Podcasts about literary journalism

Kate McQueen is the editorial director for the Pollen Initiative and a literary journalist whose work is featured this month for The Atavist Magazine.The story chronicles the story of Carl von Ossietzky, a German journalist imprisoned for his dissent at the start of Hitler's rise to power. A cohort of fellow journalists sought a means to break him out. How did they do it?Newsletter: Rage Against the AlgorithmShow notes: brendanomeara.comSupport: Patreon.com/cnfpod

This week on Under The Ring: Pro Wrestling Conversations, we're joined by the author of the new book "The Six Pack: On the Open Road in Search of WrestleMania," Brad Balukjian. Brad's new book takes a literary and journalistic approach to piecing together an important time in pro wrestling history - the dawn of Hulkamania and the explosion of the WWF. His journey starts with a book project he was working on with the Iron Sheik, who Brad befriended. Brad's further work can be found at www.thebradpack.com

On this episode of Below the Radar, Charlotte Gill, author of the books Ladykiller and Eating Dirt, sits down with Am Johal to explore her latest book, Almost Brown, which shares her experience growing up as a mixed-race child in a multi-cultural/religious household. Charlotte describes the family dynamics that led her Punjabi father to marry her English mother and become estranged from his father, and in turn, the process that led Charlotte to becoming estranged from her own father. The episode ends on a meaningful conversation about how mixed identities narratives have changed across generations, and how the language to discuss those identities have evolved. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/219-charlotte-gill.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/219-charlotte-gill.html Resources: Charlotte Gill: https://charlottegill.com/about/ Almost Brown: https://charlottegill.com/almost-brown/ Ladykiller: Stories: https://charlottegill.com/ladykiller/ Eating Dirt: Deep Forests, Big Timber, and Life with the Tree-Planting Tribe: https://charlottegill.com/eating-dirt/ Bio: Charlotte Gill is the author of Eating Dirt, a national bestseller that won the B.C. National Award for Canadian Nonfiction. Her previous book, Ladykiller, was a Governor General's Award nominee. Charlotte is the Rogers Communications Chair in Literary Journalism at the Banff Centre as well as faculty in the MFA program in creative nonfiction at the University of King's College. Her latest book, Almost Brown, a mixed-race family memoir, is published by Penguin Random House. Cite this episode: Chicago Style Johal, Am. “Almost Brown — with Charlotte Gill.” Below the Radar, SFU's Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Podcast audio, September 19, 2023. https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/219-charlotte-gill.html.

Best selling Australian author of “rural noir”, Garry Disher hopes to be seen as novelist first and crime writer second. American Academic Saar Shahar discusses what sets literary journalism apart from the pack. Paul Gough shares the books that first made him fall for sci-fi .  Three great minds in this week's episode, determined to rise above the throng and give us something worth reading. Guests: Garry Disher, author of “Days End”, the fourth book in his fabulous Hirsch series. Saar Shahar, author of “Among the Anti-vaxxers” recently published in the “North American Review” and American academic with the University of Southern California. Paul Gough, ABC radio producer, sci-fi devotee and music aficionado www.pimpod.com Other books that get a mention: Saar mentions Tom Wolfe's “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test”, “The Right Stuff” and “Bonfire of the Vanities”. Also, “One flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” by Ken Kesey. And, literary journalists Joan Didion and Hunter S Thompson. (“The American Review” was the first literary magazine to be published in the USA, in Boston in 1815.) https://northamericanreview.org https://www.instagram.com/sarshahar Paul mentions “Ringworld” by Larry Niven, “Turtle Diary” & “Riddley Walker' by Russel Hoban and “To Sleep in a Sea of Stars” by Christopher Paolini. INSTA https://www.instagram.com/textpublishing https://www.instagram.com/1234_pimpod        See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Best selling Australian author of “rural noir”, Garry Disher hopes to be seen as novelist first and crime writer second. American Academic Saar Shahar discusses what sets literary journalism apart from the pack. Paul Gough shares the books that first made him fall for sci-fi .  Three great minds in this week's episode, determined to rise above the throng and give us something worth reading. Guests: Garry Disher, author of “Days End”, the fourth book in his fabulous Hirsch series. Saar Shahar, author of “Among the Anti-vaxxers” recently published in the “North American Review” and American academic with the University of Southern California. Paul Gough, ABC radio producer, sci-fi devotee and music aficionado www.pimpod.com Other books that get a mention: Saar mentions Tom Wolfe's “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test”, “The Right Stuff” and “Bonfire of the Vanities”. Also, “One flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” by Ken Kesey. And, literary journalists Joan Didion and Hunter S Thompson. (“The American Review” was the first literary magazine to be published in the USA, in Boston in 1815.) https://northamericanreview.org https://www.instagram.com/sarshahar Paul mentions “Ringworld” by Larry Niven, “Turtle Diary” & “Riddley Walker' by Russel Hoban and “To Sleep in a Sea of Stars” by Christopher Paolini. INSTA https://www.instagram.com/textpublishing https://www.instagram.com/1234_pimpod        See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Hump Day! Sam and Emma host Amy Wilentz, Professor of Literary Journalism at the University of California Irvine and contributing editor at The Nation, to discuss her recent piece in The Nation entitled "Haiti, April 2023: Soon There Will Be No One Left to Kidnap." Then, they're joined by Djene Bajalan, professor of history at Missouri State University, to discuss the upcoming Turkish elections. First, Sam and Emma run through updates on Kevin McCarthy's impending austerity bill, the nomination of Julie Su, John Roberts' ethics crisis, Fox's opposition file on Tucker,  and Bernie's Biden endorsement, before diving into a former Tucker producer's testimony on what's been coming out of Fox News. Professor Amy Wilentz then steps back to walk through the impact of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake in cementing the US-backed rule of Ariel Henry over a country with devastated infrastructure that was falling more and more into the hands of capitalists and gangs, before analyzing the complete neutering of Haiti's governmental forces, be they military or police, the connections between the cops and the criminals, and how these elements bolstered the rise of gangs and human trafficking in the country, leading to its current moment of intense upheaval. Wrapping up, Amy, Sam, and Emma explore what solutions are even viable, and why an election might only serve to reinforce the current moment of chaos. Djene Bajalan then dives into the nationalist discourse ahead of Turkey's election, before walking through the role this election plays in Erdogan's path to supreme power. After tackling the impact of the Turkey-Syria earthquake earlier this year and Erdogan's fascistic response, Sam, Emma, and Djene wrap up the interview by tracing the political movements that have existed alongside Erdogan's reign, and what to expect from their post-election check-in. And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma cover the attacks on Kevin McCarthy's austerity from the right, the silencing of Zooey Zephyr on the Montana house floor, Candace responding to Crowder with infinitely more grit than he provided, and the importance of building new housing.  Cade from Washington dives into the importance of engaging local politics on an individual level, and Kyle from LA starts a long conversation on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the predication of violence, plus, your calls and IMs! Check out Amy's piece here: https://www.thenation.com/article/world/haiti-gangs-ariel-henry-biden/ Follow Djene on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/djenebajalan?lang=en Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: http://majority.fm/app Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattBinder @MattLech @BF1nn @BradKAlsop Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/ Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/

