{"id":17044,"date":"2013-03-09T21:57:37","date_gmt":"2013-03-09T21:57:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alternativejonestown.com\/?page_id=16948"},"modified":"2026-03-02T15:20:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T23:20:57","slug":"splash_laurakohl","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=17044","title":{"rendered":"Reflections and Articles by Laura Johnston Kohl"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

After trying single-handedly to effect change throughout the 1960s to make the world around her more humane, Laura Johnston Kohl<\/strong> found she needed more hands. She joined Peoples Temple in 1970, living and working in the progressive religious movement in both California and Guyana. A fluke saved her from the mass murders and suicides on November 18, 1978, when 913 of her beloved friends died in Guyana.<\/p>\n

Soon after this, Synanon, a residential community, helped her gradually affirm life. She married, and she and her husband adopted a young son. In 1994, she finished her studies, and became a public school teacher.<\/p>\n

On the 20th anniversary of the deaths in Jonestown, Laura located fellow survivors of the Jonestown tragedy, and together they have worked to make sense of the jigsaw puzzle that was Peoples Temple. Her perspective evolved as new facts cleared up mysteries and she had time to reflect. Her mission continued to acknowledge, write about, and speak about why the members joined Peoples Temple, why they went to Guyana, and who they were. One of her earliest interviews, on National Public Radio<\/a> during its coverage of the 25th anniversary of the deaths in Jonestown, was one of the inspirations for Stanley Nelson’s documentary, Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Laura’s address on November 18, 2018 at the 40th Anniversary Memorial Service at Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland, California is here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Throughout the last 20 years of her life, Laura made herself available to family members of those who perished in Guyana and scholars who try to understand the calamity of the ending. She remained in contact with many fellow survivors and helped to organize gatherings twice a year.<\/p>\n

\"(From<\/a>
(From left) Rebecca Moore, Jordan Vilchez, Claire Janaro and Laura Johnston Kohl<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Her research and contemplation led to publication of her book, Jonestown Survivor: An Insider\u2019s Look<\/em><\/a>. The website for the book and Laura’s other works is now archived on this site<\/a>. Its blog<\/a> includes a number of articles separate from those published below.<\/p>\n

In addition, Laura was often interviewed on television and radio, in documentaries, and for both domestic and foreign press. Many of her interviews \u2013 including links to various podcasts and articles \u2013 appear here<\/a>. More recent interviews include:<\/p>\n

Jonestown: Rebuilding my life after surviving the massacre<\/a>, BBC News<\/em>, November 18, 2018<\/p>\n

After 40 Years, Jonestown Survivor Still Struggles with Tragedy’s Legacy, Lessons<\/a>, by John Wilkens, San Diego Union-Tribune<\/em>, November 25, 2018<\/p>\n

Jonestown survivor Laura Johnston-Kohl 40 Years After<\/a>, WallStreetWindow.com<\/em>, December 10, 2018<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Laura was a writer, a bilingual teacher, on the Speakers\u2019 Bureau of The Jonestown Institute, a Quaker, and a Board Member of the Communal Studies Association. She was on the Advisory Committee at the California Historical Society for the Peoples Temple Archives.<\/p>\n

Laura died on 19 November 2019 after a long battle with cancer. She was 72. This site includes four remembrances by Janet Shular<\/a>, Tim Carter<\/a>, James Randolph<\/a>, and Jennifer Kathleen Gibbons<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Articles<\/strong><\/p>\n

Giving Voice to the Voiceless<\/a> (2019)<\/p>\n

Migration and Emigration<\/a> (2018)<\/p>\n

Returning to Jonestown<\/a> (2018)<\/p>\n

Guyana 40 Years Later\u00a0<\/a> (2018)<\/p>\n

The Legacies of November 18<\/a> (2018)<\/p>\n

My Donation to the University of Southern Indiana<\/a> (2018)<\/p>\n

Jonestown from Guyanese Perspectives: An Introduction<\/a> (2017)<\/p>\n

Change and the Chameleon That Was Jim Jones<\/a> (2017)<\/p>\n

What Does it Mean to be a \u201cSurvivor\u201d?<\/a> (2017)<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Letter from Leslie Wagner-Wilson<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Letter from Yulanda D.A. Williams<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Reply from Laura Johnston Kohl<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Only the Survivor Activists \u201cGet\u201d Me<\/a> (2017)<\/p>\n

    Who is the Voice of Peoples Temple?<\/a>\u00a0(2016)<\/p>\n

    I Am a Cultist, Two Times Over<\/a>\u00a0(2016)<\/p>\n

    Was Jonestown a \u201cMillennial Intentional Community\u201d?<\/a>\u00a0(2016)<\/p>\n

    Kwayana Book Captures Guyana \u2013 and Worldwide \u2013 Perspective<\/a>\u00a0(2016)<\/p>\n

    The Families of the 1000<\/a>\u00a0(2015)<\/p>\n

    Why Such A Huge Variety Of Reflections On Jonestown And Peoples Temple?<\/a>\u00a0(2015)<\/p>\n

    A Boyish God<\/i>: A Review<\/a> (2014)<\/p>\n

    Moving From Guilt To Obligation<\/a>\u00a0(2014)<\/p>\n

    \n

    Who Suffered The Most?<\/a>\u00a0(2013)<\/p>\n

    \n

    Transition of Leadership in Peoples Temple, the Branch Davidians, and Synanon<\/a>\u00a0(2013)<\/p>\n

