From Nashville to New York, Geneva to Glasgow, Berlin to Brazil, Kiran has delivered talks all over the world to some of the biggest names in business, non-profit, and government including the US State Department, the United Nations, Geneva Peace Week, NASA, The Kennedy Center, Smithsonian Folklife Festival and Rotary International.
Part of Kiran's public engagement has enabled partnerships that advance the work of storytelling as a tool for social change. Some of these partnerships include Dollywood, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, Ballad Health's Unicoi County and Franklin Woods Hospital, the National Parks Service, the League of American Orchestras, and the Alliance for Peacebuilding.
His work is about far more than entertainment. He uses what is known as "applied storytelling," which inspires and empowers people to use storytelling to address real-world challenges and promote positive change. Stories that can build healthier communities, support healing, dialogue and transformation, peace, health and wellness, institutional change, scientific advances, and much more.
Utilizing applied storytelling methodology Kiran engages individuals and organizations in truly unique ways. His projects go well beyond just giving a lecture or leading a workshop; at the heart is the storytelling movement, a revolution driving the world towards peace, justice, and compassion built on mutual respect and empathy.
Kiran's talks can be delivered either in-person or virtually via the video-conference platform of your choice.
Part of Kiran's public engagement has enabled partnerships that advance the work of storytelling as a tool for social change. Some of these partnerships include Dollywood, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, Ballad Health's Unicoi County and Franklin Woods Hospital, the National Parks Service, the League of American Orchestras, and the Alliance for Peacebuilding.
His work is about far more than entertainment. He uses what is known as "applied storytelling," which inspires and empowers people to use storytelling to address real-world challenges and promote positive change. Stories that can build healthier communities, support healing, dialogue and transformation, peace, health and wellness, institutional change, scientific advances, and much more.
Utilizing applied storytelling methodology Kiran engages individuals and organizations in truly unique ways. His projects go well beyond just giving a lecture or leading a workshop; at the heart is the storytelling movement, a revolution driving the world towards peace, justice, and compassion built on mutual respect and empathy.
Kiran's talks can be delivered either in-person or virtually via the video-conference platform of your choice.
United Nations
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hear for yourself.
In 2016, Kiran was invited to speak at TEDxNashville. Below is his speech, "Storytelling: A Peaceful Power."
Select Engagements
|
·
Storyteller in Residence for Appalachia Funders Network. Stories from the Front Porch. Led a series of civic imagining sessions, plenary and community conversations for 150 funders/practitioners, thought leaders, artists change-makers from across Appalachia and beyond. April/May 2025. Power of Dialogue to Build Community, Foster Connection and Build Resilient Communities. Part of International Development Week hosted by Atlantic Council for International Cooperation in Partnership with Canada. February 2025. Closing Plenary Speaker for the 39th Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity, on the theme of Storytelling to build a culture of belonging. Hawai’i. · Keynote Speaker and Workshop Facilitator for the Association for University Center on Disability (AUCD) 2023 conference on the theme Emerging Leaders Shape the Future Through the Power of Storytelling. 2023. · Narrative Change Thought Leader for Appalachian Big Ideas Festival, October 2023. SMITHSONIAN FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL/2023
|
|
MAIN STREET NOW CONFERENCE / 2022
A closing plenary session for the Main Street America annual conference on the power of storytelling as a community development tool LEAGUE OF AMERICAN ORCHESTRAS / 2021
A closing keynote focused on the intersection of music and storytelling, and using these arts as tools to build cultural diversity BIDEN-HARRIS ARTS & HUMANITIES TRANSITION TEAM / 2020
A presentation on the vital role of the arts and humanities which helped inform the President's report on the role of the NEA and the NEH |
|
DOLLY PARTON'S IMAGINATION LIBRARY HOMECOMIN' / 2019
At the invitation of Dolly Parton, delivered the keynote address for the biennial Imagination Library plenary conference ROTARY INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE and PEACE SYMPOSIUM / 2019
Conducted a lecture series on storytelling and peace for the annual conference in Hamburg, Germany LIBRARY OF CONGRES, BOTKIN LECTURE SERIES / 2016
Presented "The Transformative Power of Storytelling" as part of the 40th Anniversary of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress |
View a complete list of talks, workshops, and presentations.
Consult a list of speaking topics and descriptions.