This episode of the Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast, sponsored by Bearing Advisors, Jim Hunt interviews NY Best Selling Author, Sam Quinones, author of Dreamland and The Least of Us. A candid conversation about drug use and homelessness in US cities. The reason the drug world has changed with the Mexican Cartels focusing on synthetic drugs The connection between Meth, Fentanyl and mental health issues and homelessness Rethinking homelessness, drug addiction, rehab and jail time New forms of jail for homeless and drug charges How Walmart's shoplifting issues are interconnected to drug problems in US towns and cities How the drug abuse problem has evolved into a poisoning  The interconnection between drug trafficking, gun smuggling, immigration and the US/Mexican trade policies How Clarksburg WV and other communities have been impacted by the drug issues The power of the community and churches in addressing some of the drug and homeless issues for a short-term solution   ·       And, much more   7 Steps to an Amazing City:   1.     Attitude 2.     Motivation 3.     Attention to Detail 4.     Zing 5.     Inclusiveness 6.     Neighborhood Empowerment 7.     Green Awareness Thanks for listening and look forward to having you join us for the next episode.   Links Mentions During Show:  www.samquinones.com ·       www.AmazingCities.org ·       www.AmazingCities.org/podcast to be a guest on the podcast   About  Sam Quinones Sam Quinones (pronounced Kin-YOH-Ness) is a Los Angeles-based freelance journalist, a reporter for 35 years, and author of four acclaimed books of narrative nonfiction. He is a veteran reporter on immigration, gangs, drug trafficking, the border. He is formerly a reporter with the L.A. Times, where he worked for 10 years. Before that, he made a living as a freelance writer residing in Mexico for a decade (1994-2004). His latest book, released in November, 2021, is The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth. (The book is released in paperback in November, 2022.) In The Least of Us, Quinones chronicles the emergence of a drug-trafficking world producing massive supplies of synthetic drugs (fentanyl and meth) cheaper and deadlier than ever, marketing to the population of addicts created by the nation's opioid epidemic, as the backdrop to tales of Americans' quiet attempts to recover community through simple acts of helping the vulnerable. With The Least of Us, Quinones broke the story of how the methamphetamine now produced in Mexico has covered the U.S. and is creating widespread and rapid-onset symptoms of schizophrenia, becoming in the process a major driver in the country's the homeless problem. In January 2022, The Least of Us was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) award for Best Nonfiction Book of 2021. The Least of Us follows his landmark Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic (Bloomsbury, 2015), which ignited awareness of the epidemic that has cost the United States hundreds of thousands of lives and become deadliest drug scourge in the nation's history. Dreamland won a National Book Critics Circle award for the Best Nonfiction Book of 2015. It was also selected as one of the Best Books of 2015 by Amazon.com, the Daily Beast, Buzzfeed, Seattle Times, Boston Globe, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Entertainment Weekly, Audible, and in the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg Business by Nobel economics laureate, Prof. Angus Deaton, of Princeton University. In 2021, GQ Magazine selected Dreamland as one of the “50 Best Books of Literary Journalism of the 21 st Century” Dreamland was selected as one the Best 10 True-Crime Books of all time based on lists, surveys, and ratings of more than 90 million Goodread.com readers. In 2019, Slate.com selected Dreamland as one of the 50 best nonfiction books of the last 25 years. For Dreamland, Quinones has testified before the U.S. Senate's Health Committee, numerous professional conferences of judges, doctors, librarians, hospital administrators and at more than two-dozen town hall meetings in small towns across the country. A Young Adult version of Dreamland – for 7 th through 12 th graders -- was released in July of 2019. His first two books grew from his 10 years living and working as a freelance writer in Mexico (1994-2004).   True Tales From Another Mexico: The Lynch Mob, the Popsicle Kings, Chalino and the Bronx was released in 2001. It is a cult classic of a book from Mexico's vital margins – stories of drag queens and Oaxacan Indian basketball players, popsicle makers and telenovela stars, migrants, farm workers, a narcosaint, a slain drug balladeer, a slum boss, and a doomed tough guy.   In 2007, he came out with Antonio's Gun and Delfino's Dream: True Tales of Mexican Migration. In it, Quinones narrates the saga of the Henry Ford of Velvet Painting, and of how an opera scene emerged in Tijuana, and how a Zacatecan taco empire formed in Chicago. He tells the tale of the Tomato King, of a high-school soccer season in Kansas, and of Mexican corruption in a small L.A. County town. Threading through the book are three tales of Delfino Juarez, a modern Mexican Huck Finn. Quinones ends the collection in a chapter called "Leaving Mexico" with his harrowing tangle with the Narco-Mennonites of Chihuahua.  Dagoberto Gilb, reviewing Antonio's Gun in the San Francisco Chronicle, called him “the most original writer on Mexico and the border.”   Contact him at www.samquinones.com or samquinones7@yahoo.com.   About Your Host, Jim Hunt: Welcome to the “Building Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast” … The podcast for Mayors, Council Members, Managers, Staff and anyone who is interested in building an Amazing City.   Your host is Jim Hunt, the author of “Bottom Line Green, How American Cities are Saving the Planet and Money Too” and his latest book, “The Amazing City - 7 Steps to Creating an Amazing City”   Jim is also the former President of the National League of Cities, 27 year Mayor, Council Member and 2006 Municipal Leader of the Year by American City and County Magazine.   Today, Jim speaks to 1000's of local government officials each year in the US and abroad.   Jim also consults with businesses that are bringing technology and innovation to local government.   Amazing City Resources:   Buy Jim's Popular Books: ·       The Amazing City: 7 Steps to Creating an Amazing City:   https://www.amazingcities.org/product-page/the-amazing-city-7-steps-to-creating-an-amazing-city   ·       Bottom Line Green: How America's Cities and Saving the Planet (And Money Too)  https://www.amazingcities.org/product-page/bottom-line-green-how-america-s-cities-are-saving-the-planet-and-money-too   FREE White Paper: ·       “10 Steps to Revitalize Your Downtown”  www.AmazingCities.org/10-Steps   Hire Jim to Speak at Your Next Event: ·       Tell us about your event and see if dates are available at www.AmazingCities.org/Speaking   Hire Jim to Consult with Your City or Town: ·       Discover more details at https://www.amazingcities.org/consulting   Discuss Your Business Opportunity/Product to Help Amazing Cities: ·       Complete the form at https://www.amazingcities.org/business-development   A Special Thanks to Bearing Advisors for the support of this podcast:  www.BearingAdvisors.Net  

