What does it take to make a great story? Boston University’s “The Power of Narrative” conference, held on campus April 29-30, aimed to offer some insights. The event included the kind of writing techniques and “show don’t tell” advice you’d expect (and hope for) at such a gathering. But beyond hearing about the mechanics of narrative [...]
Tag Archives: Gay Talese
Life in the cave: highlights from Boston University’s “The Rebirth of Storytelling” conference
May 10, 2011 – 12:50 pm
Boston University announces 2011 narrative conference roster
March 2, 2011 – 2:47 pm
More conference news for long-form addicts: Boston University has announced the roster for “The Power of Narrative” conference taking place on campus April 29 & 30 of this year. The list of speakers includes some fabulous storytellers: Susan Orlean, New Yorker contributor and author of “The Orchid Thief”; Jill Abramson, managing editor of The New York [...]
Stories inside and outside traditional beats: narrative nods in the winter issue of Nieman Reports
December 13, 2010 – 3:09 pm
One of our sister sites, Nieman Reports, has just posted its latest issue, “The Beat Goes On.” You can take a gander at the issue in its entirety, but we thought we’d include some highlights for those of you with a particular interest in narrative. In “Modern-Day Slavery: A Necessary Beat – with Different Challenges,” [...]
Gay Talese at Boston University narrative conference: “I don’t want something juicy; I want the closest I can get to the truth”
April 24, 2010 – 7:57 am
The son of Italian immigrants grew up in a house where there were virtually no books. In the small, World War II-era town of Ocean City, N.J., Gay Talese spent afternoons listening to plump ladies with deep pockets tell stories from across the counter of his mother’s dress shop. They were talking about the war, [...]
Channeling “The Power of Narrative”: Isabel Wilkerson on Boston University’s April conference
March 29, 2010 – 4:12 pm
Looking for thoughts on narrative from big names in a small setting? We spoke last week with Isabel Wilkerson, director of narrative nonfiction at Boston University’s College of Communication, about the upcoming conference “The Power of Narrative: Timeless Art in an Urgent Age.” Taking place at the University’s Photonics Center April 23 – 24, the event [...]
Narrative nonfiction events and conferences–is there something here for you?
February 22, 2010 – 1:54 pm
While tracking digital narrative experiments, we at Storyboard also aim to keep readers informed about the world of traditional print narratives. Today we’ve compiled a list of upcoming events for fans who want to hear from classic storytellers or learn elements of craft. Here are just a few of the opportunities available, in chronological order: The Society [...]
Interview with Chris Jones: Building a mystery
September 11, 2009 – 11:53 pm
Excerpts from a September 2009 interview with Chris Jones on “The End of Mystery,” in which a team of investigators recovers bodies and determines the cause of a helicopter crash off the coast of Newfoundland: Q: How did you find out about the investigation into the Newfoundland crash? A: I live in Ottawa, Canada. This was a big story [...]
