Posts Tagged ‘trauma’
Jonestown Survivor – 2nd book in the Works!
JONESTOWN SURVIVOR - Book 2 is in the Works! I am excited to say that I am resuming my work on my second book. I am setting the deadline for my first draft mid-June 2019. This book will have four parts: Updates on all things Peoples Temple/Jonestown that I have learned since I wrote my first book Jonestown Survivor: An Insider’s Look in 2009 and published it in 2010. Putting Peoples Temple and the rise of Jim Jones in Historical Perspective. Jonestown and Guyana - last March, seven of us returned to Guyana and Jonestown. My husband Ron, and son Raul, Jordan Vilchez (a fellow ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR – What if Congressman Ryan had NOT visited Jonestown?
What if Congressman Ryan Had NOT Visited Jonestown? A question that comes up often, and did again today, from a researcher/friend, is: Would the deaths in Jonestown have happened without Congressman Leo Ryan's visit tipping Jim over the edge? Here are my 2 cents: Basically, there was a lot going on affecting Jonestown and Jim in the summer of 1978 - Jim was increasingly paranoid, mentally ill, isolated, and more addicted to drugs Jim learned that Jonestown would never be self-sufficient for the residents - 1,000 and another 1,000 waiting to come over - his original plan was for 600 but he oversold it. The ...
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Kohl Speech for 40th Anniversary It is wonderful to see everyone here. Some who could not make the trip are awaiting our photos and thoughts as well. When I reflect on my nearly 9 years in Peoples Temple, I feel that it was both one of the highlights and one of the deepest traumas of my life. When I was in Peoples Temple in both California and in Guyana, I felt committed to an idea, even a dream, that took me outside of my personal needs. I found a community that asked much of the members. I thought that I was making ...
» continue readingJonestown Survivor is Editor of Guyanese Perspective Section of the Jonestown Report
[caption id="attachment_2073" align="alignnone" width="3200"] Evergreen Cemetery - Peoples Temple Panels[/caption]the jonestown report As a Jonestown Survivor, I am working on a very interesting project. The Jonestown Institute publishes (now on-line) a yearly "report" with writing from many sources about all things Peoples Temple. This year, I am editor of a "Guyanese Perspective" section. Over the past week, I have heard from about 150 Guyanese about their experiences with Peoples Temple in Guyana. It is fascinating! The articles will appear in the November issue of The Jonestown Report - take a look at last year's edition at: http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=67218 the jonestown report, Volume 18, November ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR to Present in Zoar, Ohio at Communal Studies Association Conference
JONESTOWN SURVIVOR to Present in Zoar, Ohio at Communal Studies Association Conference Jonestown Survivor will participate in the Communal Studies Association Annual Conference in Zoar, Ohio. I am a Board Member of the CSA and have gained insight into my own experiences living in the communities of Peoples Temple and Synanon. I reflect and present about my evolution of understanding in these settings. THE THEME: To succeed, grow and survive, all successful communal groups have had to adapt to changing situations, be they internal or external: internal changes in their leadership, in their environment, and in their membership, as well as those ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR – Current Schedule 2017-2018
Jonestown Survivor - Current Schedule Currently, I am writing my 2nd book. Additionally, I have these scheduled presentations: July 29, 2017 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm - I am attending: San Francisco’s Museum of African Diaspora White Nights, Black Paradise | A Screening and Discussion on Black Women, Peoples Temple and Jonestown August 8 - Panelist 10:30-12 (as a Quaker) 2017 Poway Interfaith Team putting on a 2017 NAIN “CONNECT” Conference, San Diego October 5-7 Presenter of two Scholarly Papers on Peoples Temple at Communal Studies Association Conference in Zoar Community, in Ohio 2017 Conference Theme: “To succeed, grow and survive, all successful communal groups have had ...
» continue readingMuseum of African American Diaspora Hosts New Jonestown Study
Jonestown Survivor will join many other survivors in the Bay Aeea plan to attend this event: White Nights, Black Paradise | A Screening and Discussion on Black Women, Peoples Temple and Jonestown When: July 29, 2017 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Cost: $10 General | $5 Students/Seniors | Free MoAD Members CONVERSATION FILM SCREENING PANEL DISCUSSION On November 18, 1978, more than 900 people died in a mass murder-suicide at the Peoples Temple Settlement in Jonestown, Guyana. Although the majority of the Jonestown massacre victims were black women, nearly four decades since the tragedy black women’s voices remain marginalized in Jonestown literature. Based on ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR to Present at UCSD OSHER Class
JONESTOWN SURVIVOR will present at an UCSD OSHER Class: Surviving Peoples Temple at Jonestown: One Woman’s Story Laura Kohls Johnston Peoples Temple was a response and thought to be a solution to the historic events taking place in the 1950s. From about 1953 on, television brought a new dimension to understanding history. We thought we could watch it as it evolved. We could see the characters and personalities, and we could see the consequences immediately. In other words, we could not just ignore the world around us anymore. This lecture will examine that part of U.S. history which allowed the creation and ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR – A new book
I’LL BE WRITING ANOTHER BOOK For the past few years, since I “retired” from a career teaching middle school in California, I have thought about writing a second book. I do a lot of writing now. I create six or seven articles for the annual Jonestown Report, several monthly blogs on my website, www. Jonestownsurvivor.com, a monthly article in my local progressive bilingual newspaper Alianza North County, and, papers for conference/university presentations. Those writing pieces cover a wide range of topics, and they are fun and current. I see myself continuing those. But, there is still some “unfinished business” for me. I ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR Answers questions from College Student
A college student who is studying Peoples Temple sent me these questions. Here are my answers to him: Here is my BRIEF response to your questions – it took me a whole book to tell it. What was it like being part of Peoples Temple? What was Jonestown like? How did being a part of Peoples Temple change me as a person? Was being a part of something like Peoples Temple a good or bad thing? What was it like being part of Peoples Temple? I was delighted by the family feel with all races and ages and economic levels – a real melting pot. I had ...
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