Photographic historian & writer Michael Lesy joins the show to celebrate his amazing new book, WALKER EVANS: LAST PHOTOGRAPHS & LIFE STORIES (Blast Books). We get into his friendship with Evans & their shared interest in Lyrical Documentary, why Evans' last photos were dismissed by academics (even though they are, in fact, amazing), what he learned from writing a mini-biography of Evans for the book, how Evans returned to one of his first cameras — the Polaroid SX-70 — in his last year, and what Michael felt seeing his late wife among the final portraits Evans shot. We also get into Michael's ~50-year career from Wisconsin Death Trip to now, how reading the Russians — especially Turgenev — turned him into a writer, how he feels about everyone taking pictures on their phones, and the importance of understanding photo history. Plus, we discuss how he taught Literary Journalism at my alma mater, Hampshire College, for ~30 years, the audition test he gave his students so they could write their way into his class, why students became much more frail over the decades, and a LOT more. More info at our site • Support The Virtual Memories Show via Patreon or Paypal

The Jerusalem Quarterly Dakkak Award winner Adey Almohsen in this episode takes us back to the Jerusalem of the 1960s when a generation of Palestinians who experienced the Nakba began to consider how to elaborate this tragic event through literature and poetry. His award winning essay which will be published in the Jerusalem Quarterly looks at the al-Ufuq al-Jadid magazine published by Ammin Shunnar until 1967 when the Israeli captured East Jerusalem. In this episode we talked about the magazine and how East Jerusalem became a hub of cultural production and consumption during the so-called Jordanian era. As we are looking forward to read the full article, this episode, we hope, will add an important element to the history of Jerusalem. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Amy Wilentz - Journalist, Writer and Professor of English at the University of California, Irvine where she teaches in the Literary Journalism program. She received a 2013 National Book Critics Circle Award for her memoir, “Farewell, Fred Voodoo: A Letter from Haiti,” as well as a 2020 Guggenheim Fellowship in General Nonfiction. She will join Tavis to discuss the civil unrest in Haiti that currently has the country in a chokehold

The retiring editor of The American Scholar magazine reflects on decades producing literary journalism, why he always supported women writers, and the role of journalists in turbulent times.

National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award and Man Booker finalist Rachel Kushner discusses her new collection of nonfiction, The Hard Crowd: Essays 2000-2020, with fellow author Hari Kunzru (author of Red Pill and White Tears). The two authors discuss self-examination vs. self-mythologizing in writing about one's own life, writing about other people without making them into "nostalgic baubles", and the many life experiences, inspirations, and artistic points of reference that informed this collection. (Recorded April 8, 2021)

UVic writing profs David Leach and Deborah Campbell discuss what makes some types of journalism "literary".

Shayna Marks is a social media OG. Signing up for Facebook in her dorm-room in the fall of 2004 at UC Irvine, she had no idea that this platform would change the world—and be the place she spent her career telling the stories she was learning to write as a Literary Journalism major. Fifteen years later, Shayna has spent the last decade working in and around social media. After spending seven years working in startups and digital marketing companies, Shayna left the corporate world in 2016 to open her own boutique social media marketing agency, Citrine Marketing, Inc.Follow Shayna:https://www.instagram.com/socialwithshayna/https://www.socialwithshayna.com/Follow Carrie and watch these interviews on IG live:https://www.instagram.com/bra_network/https://www.bra-network.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Support this podcast at patreon.com/qaf or paypal.me/RissyMcCool Part of my graduation requirement for the MFA writing program at Augsburg University is to do a craft paper, and then a presentation on that paper. Since the entire year is canceled, a unique opportunity to do this craft paper in the form of a podcast was available, and that's how I decided to do so. Podcast friends, meet my classmates. Classmates, podcast friends. Special thanks to those who contributed their voices to this presentation: Jamie Randall, Steve Shives, Callie Wright, and Don Ford Jr. “Reclaiming Power and Agency With the Subjective ‘I' in Travel Writing.” This talk examines the roots of supposed “objectivity” in travel writing and how the idea was utilized as a form of Euro-imperialism, exploiting culture through the lens of the elite and privileged, all the while gatekeeping truth as a form of social science and expression. Reclaiming agency in one's own work by being willing to put oneself in it is an act of rejecting the idea that removing oneself from it is somehow objective and, therefore, truth. Travel writing specifically has a history of using the lens of privileged, elite-educated, European white men as the objective truth to both control the narrative and justify their actions, and this piece will dismantle that idea and argue for the validity and value in the subjective nature of personal narrative in travel writing.Works CitedBohannon, Paul. Van Der Elst, Dirk. Asking and Listening: Ethnography as Personal Adaptation. Long Grove, Illinois. Waveland Press, Inc. 1998.Dann, Graham. “Writing Out the Tourist in Space and Time.” Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 26, no. 1, 1999, pp. 159–187.Daston, Lorraine. “Objectivity and the Escape from Perspective.” Social Studies of Science, vol. 22, no. 4, 1992, pp. 597–618.Espey, David. Writing the Journey: Essays, Stories, and Poems on Travel. Pearson Education Inc. 2005. Fussell, Paul. Abroad : British Literary Traveling between the Wars. 1st pbk. ed., 1st pbk. ed., Oxford University Press, 1982. Griffiths, Morwena, and Gale MacLeod. “Personal Narratives and Policy: Never the Twain?” Journal of Philosophy of Education, vol. 42, Aug. 2008, pp. 121–143. Grover, Linda LeGarde. Onigamiising: Seasons of an Ojibwe Year. University of Minnesota Press, MN. 2017. Gutkind, Lee. You Can't Make This Stuff Up : The Complete Guide to Writing Creative Nonfiction--From Memoir to Literary Journalism and Everything in Between. 1st Da Capo Press ed., Da Capo Press/Lifelong Books, 2012.Hemley, Robin. A Field Guide for Immersion Writing : Memoir, Journalism, and Travel. University of Georgia Press, 2012. McCool, Marissa Alexa. The PC Lie: How American Voters Decided I Don't Matter. Wyrmwood Publishing and Editing, 2016. Oswalt, Patton. Silver Screen Fiend: Learning About Life From An Addiction to Film. Scribner. New York, NY. 2015.Pratt, Mary. Imperial Eyes: Travel Writing and Transculturation. London: Routledge. 1992Rickly-Boyd, Jillian. “The Tourist Narrative.” Tourist Studies, vol. 9, no. 3, 2009, pp. 259-280.Riessman, Catherine. “Exporting Ethics: A Narrative About Narrative Research in South India.” Health, vol. 9, no. 4, 2005, pp. 473–490.Rush, Elizabeth. Rising: Dispatches From the New American Shore. Milkweed Publications. Minneapolis, Minnesota. 2018. Vowell, Sarah. Assassination Vacation. New York. Simon and Schuster. 2005. “Wow. The Trump Administration just filed a statement of interest in CT to argue that girls who are trans are ‘biological males' and it violates Title IX to protect trans people. The audacity. This is so cruel.” 2020. Twitter. @chasestrangio.

