JONESTOWN 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 Answers High-Schooler’s Questions
Questions from Grace D, a high school Junior in an AP History class in Washington: 1. What was your relationship with other members like in the 1970's? And, I read you are still on contact with other members, what is your relationship like with them today? From the time I first passed through the doors of the Peoples Temple building in Redwood Valley, I found meaningful and delightful friendships with the diverse membership in Peoples Temple. People were genuinely thoughtful and caring. One of my favorite parts of the Temple then was the feeling of being in an “adopted family” with people ...
» continue readingJONESTOWN SURVIVOR – Writes Some Tankas
I am an educator in my life, other than speaking and writing about Peoples Temple and being a Jonestown Survivor. In one of my recent classes, my good friend Mel Takahara came and presented a few form of poetry to my students. He introduced a Tanka. A Tanka is a 31-syllable, 5-line poem, with syllables 5-7-5-7-7. My students have had very tough lives with some of them homeless, some in and out of foster homes during their whole lives, and many other painful and difficult life experiences. They wrote amazing Tankas, which my friend will publish for them. Here ...
» 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’S Thoughts on A NEW LOOK AT JONESTOWN
Jonestown Survivor Reviews Book Review from Kaieteur News On-Line about Eusi Kwayana's book A NEW LOOK AT JONESTOWN: I think this is a great review of Eusi Kwayana's new book - A NEW LOOK AT JONESTOWN. However, the book goes beyond looking at it from a Guyanese point of view. It gives a global look about how poorer countries are easily manipulated to overlook aspects of a group, or even a country's, plan because of an expectation of shared monies. KAIETEUR NEWS ON-LINE: New book on Jonestown by Eusi Kwayana is very good March 28, 2016 | By KNews | Filed Under Letters Dear Editor, On ...
» 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 Writes Foreword for Eusi Kwayana’s New Book
Eusi Kwayana's review of his latest book A NEW LOOK AT JONESTOWN: On November 18, 1978, over 900 members of the Peoples Temple, located not far from the Port Kaituma airstrip, died after drinking cyanide-laced Flavor-Aid. Their suicidal act was attributed to a directive from Reverend JimJones, the religious leader of the commune. Jones himself died from gunshot wounds. Despite the publications of seven books by Jonestown survivors about the incident, many questions remain, including the circumstances surrounding the establishment of the commune and the death of American Congressman, Leo Ryan, who went to Guyana to investigate reports of atrocities ...
» 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 ...
» 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 Responds to High School Students’ Questions
JONESTOWN SURVIVOR Responds to questions from high school students preparing for a National History Championship. I always answer questions from students and curious people of all ages when they have taken the time to write to me about Peoples Temple. Here I have responded to ten questions: What compelled you to join the Peoples Temple? I was in high school and college in the 1960s. In high school in Maryland, I was part of an integrated group that helped integrate a huge local amusement park – I felt that our society had been divided far too long. I also watched many of my ...
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