Lethan Candlish

Creator, Performer
Lethan Candlish is a storyteller, author, and Brain Injury survivor, bringing his experiential insight and expertise to share the story of self-acceptance and self-appreciation after brain trauma. Whilst in the maze of recovery after his Traumatic Brain Injury, Lethan discovered his unique voice in storytelling and eventually earned a graduate degree in the art from East Tennessee State University. His thesis project, "Who Am I, Again? a verbal collage of stories about Brain Injury" has been appreciated at select events throughout the country, including performances at The International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, TN; the Lab Theater at Bloomsburg University, PA; keynote speaker at the Wisconsin Brain Injury Alliance annual conference, and as the initiating project for TBIvoices - performing at the Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, WI. This work eventually inspired his book "Who Am I, Now? Using Storytelling to Accept and Appreciate Self-Identity after Brain Injury" - this book of well-researched inspirational philosophy has been appreciated by survivors and medical professionals around the world. See more information at Amazon.com. In 2012, Lethan took a break from his focus on storytelling and began to work as an English and Drama teacher in both South Korea and China. He has had the privilege and the pleasure of living in multiple cities in both countries and is currently finishing his contract as a drama teacher in the Foreign Studies department at Beijing Public School No.80. While his time abroad has been exquisite and life-changing, he feels it is time to return to the United States and renew his focus on establishing a career in Brain Injury Activism. Lethan's most current project is a film adaptation of his storytelling piece - this is "Telling: the film (www.tellingthefilm.com)" and is being directed by Nathan Williams. The film is a new way of looking at Lethan's established performance by adding a full cast of talented actors and using innovative techniques to traverse the line between film and live performance. This is a film about the importance of Telling Your Story. If you would like to learn more and perhaps be a part of this film project, please speak with Lethan after the performance.