Stranger than Fiction - The Art of Literary Journalism

We are so pleased to speak with writer and editor Vivian Lee about the importance of literary community, what it was like for her to work in publishing at Little A/Amazon, and how our industry has changed over the past decade. We also discuss California Pizza Kitchen, fusion cuisine, and the immigrant experience--finding the perfect Mother's Day present for the mother who traveled 7,000 miles for you--and how Vivian's writing and editing processes start with specific ideas and images and branch out to address the larger questions, both in the piece and in life. Vivian Lee is a writer and book editor. Her book list includes Matthew Salesses' The Hundred-Year Flood, Viet Dinh's After Disasters (PEN/Faulkner Finalist), Naima Coster's Halsey Street (Kirkus Prize Finalist), and Harold Schechter's Hell's Princess (A Washington Post Bestseller). She specializes in literary fiction and narrative nonfiction, including true crime, memoir, essays, and long-form reporting. In both fiction and nonfiction, she is interested in a strong story or narrative usually dealing with identity or relationships of any kind (family, personal versus body/nature/man. She is a 2018 PW Rising Star Honoree. Her writing can be found at The Los Angeles Times, Eater, ELLE.com, Catapult, and more. She graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a BA in Literary Journalism and from the New School University in New York with a MFA in Creative Writing (Non-Fiction). Originally from Los Angeles, she now resides in Queens. You can meet with her at https://manuscriptacademy.com/vivian-lee, and you can listen to the Carly Rae Jepsen song she mentions, For Sure, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7SVEmuAsvI

Demonstrations that started peacefully in Hong Kong more than six months ago have grown increasingly confrontational. On December 10, Professor Jeffrey Wasserstrom of the University of California, Irvine, called in from Hong Kong to deliver his thoughts and observations from the ground to a National Committee teleconference. A long time analyst of protest in pre-1949 China and different parts of the PRC in recent decades, he traveled to Hong Kong in early December, after having last been there in early June when protests began, and shared his perspective on recent events and what he heard and learned from people who have been living through them.   Jeffrey Wasserstrom is Chancellor’s Professor of History at the University of California, Irvine, where he also holds courtesy appointments in Law and in Literary Journalism. He has just completed work on Vigil: Hong Kong on the Brink, a short book that will be published in February 2020 by Columbia Global Reports. His past books include China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know (co-authored by Maura Elizabeth Cunningham), the third edition of which came out from Oxford University Press in 2018, and Student Protests in Twentieth-Century China: The View from Shanghai (Stanford, 1991). A former member of the Board of Directors of the National Committee, he writes regularly for newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals.

About Shayna:Shayna Marks is the Founder/Principal of Citrine Marketing, a boutique social media agency serving emerging lifestyle and wellness brands. With a degree in Literary Journalism from UC Irvine, Shayna considers herself first and foremost a brand storyteller. She has almost a decade of experience in digital marketing and built her career in the social media trenches at some of the biggest media companies and startups.Website: citrinemarketing.com Instagram: @citrinemarketing

