WELCOME TO A 16-WEEK JOURNEY WORKING WITH STORY AS A LIVING BEING!
A course hosted by Metaphora International – Fall 2025
What if Story isn’t just something you tell… but a being you live and collaborate with?
Join an intimate, guided group experience rooted in the groundbreaking course The Biology of Story, created by filmmaker and professor Amnon Buchbinder (1958-2019), who claimed that true Story demonstrates all the properties of life, brings about change, cognition and connection, and even helps us to evolve as a species.
The iteration of the Biology of Story course will be facilitated by Paulo de Tarso Fonseca Silva, Story Mediator and founder of Metaphora International. He was specially invited to teach the Biology of Story by intellectual property owner Resounding Media Inc.
This is not just a study group. It’s about joining a community of inquiry and craft, where stories are not content, but living systems to be listened to and collaborated with through presence, dialogue and transformation, both creative and personal.
This fall, let's experience
Story Mediation is a craft. It’s about learning to listen differently with integrity and presence – to yourself, to others, and to the stories that move through us. It’s inclusive, grounded, and practical. It invites us to engage Story, the living structure and process, as something we honour, respect and collaborate with.
The Udemy Course Materials
...consisting of 16 units of lecture videos and interview clips with story experts, quizzes and short creative writing assignments, helps you to...
Cultivate a flow of inspiration and make a deeper connection to the wellsprings of your creative or professional practice as stories come to you more readily.
Connect with the patterns of Story in your own life to empower imaginative problem-solving and path-finding.
Accomplish more effective communication and collaboration as you use Story to reveal points of connection and deepen empathy.
Identify and resist destructive personal, collective, and social narratives, connecting instead with the life-enhancing processes carried in real stories.
For more information and testimonials, see the Biology of Story Self-Study course informational website:
Meet your guide
Fonseca Silva
Paulo de Tarso, co-founder of Metaphora International, is a Story Mediator, coach, and facilitator passionate about fostering connection and driving meaningful change through Collaborative Storytelling. With a strong background in Education and Hospitality, Paulo works with individuals and teams from diverse backgrounds, creating opportunities for mutual learning, growth and innovation.
As an immigrant, proud father, and published children’s author, Paulo brings a unique blend of creativity, cultural awareness, and professionalism to his work. He specializes in helping people and organizations harness the power of storytelling to:
build trust and authentic communication
develop inclusive practices and sustainable strategies
craft meaningful personal and/or organizational change
promote equity, well-being, and lasting impact
Paulo is excited to share his insights on how we can collaborate with Story—as a living, dynamic presence.
Through Story Mediation
16 weeks of facilitated group sessions (live via Zoom) – with workshops, story-based reflections, dialogue, and practices.
50% off lifelong access to the full Biology of Story Self-Study online course (via Udemy, normally a $99 US value).
Personalized Story Mediation support – Opportunities for deep listening, insight, and action guided by Paulo de Tarso F. Silva.
A peer learning community – storytellers, educators, artists, and coaches, among others.
Certificate of completion from The Biology of Story and Metaphora International.
Curious minds who sense Story as more than “narrative” or “content.”
Educators seeking to deepen their learning practices.
Storytellers, writers, artists, creators of all types, narrative therapists, and change agents wanting to work at a deeper level.
Anyone in a moment of transition or transformation.
Watch: Complete weekly segments of the Biology of Story course (with the group or at your own pace).
Reflect: Apply key ideas and craft stories using the Biology of Story prompts and Metaphora’s Story Mediation practices. Observe how you show up in your own stories.
Connect: Join the weekly 3-hour live sessions to go deeper with Paulo and the group.
Transform: Experience how the meaning of your own stories deepen–and sometimes even shift for the better–when shared and analyzed with the Biology of Story-Metaphora process.
Duration: 16 weeks of live Zoom sessions in English (3 hours sessions, once a week)
When: Saturdays, from September 6 to December 20, 2025
Time: from 8:00 am to 11:00 am (Ottawa time: UTC -4).
*Please click the button to check the time in your location:
Observing daylight saving time
There are limited spots so register early to guarantee yours!
The deadline for registration is September 5th.
$400 US / $550 CAD (or equivalent in Euros) per participant - other arrangements possible upon request and agreement.
Payment by personalized invoice or eTransfer - details will be sent by email.
*Includes lifetime access to The Biology of Story Udemy course + all facilitation (3 hours per week x 16 Saturdays).
Please send me an email for the next steps.
Through Story Mediation
The Magic of Story
The World is Made of Stories
Connected to Stories of Place
The Process of Story
The Structure of Story
The Values of Story
The Habitat of Story
Belief in Story
The Source of Story
The Roots of Story
How Stories Grow
How Stories Connect
Story vs. Anti-Story
Formula Narratives
Fundamentalist Narratives
The New Story
Join Professor Amnon Buchbinder and 14 visionary story practitioners as they reveal the principles that underlie all uses of Story in more than 70 richly illustrated video clips.
"Story is a living thing."
Course Creator/Writer/Director/Producer/Lecturer
Course Co-Producer and “Biology of Story” Instructor at York University, Udemy, and in private workshops
The Biology of Story through Story Mediation - Fall 2025
A course hosted by Metaphora International – Fall 2025