    A Further Legacy Of Peoples Temple<\/a>\u00a0(2013)<\/p>\n

    Peoples Temple Oral History Project Gets Underway<\/a>\u00a0(2013)<\/p>\n

    Who Could Have Stopped The Deaths In Jonestown?<\/a>\u00a0(2012)<\/p>\n

    Hate? What is it good for?<\/a>\u00a0(2012)<\/p>\n

    Peoples Temple and Synanon \u2013 Modern Communities: The Role of Women<\/a>\u00a0(2012)<\/p>\n

    The Meaning of the New Jonestown Panels At Evergreen Cemetery<\/a>\u00a0(2011)<\/p>\n

    Membership In Communal Groups \u2013 So Much Of Who I Am Today<\/a> (2011)<\/p>\n

    Peoples Temple \u2013 A Church On The Margin And Then Over The Side<\/a>\u00a0(2011)<\/p>\n

    My Communal Studies Experience<\/a>\u00a0(2011)<\/p>\n

    Sisterhood<\/a>\u00a0(2011)<\/p>\n

    Coming Out Of The Peoples Temple Closet<\/a>\u00a0(2010)<\/p>\n

    Who Are the Victims of Peoples Temple?<\/a>\u00a0(2010)<\/p>\n

    The Architecture Of Jonestown and How It Both Created the Community and Ultimately Destroyed It<\/a>\u00a0(2010)<\/p>\n

    Poison in Jonestown<\/a>\u00a0(2010)<\/p>\n

    Jonestown Survivor: An Insider’s Look<\/em> Published<\/a>\u00a0(2010)<\/p>\n

    Making The He\u2019s Able<\/em> Album<\/a>\u00a0(2009)<\/p>\n

    Three Cinquain Poems<\/a>\u00a0(2009)<\/p>\n

    Mourning the Dead, Cherishing the Living<\/a> (2008)<\/p>\n

    Seeing the Faces<\/a> (2008)<\/p>\n

    An Evolving People\u2019s Temple<\/em><\/a> (2008)<\/p>\n

    The Peoples Temple Planning Commission<\/a> (2007)<\/p>\n

    Why Study Or Reflect On Peoples Temple?<\/a> (2007)<\/p>\n

    Was It Murder or Suicide?<\/a> (2006)<\/p>\n

    The Joiners of Peoples Temple<\/a> (2005)<\/p>\n

    The People\u2019s Temple<\/em>: A Review<\/a> (2005)<\/p>\n

    The Silence That Need Not Be<\/a> (2005)<\/p>\n

    Film Creates Opportunity for Temple Member Reunions<\/a> (2004)<\/p>\n

    Q875 Made by Outsiders<\/a> (2004)<\/p>\n

    Reliving the Love, Recalling the Pain of Temple Experience<\/a> (2004)<\/p>\n

    Sex in the City? Make That, The Commune<\/a> (2004)<\/p>\n

    A Temple Member\u2019s Odyssey<\/a> (2003)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n


    \nRemembrances<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Carol Stahl: A Sweet, Calm Presence<\/a> (2021; published posthumously) <\/p>\n

    Anita Ijames Kelley: A Biographical Sketch<\/a> (2021; published posthumously) <\/p>\n

    Remembering Paul Flowers<\/a> (2017)<\/p>\n

    Anita Ijames Kelley: A Biographical Sketch<\/a> (2017)<\/p>\n

    \u201cTchaiko\u201d meaning \u201cOne who seeks truth\u201d<\/a> (2017)<\/p>\n

    A Memorial to John F. Heneka<\/a>\u00a0(2016)<\/p>\n

    The Death of a Brother<\/a>\u00a0(2015)<\/p>\n

    The Larger Family of Teresa Cobb<\/a>\u00a0(2015)<\/p>\n

    Wanda King Comes Home<\/a>\u00a0(2014)<\/p>\n

    Remembering Odell Rhodes<\/a>\u00a0(2014)<\/p>\n

    The Things You Noticed About Sammie Jones<\/a>\u00a0(2014)<\/p>\n

    Johnny Moss Brown: A Born Leader<\/a>\u00a0(2013)<\/p>\n

    In Remembrance of June Crym Adams<\/a>\u00a0(2013)<\/p>\n

    Remembering Smitty<\/a>\u00a0(2013)<\/p>\n

    Paula Adams: Caught Between Two Men<\/a>\u00a0(2012)<\/p>\n

    Rheaviana Beam: A Kaleidoscope Of Parts<\/a>\u00a0(2012)<\/p>\n

    My Younger Sister Liane Harris<\/a>\u00a0(2011)<\/p>\n

    Alice Inghram: A Remembrance Of A Best Friend<\/a>\u00a0(2011)<\/p>\n

    Evelyn Leroy: The One Who Died In My Place<\/a>\u00a0(2011)<\/p>\n

    Johnnie Mae Yates<\/a>\u00a0(2010)<\/p>\n

    Carolyn Layton: Jonestown\u2019s American Gothic<\/a>\u00a0(2009)<\/p>\n

    Michael Bellefountaine: An Adopted Member of Peoples Temple<\/a> (2007)<\/p>\n

    David Shular: An Appreciation<\/a> (2004)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Laura’s husband Ron Kohl<\/strong> accompanied Laura to Guyana in 2018 and wrote about his experiences in the article My Visit to Guyana<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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