I was struck by one theme that kept appearing in the past 100 Business of Story episodes – How stories transport us. A true story well told connects emotionally and inspires. It moves people. Aligns teams. Connects with customers. Grows revenue. And will amplify your impact. [caption id="attachment_23298" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Image from a favorite Photoshop artists, James Popsys, who explored visual storytelling on the Business of Story podcast.[/caption] Thank you for listening to the Business of Story. I've enjoyed all of your wonderful notes about the impact the show and our guests have had on you. And how you have grown as storytellers to literally nudge the world in any direction you choose. You rock! Now, I want to up the ante, to go all in by refining, clarifying and focusing my own Business of Story story. To help you do the same in your business.  From episodes 102 and beyond, nothing in the Business of Story will make sense except in the light of connection: helping purpose-driven leaders like you clarify your story to grow revenue and amplify your impact in the world by connecting you with your audiences, and moving them to action, through the power of true business stories well told. This is my singular focus for the Business of Story, and it has taken me 100 episodes to finally arrive at this focus. Plus, a great deal of help from my good friend, Greg Head. More on that, and him, in a bit. What you’ll get out of this show: How to find and articulate the unique purpose that drives you and your organization. How to clarify that story with lots of examples and resources for you. How to use the impact you’ll make as the launching point for the epic growth of your organization. You see, after 100 amazing guests – story artists from around the world who have been on our show helping you craft and tell compelling stories that sell – this theme of igniting the growth of purpose-driven leaders through the power of story has expressed itself. I realized that some of my favorite episodes were with people whose personal stories were much larger than their brand story, and in fact, influenced the direction of their organizations. Like Vincent Stanley, for instance. He’s the Director of Philosophy for the outdoor retailer, Patagonia. He was one of my first guests back in July of 2015. And he talked about how Patagonia essentially invented story marketing in their first product catalogs when they opened in 1973. Their mission is to turn customers into activists to help protect our wilderness. A pretty important purpose, especially for an outdoor company. Another episode I refer to often is the one I did with Hollywood story consultant, Jen Grisanti. She wrote an amazing book called Change Your Story, Change Your Life. Jen not only teaches and coaches movie and TV screenwriters how to perfect their craft but also how to live into a bigger story. This episode explores the important question: “What is your personal dilemma connected to your professional pursuit?” What’s the conflict in your story and how does your brand help your customers overcome that conflict to get what they want? No conflict no story. How about the conflict around the stuff cramming your home? Michele and I are in the process of a move, and mucking out 30 years of stuff is a major pain in the ass. Brian Scudamore, the founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK, joined to talk about how he grew the brand to become worth in the neighborhood of a quarter-billion dollars all on the premise that he is not in the junk business, but the leadership business that happens to haul junk. Now that’s a focused, purpose-driven business. I’ve learned that if you truly want to live into a bigger story for your personal and professional brand, then you must find a purpose greater than yourself to serve. The purpose of the Business of Story has always been to help people live into and prosper from their most powerful story. But that line is too vague for some people.  It ultimately comes down to helping leaders of purpose-driven organizations clarify their story of growing their revenue and amplifying their impact. I know I’m repeating myself from the top of the show, but I want to be crystal clear with you what this is all about. And, I want to underscore that it is critically important for you, too, to be “crystal clear” with your personal or professional brand story. Because if you’re not, you will drown in the sea of sameness that we all compete in. And I’ve found that when you get your brand story straight, everything else comes into alignment.  Everything else gets easier. You say “no” to more things and “yes” to the fewer, but the most important, things. My Origin Story Two years ago I was a total story geek. Ok, I still am. My goal for the first 100 episodes was to help you understand and appreciate the power of storytelling in your business and in your life so that you would become more intentional about it; connect with people at a deeper level; and advance your visions and mission further faster. I had the help of my friend Jay Baer at Convince & Convert who helped me produce and distribute my first year-and-a-half worth of shows with great people like Jess Ostroff of Don’t Panic Management. The past 20 or so shows have been produced by Brian Adoff of Riveting FM out of Philadelphia. He has brought a musician’s ear to the quality of the production and some terrific marketing insight as well. Thanks for that, Brian. Lisa Loeffler of Genuine Media has assisted me in the distribution and advertising for the show, as well as my speaking engagements: an invaluable part of my team. I can’t recommend these two enough if you need to build a virtual team. My focus has been on sharing how stories work, the architecture of epic stories, and how to use them in your business. If you’re an avid listener, then you probably know my story by now. So here’re the cliff notes… I’ve been in advertising for more than 30 years, ran my own agency for 20 years, and for the past 15 years, I have been steeped in business storytelling. My deep dive into brand storytelling began around 2004 when I noticed that our traditional advertising work wasn’t nearly as effective as it used to be. As I often say in my speaking engagements and workshops; “Brands used to own the influence of mass media, but now the masses are the media, and they are your brand storytellers. You and your brand must become the story maker.” One of my favorite examples of a brand doing this very thing is AirBnB. They do a heroic job of placing their customers – both their homeowners and guests – at the center of their brand story. Then they make it easy for them to share their stories. I love their tagline, Belong Anywhere. AirBnB is selling inclusion and freedom: two pretty dynamic concepts, and an especially powerful purpose, given this moment – and let’s hope it’s just a moment – in Trump time. By the way, have you seen Sweden’s latest story marketing campaign? The country just listed itself on AirBnB and its purpose is plain to see: "Explore the Freedom to Roam.”  Sure, they’re ultimately going after tourists, but they do it with such a beautiful purpose that plays to the sensibilities of reasonable and fun loving people. Take a listen, and then go to our show notes to see the video. Ok, so I digressed a bit. I get so excited when I come across smart story marketing. I was telling you my story about how I realized the impact you can have when you become an intentional storyteller: Telling stories on purpose. I learned that storytelling held the key to reconnecting with audiences, so I started studying everything I could find on the subject. It really started in 2006. Our middle son Parker went to film school at Chapman University in Orange, CA. I asked him to send me his textbooks when he was finished with them – after all, we were paying for them – so I could learn what Hollywood knew about captivating audiences through story. Plus, I suppose I wanted to vet this college education to see how Chapman prepared eager filmmakers to be competitive in the most competitive storytelling market in the world: Hollywood. I realize now that this was my creative right brain diving into storytelling. At the same time, our youngest son Caed had to undergo brain surgery to reduce swelling in his ventricles. During the run up to survey, Caed went through a battery of tests, and Michele and I read everything we could absorb about the brain and how it functions under the significant stress of encephalitis. One of the books I found, which has become my favorite on storytelling, is The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make us Human, by Jonathan Gottschall. In it, he explores the intersection of story structure with brain structure and how our minds yield helplessly to the suction of story. Jonathan became a long-distance friend of mine, has been kind enough to lecture twice to my students at Arizona State University, and he was also one of my first guests on the Business of Story podcast. In hindsight, I realized that I, too, was living at the intersection of right brain Hollywood storytelling and left brain story mechanics as I was learning from the journeys both of our sons were on. This is when I was introduced to Joseph Campbell and his universal story structure of The Hero’s Journey, and why it connects so powerfully with the deep reaches of our mind: the subconscious where our intuitive decisions are made that shape our beliefs and behaviors. Note: The creator of What makes a her0?, Matthew Winkler, joined us on the Business of Story podcast. Hear how he created one of the most watched videos in the TEDEd library. During this time between 2006 and 2010, I found myself at the crossroads of the neuroscience of storytelling – how we’re pre-wired from birth to make meaning through stories – with the architecture of stories – how to use them to connect with people on a very primal level and move them to action. Since then, our two boys are doing great. Caed is a healthy 23-year-old composer and producer of EDM, or Electronic Dance Music, and a DJ, and Parker is pursuing his dream of becoming a filmmaker in downtown Hollywood. He pays the bills as a sought after motion designer, and you can see his work in the new CBS game show, Candy Crush. Now that I was armed with the why and how of business storytelling, I created the Story Cycle system that is inspired by Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. Instead of his 17 steps, I’ve mapped it to 10 steps that any business can use for high-level brand story strategy development right down to tactical creative elements including TV spots, web user experience design, blog posts, print ads, sales presentations… you name it. [caption id="attachment_23305" align="alignright" width="300"] Download your DIY Brand Story workbook.[/caption] I was so excited to share with the world what I had learned, and the success we were having with our clients, that I began pursuing all of the brightest minds in storytelling to share their brilliance with you. To be totally honest, I was being self-serving, too, Because I get to learn right along with you with every episode. That alone makes all of the cost and effort of a podcast worth it. One of my early successes was having legendary screenwriting coach, Robert McKee, on the show. We had such a wonderful conversation, he returned for an encore performance. By the way, you will find links to each of the episodes I mention in our show notes. I first met McKee when I attended his four-day Story Seminar in the LAX Sheraton in 2010. Parker joined me. He was there to advance his filmmaking screenwriting chops, along with about 200 of his competitors, and I was there to learn what a marketer like me could learn about Hollywood storytelling to make our creative more impactful.   