR TO SPEAK AT SAN BRUNO SENIOR CENTER, 1555 Crystal Springs Road, San Bruno, CA on Monday, August 15 at 10:30 a.m. Laura Johnston Kohl was a life-long activist, who joined Peoples Temple thinking that her voice would be louder in a richly diverse and progressive group like Peoples Temple. She was an enthusiastic member for about ten years, in both California and in Guyana. Her survival was a fluke. She came back to the USA and joined Synanon for the next ten years, where she healed and moved forward. Now, thirty-eight years later, she is a parent, a ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR: Where does Jonestown fit into the Historical Perspective of the Millennialist, Apocalyptic, and Utopian Intentional Communities?
JONESTOWN SURVIVOR PRESENTS: Where does Jonestown fit into the Historical Perspective of the Millennialist, Apocalyptic, and Utopian Intentional Communities? COMMUNAL STUDIES ASSOCIATION PRESENTATION - I sent in my Abstract for the scholarly paper I will present in Salt Lake City in October. Call for Papers 2016 Conference Theme: Anticipating the End Times: Millennialism, Apocalypticism, and Utopianism in Intentional Communities October 6–8, 2016 Salt Lake City, Utah.Deadline for Submission of Paper and Session Proposals: May 15, 2016 Where does Jonestown fit into the Historical Perspective of the Millennialist, Apocalyptic, and Utopian Intentional Communities? I will present a brief overview of these Intentional ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR Interviewed for San Juan Journal Article
Survivor recalls Jonestown Copy of Laura Kohl's Guyan driver's license — Image Credit: Contributed Photo/Laura Kohl By Heather Spaulding Journal Reporter They worked to create a community without hate or violence, filled with love, peace, independent yet supportive, artistic and healthy – the 60s utopian dream. What happened was a nightmare. “Jonestown lived and died in two years,” said Laura Kohl, a Jonestown survivor. “It never had a chance to get beyond the building stage.” Kohl will be speaking at the San Juan Island Library on Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. At this free event, she will be discussing her experiences at Jonestown and how she coped after the tragedy. The ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR Meets February 2016 with Travel Plans!
February is moving in! I will be teaching the next two weeks - finishing up a long-term subbing job in a 6th grade Language Arts and Social Studies class (which I LOVE!) and I will be heading to Washington State in two weeks. As a Jonestown Survivor: An Insider's Look author and public speaker, I will speak in classes and at a public setting at Puget Sound University in Tacoma, and then in the Friday Harbor library. And, I will meet up with my good friends living in Washington. GREAT! Let me know if you are in the area!
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR Describes Life in a Cult
JONESTOWN SURVIVOR was interviewed by Tami Urbanek - here is the link: http://www.spreaker.com/user/journeyfortruth/journey-for-truth-jonestown-cult-mass-su_1 Laura Johnston Kohl grew up in the 1960's, witnessed-from afar- the deaths of Martin Luther King and JFK, and spent time with the Black Panthers. She yearned to make a difference in a violent world and Jim Jones, leader of the Peoples Temple cult, was calling her. What was it like in the Peoples Temple and how did she survive the over 900 people mass suicide of 1978? Why did she join another cult after Jonestown? Listen to her story, why she was there, and the warning signs of ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR Radio/Internet Interview
I was interviewed by Tami Urbanek of Empowerment Through Healing Here are the links: Spreaker: http://www.spreaker.com/user/journeyfortruth/journey-for-truth-jonestown-cult-mass-su_1 SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/tamiurbanek-radio/jonestown-cult-mass-suicide-survivor Please share! Tami Urbanek Empowerment Through Healing Making New Choices to Create a New Reality Universal Education Foundation, 501 (c) (3) Listen to Journey For Truth on demand on Spreaker.com
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR – VISUALIZING WHO I AM, THESE DAYS
JONESTOWN SURVIVOR - VISUALIZING WHO I AM, THESE DAYS Laura Johnston Kohl Over the past five years or so, I have tried to have a visual image of the person I am. For most of the five years, I have thought of myself as a black-eyed susan, or a sunflower. To explain the design a bit more – I thought of my physical shape in the middle with petals out in all directions for the different parts of my being. I am a parent – one petal. I am a wife of 33 years – one petal. I am a Quaker – ...
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