After the seminar, McKee invited me to his Connecticut home to interview him for my podcast. Now, this was not for the Business of Story, but for my very first flailing attempt at podcasting. I had never done one before and I showed up in his living room with my little Zoom recorder and my wits. I placed the recorder between me and him on the sofa, and away we went. For three friggin’ hours. He was so kind and generous with his knowledge on screenwriting and how we can use it in our businesses, and I was making it up and learning as I went. This remarkable experience underscores a fundamental premise that Joseph Campbell talks about when you follow your bliss, and by bliss, he means the authentic story you have the courage to live into. “When you follow your bliss, doors will open where there were only walls before.” – Joseph Campbell Robert McKee and his lovely wife Mia, open their home and their world to me. And for that, I will be forever grateful. You can still listen to that session, edited into ten 10-minutes segments on Soundcloud. If you don’t know the man and his work, all you have to do is watch this scene in the Spike Jonze’ movie, Adaptation, starring Nicholas Cage as struggling screenwriter, Charlie Kaufman. Actor Brian Cox portrays McKee as he responds to Kaufman’s question during, presumably, his famous Story seminar. Any questions? Ok, take a deep breath. Another one of my favorites was a guy who epitomizes the intersection of science and story, and that is Dr. Randy Olson. He is a Harvard Ph.D. Biologist who also graduated from the USC film school. Randy has produced three documentaries on the environment and climate change and has written three books to help scientist become better communicators through the power of storytelling. His latest book, Houston, We Have a Narrative: Why Science Needs Story, is my favorite scientific look at storytelling.  The book focuses on the And, But and Therefore construct to creating stories. It’s so simple and yet so powerful. I call it the DNA of story. I’m honored to say that Randy has become a good friend, and he’s been on my show twice. The first time talking about the ABT. And his most recent appearance was the day after the election. He dissected Trump’s narrative intuition and why he won the election because he out-storied the Democrats. “America used to be great. America is no longer great. I’ll make America great again.” Three acts. Set up, problem, resolution. One that may become the most successful use of the ABT of all time. Olson’s Trump episode is one of my most listened to from around the world. I even had some friends reach out to me in disgust suggesting that I was capitalizing on Trump’s victory for my own Business of Story gain by highlighting his narrative intuition. My response to them, and you if you feel the same way, is that you must understand the magic to combat the spell. Listen to all of Trump’s ramblings through the lens of the basal ABT structure, and you’ll get a whole new appreciation for how he hoodwinks his base, goes against reason and demolishes the Democrats. The Dems simply don’t know how to connect with America through a story. Olson’s purpose is to advance science by helping big thinkers connect with the rest of us. His vehicle happens to be the ABT, the DNA of story. Another of my favorite authors is Lisa Cron, who wrote Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence. Lisa came on the show to explore the art and science of storytelling to help you with your brand narratives. While Lisa’s book is about guiding fiction writers in writing the next epic novel, Lee Gutkind, the founder of Creative Nonfiction and author of several books including, You Can’t Make This Stuff Up: The Complete Guide to Writing Creative Nonfiction from Memoir to Literary Journalism, is the foremost authority on the art of sharing true stories well-told. These two approaches are important to brand storytelling because you want to tell true stories about how your product or service have empowered and leveled up your customers while using brain science to understand and appreciate how to craft and tell your stories.    Clarify your story, amplify your impact and simplify your life We’ve used the 10-step Story Cycle system to help Clinica Adelante reframe its brand story from a 30-year-old community health center to a national leader in sustainable healthcare, and they have grown by 300 percent in the past five years. Goodwill of Central Arizona has used or Story Cycle system to grow from 17 stories doing $24 million in annual sales in 2003 to nearly 100 stores doing north of $140 million in sales today, with the proceeds going to workforce development programs that help put a record number of Arizonans back to work. Their purpose? Good stuff, good work, Goodwill. Coca-Cola used our storytelling to launch an eco-driving program with its 60,000 fleet drivers and their staff in 2010. They double their expected gains in fuel efficiency in the first three months of the initiative. What do these three clients have in common? They all pursued a purpose greater than just selling products and services and making money. And they used intentional storytelling – telling stories on purpose – to achieve epic growth. That is the power of a purpose-driven organization over its traditional, status-quo competitor who focuses on the bottom line, short-term gains and investor returns over empowering the people and the communities it serves. Tell your stories on purpose That’s why now, as we move into our third year of producing the Business of Story podcast, our sole focus is to help leaders of purpose-driven organizations like yours clarify your story to grow revenue and amplify your impact. What we make is the proven Story Cycle system with tools and techniques to help you become an intentional storyteller. But what we make happen is helping you become a more powerful communicator, connect with audiences like you never have before, motivate and inspire people to action, and advance your mission, initiative or cause further, faster than you ever imagined. What we make happen is what drives our purpose: to help people live into and prosper from their most powerful stories. Learning moment: Are you telling brand stories about what you make, or what you make happen? Stories about the human impact you are having; how you are leveling them up. Stories about how you deliver on your ultimate brand purpose. You see, when you tell stories about what you make, your are immediately commoditizing yourself and your offering. You start to drown in the sea of sameness. But when you tell stories about what you make happen, then you will rise above the noise and be heard. Red Bull doesn’t sell you a highly addictive concoction of caffeine, taurine, and sugar. Their story Gives You Wings. Actually, the higher brand purpose was defined by its founder, Dietrich Mateschitz, when he started his company: “Red Bull gives wings to people and ideas.” Now isn’t that a bit more compelling than selling just an energy drink? It must be because Red Bull not only invented the category. They still own nearly half of the worldwide market for energy drinks. Let’s face it, without a good story that connects on a primal, visceral level with your audiences – making them truly feel something – then you’re just more noise in the cacophony of communication we all swim  – and drown – in. Without a focused story that clarifies the uniqueness, relevance, and urgency of your brand offering you will be marooned in the sea of sameness that we all encounter in this age of abundance. Your customers – just like my customers – simply have too many choices to choose from. What’s going to make you rise to the top of your food chain? Without a defined point to your story – a supreme focus on what you do better than anyone else buttressed by a compelling purpose – you will languish in the land of commoditization. In fact, declaring your number one position in the marketplace, what you do better than anyone else in terms of features and benefits, is your first step out of the primordial muck of commoditization. And your defined purpose is your lifeline. So I’m taking my own advice. As I mentioned, my friend Greg Head, who was the head of marketing for Infusionsoft and helped them become a $100 million dollar company in 10 years because of their extreme focus on sales and marketing software for small business, helped me define my brand focus of working with purpose-driven leaders. It’s important, too, because I am competing in an increasingly crowded industry of business storytelling.    Some of my competitors I admire most – some friends, some acquaintances, and some strangers – include Donald Miller and his StoryBrand process. I’ve done his program myself for my Business of Story brand. StoryBrand’s focus is to help small business grow their sales by clarifying their story on their websites. My interesting connection to Don, even though I’ve never met him, is that his best-selling book. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, and it’s overall theme of “What makes a great story also makes a great life,” had a profound impact on me as I was creating the Story Cycle system. In fact, I went to Don’s very first seminar in Portland in 2010, long before he created his StoryBrand process, to guide my thinking on how to help people live into their most powerful stories. In fact, I went to Don’s very first seminar in Portland in 2010, long before he created his StoryBrand process, to guide my thinking on how to help people live into their most powerful stories. Another terrific professional in the storytelling game, and a guy I count as a friend is Michael Margolis of GetStoried. When I think of Michael and the international work he does, I think of storytelling around innovation. He works with large, global brands, including the likes of Google, Deloitte, and NASA, to help them further innovation within their organizations. Michael is definitely the innovation story guy in my book. If you’re looking for business storytelling in the tech world with a twist, then I’d definitely send you to Kathy Klotz-Guest. If you’ve ever seen HBO’s Silicon Valley, Mike Judge’s hysterical TV series about, well, Silicon Valley, then you’ll get a sense of Kathy. She is a technology veteran, stand up comic and marketer extraordinaire who uses storytelling to help her clients curb what she calls, “jargon-monoxide,” you know, that curse-of-the-expert malady that puts audiences to sleep, or worse, with their inane use of jargon. She coined one of my favorite terms in Business Storytelling, Jargon-monoxide. These are just three of many fellow storytellers, each with a focused brand position: Don Miller’s StoryBrand for small businesses. Michael Margolis’ Get Storied for large organization innovation, and Kathy Klotz-Guest for the tech world.   By the way, you can hear both Michael and Kathy on my Business of Story show – again, see the show notes for links. And Don, consider this an open invitation to come on my show. Like Michael and Kathy, I admire your work and what you stand for. Hey, I even invested in your Blue Like Jazz movie. That was a brilliant crowd-sourced move, by the way, to raise your final quarter million to get the movie finished. Michele and I loved the movie, and it was great fun seeing our names among the thousands of executive producers. I help leaders tell their brand stories on purpose And me? My purpose is to help leaders of purpose-driven organizations like you clarify your story to drive revenue and amplify your success. And I deliver on my purpose in three different ways… I help you clarify your brand story through our proven Story Cycle system. In fact, if you tuned into my show two weeks ago, you heard me take Jonathan Barney through the Story Cycle system to clarify his brand story around his restaurant service training platform and focus his purpose of helping people live a tastier life. In addition to clarifying your brand story, I also offer the Storytelling for Leaders and Storytelling for Sales 6-month deliberate practice training programs. Once your brand story is crystal clear, these programs help you find and tell the stories that shape the behaviors that create the culture that drives epic performance. Around your purpose. Essentially, we help you find the true stories within your brand and show you how to tell them well in your advertising, marketing and sales to connect with your audiences. True stories well told. The Storytelling for Leaders and Storytelling for Sales deliberate practice programs come from another amazing story outfit, this time in Melbourne, Australia. Shawn Callahan and Mark Schenk created these programs 13 years ago and have worked with brands around the world to build storytelling cultures. This offering is the ideal extension to the Business of Story, and I have become a certified partner delivering these proven programs. Why do purpose-driven organizations need to practice business storytelling now, more than ever, to amplify your impact? Because business is more complex than ever.  How do you describe your place in the world to your staff, employees, customers, shareholders and other stakeholders when so much external chaos impacts you?   Chaos like growing competition in this time of abundance A widening economic divide between the haves and have-nots The significant environmental and social impacts of climate change Social injustice and unrest A White House and its cronies that appear hell bent on alienating America from the rest of the world In fact, I spent 12 days in The Netherlands a couple of weeks ago working with our ASU students. Guess what the prevailing sentiment is towards our president? I heard this from business leaders, bureaucrats, and bartenders. They ask all in their own way: “How did you Americans let this happen and what are you going to do about it?” You don’t think this president is going to impact your business, think again. And what stories are you telling your employees to keep them all focused on your purpose to grow your sales and amplify your impact: the three things you actually have control over? I’m afraid power points, infographics, snapchats and tweets aren’t going to do it for you anymore. By the way, I reminded our students in Amsterdam that power points don’t kill audiences. Presenters using bullets in power points do. Don’t believe me? Just listen to Janine Kurnoff of the Presentation Company on Business of Story to learn how to bring storytelling to all of your communications so you can cut through the clutter and connect.   Or tune into Nick Gray of Museum Hack on how to bring adventure to your brand through storytelling. And on that note, take in my conversation with the ultimate conspirator to business success, Robert Rose on why you must turn your adjectives and adverbs into adventures in your story marketing. Stories connect in our disconnected world Another reason why story is more important now than ever is that our uberly connected world has created a massive malady. Attention Deficit Disorder is now a communicable disease, and we’re all the viruses. Our connected world has ironically made us all less connected in human terms. I had a fascinating guest on about a month ago. His name is Jordan Bower, a Transformational Storytelling Consultant, and Corporate Intimacy Expert. Ahhh, see his unique positioning… his fine point… his focused purpose: Transformational Storytelling Consultant and Corporate Intimacy Expert? On my show, Jordan told me about his girlfriend breaking up with him in the summer of 2010. Devastated, he did what we would ALL do in this circumstance: he walked from Seattle to Mexico along the Pacific Ocean.  Right? During his four-month odyssey to find himself, Jordan came across thousands of people. He shared coffee, meals, campfires, and beers with folks from all walks of life: from hobos and hillbillies to surfer dudes, to housewives, tech titans and I’m sure there was a social media guru or two in there as well. I asked him what the common theme was among these disparate people. What do you think he said? I asked him what the common theme was among these disparate people. What do you think he said? Jordan told me that to a person, the common sentiment was alienation and loneliness. He learned on his trek that these dopamine pumps we call iPhones and Androids, that promise to connect us with the world, actually create greater isolation. One intense symptom is FOMO, or the fear of missing out. What we’re missing in our over-communicated world is authentic, person-to-person interaction. If Gottschall said, “Our minds yield helplessly to the suction of story,” then I believe our hearts crave bonding with real people. Jordan’s point of people feeling alienated and lonely is not the first time I’ve heard this theme. But it struck me hard on this show. I even created a manifesto of sorts just to help me get my head around this phenomenon. I call it: The Virtual Connection Myth. "Our digital dopamine pumps artificially reward us for superficial online interactions masking an epidemic of alienation and loneliness people suffer as their storytelling skills atrophy in the absence of authentic human connection in the real world." OMG, am I suffering from jargon-monoxide? My point is this: The most powerful story will ever tell is in-person. If you can’t be in front of the water cooler with your audience, then the second most powerful story you can tell is first person, online. Tell me a story with a time stamp, when did it happen, a location stamp, where did it happen, real people as the characters. Give me action and adventure, surprise me, and then deliver your business point! And believe it or not, you can do this in 60 seconds or less.   On Thursday, June 26, I was giving a storytelling workshop for a bunch of  Dutch professionals who specialize in sustainability and the circular economy in Haarlemmermeer, Holland.  A young man named Max is an intern for one of the organizations and is about to graduate with his business degree in sustainability. I asked the gathering who their toughest audience was so we could work on stories to connect with them on their terms. Max told me it was his granddad. You see, his grandpa didn’t understand sustainability, didn’t believe in man-made global warming and told Max he was wasting his time with his foolish degree. I could tell he was crestfallen by not having his grandfather’s approval. So I instructed Max to use the Story Cycle to craft a story from his grandpa’s point-of-view and then challenged him to share his story over the weekend. I ran into Max four days later when our ASU cohort returned to Haarlemmermeer for another session. He had the widest smile on his face. I asked him “What’s up, dude?” He told me about having the conversation with his grandpa about climate change and how he used a hockey stick to demonstrate to the old man how carbon in our atmosphere has remained relatively balanced for millennia and then pointed to the curve end of the stick to demonstrate the man-made carbon we have pumped into the system over a short amount of time. “This was the first time my granddad ever understood what I was talking about,” Max proclaimed through his smile. “And I told him that fixing this problem is important to me and that’s why I’m doing what I’m doing.” I asked Max if his granddad likes hockey. “Loves it,” he said, with his smiling growing even wider. Smart young man, that Max. Understanding his audience and having such empathy for their point-of-view that he found a way to use a story to connect, change his beliefs, and earn his approval. By the way, I learned this basic structure to story with time and location stamps, characters, action, a surprise and point from my friends at Anecdote. And we cover it in great detail in our 6-month deliberate practice programs. The most invaluable FREE advice you'll ever get Now I’d like to help you clarify your brand story strategy, focus your purpose of growing your revenue and amplifying your impact. When I told my producer, Brian, who you met earlier in the show, about what I’m about to do, he actually said it might not work because it sounds too good to be true. Well, maybe. You’ll have to be the judge of that. What I am offering to you, with no strings attached, is a complimentary 30-minute phone call to demonstrate how quickly you can get your brand story straight. I promise it will be the most invaluable free advice for you, your business and organization that you have ever received. Register for your FREE Impact Call. I’ll help you clarify your story in 30 minutes or less. You have nothing to lose. What’s in it for me? I get to connect with real people, in real time and learn about your real needs. Our conversation, while helping you clarify your story to grow revenue and amplify your impact, will also help me better understand exactly what the market needs. What’s in it for me? I get to connect with real people, in real time and learn about your real needs. Our conversation, while helping you clarify your story to grow revenue and amplify your impact, will also help me better understand exactly what the market needs. This is a total win/win consulting call. You will be doing me a huge favor by helping me dial in my purpose: To help you live into and prosper from your most powerful story. This is a limited time offer, and I can tell you that not everyone is going to get the free impact call. If you’re in business just to make money, then I’d recommend you reach out to some of the other storytelling consultants. But if you’re into to truly amplifying your impact and empowering the people around you to live into and prosper from your story, then I’m your guy. Register now at our new and improved website, businessofstory.com. And if you want to get the most of the call, download your DIY Brand Story Workbook first. Outline yourstory. Then let's chat. And thank you for listening to this special, one hundred first episode of the Business of Story podcast. Gag, you’re probably hoping that I don’t return solo for another hundred shows. And one last request. We have 74 reviews on iTunes, and I’d love to push that over the 100 mark in celebration of our one hundred and first episode. Would you do me a huge and be one of those listeners that pushes us over the top of the century mark in reviews. It only takes minutes and would mean the world to me. I appreciate it. Finally, I want to remind you that regardless of what you do with your business, leadership and sales storytelling, that... "The most potent story you will ever tell is the story you tell yourself. So make it a good one." Thanks for listening, and until next Sunday, have a wonderful life.

In this episode, I speak with Lee Gutkind, the editor of What I Didn’t Know: True Stories of Becoming a Teacher (In Fact Books, 2016). His book shares more than twenty firsthand accounts of teachers working in different contexts. We discuss how personal narratives can contribute to our understanding a profession, the writing process, and the similarities and difference between these stories and those featured in his other work. He recommends the following books for listeners interested in his work and our conversation: I Wasn’t Strong Like This When I Started Out: True Stories of Becoming a Nurse by Lee Gutkind Frank Sinatra Has a Cold and Other Essays by Gay Talese You Can’t Make This Stuff Up: The Complete Guide to Writing Creative Nonfiction–from Memoir to Literary Journalism and Everything in Between by Lee Gutkind Gutkind joins New Books in Education for the interview. To share your thoughts on the podcast, you can connect with him on Twitter at @LeeGutkind. Trevor Mattea is an educational consultant and speaker. His areas of expertise include deeper learning, parent involvement, project-based learning, and technology integration. He can be reached by email at info@trevormattea.com or on Twitter at @tsmattea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I speak with Lee Gutkind, the editor of What I Didn’t Know: True Stories of Becoming a Teacher (In Fact Books, 2016). His book shares more than twenty firsthand accounts of teachers working in different contexts. We discuss how personal narratives can contribute to our understanding a profession, the writing process, and the similarities and difference between these stories and those featured in his other work. He recommends the following books for listeners interested in his work and our conversation: I Wasn’t Strong Like This When I Started Out: True Stories of Becoming a Nurse by Lee Gutkind Frank Sinatra Has a Cold and Other Essays by Gay Talese You Can’t Make This Stuff Up: The Complete Guide to Writing Creative Nonfiction–from Memoir to Literary Journalism and Everything in Between by Lee Gutkind Gutkind joins New Books in Education for the interview. To share your thoughts on the podcast, you can connect with him on Twitter at @LeeGutkind. Trevor Mattea is an educational consultant and speaker. His areas of expertise include deeper learning, parent involvement, project-based learning, and technology integration. He can be reached by email at info@trevormattea.com or on Twitter at @tsmattea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year Creative Nonfiction Magazine and Behind the Prose teamed up to bring you special excerpts from the amazing 2016 Creative Nonfiction Writers’ Conference (CNFWC).  (Remember Lee Gutkind’s feature panel on how Law and Order teaches story structure to creative nonfiction writers?) This year, if you couldn't join us in Pittsburgh, PA from May 27 – 29, we hooked you up with the chance to listen live via a special Behind the Prose episode. Here is an excerpt from the master class Structure for Longform Nonfiction presented by Lee Gutkind. Whether you’re writing a memoir, a journalistic book, or a longform essay or article, this class will explore options for structure in longer works.   ABOUT LEE GUTKIND Lee Gutkind is the founder and editor of Creative Nonfiction and a professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University. Even before he was spotlighted in Vanity Fair in 1997 as “the Godfather behind creative nonfiction,” he was the genre's most active advocate and practitioner. He has written and edited nonfiction books about subjects as varied as motorcycle subculture, child and adolescent mental illness, baseball umpires, veterinary medicine, and organ transplantation. His most recent book is You Can’t Make This Stuff Up: The Complete Guide to Writing Creative Nonfiction—from Memoir to Literary Journalism and Everything in Between.  

Sep. 5, 2015. Amy Wiletz discusses "Farewell, Fred Voodoo: A Letter from Haiti" at the 2015 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. Speaker Biography: Amy Wilentz is a journalist and author who teaches in the Literary Journalism program at the University of California at Irvine. She is the former Jerusalem correspondent for The New Yorker and a longtime contributing editor at The Nation. Her work has appeared in various publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Harper’s and Time. She has received the Whiting Writers Award, the PEN Martha Albrand Non-Fiction Award and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Rosenthal Award. Her recent memoir, “Farewell, Fred Voodoo: A Letter from Haiti," is the 2014 winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography and describes her passion, connection and fascination with Haiti. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=6989

Erick Vallejos has been a Literary Journalism student at UC-Irvine for the past five years. He approached me a year ago for a radio interview on Crowdfunding and Kickstarter. He graduates this month and we take a few minutes to discuss how Crowdfunding and Kickstarter have changed over the past year since we met.