Happy Narrative New Year! If you resolved to get better at narrative in 2016, or even just to figure out what it is, here’s a list of conferences and workshops where you can listen, learn and network. From the practical to the inspirational, these events offer something for journalists looking to improve their storytelling, no matter the medium or the format. Some of these events are still taking shape; check back over the year to see who’s been added to speaker lists and get other updates.
“The Power of Narrative: Staying Savvy, Skilled, and Solvent in Journalism’s Wired Era”
April 1-3
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts
Speakers at this year’s edition of the longest-running narrative journalism confab include Gay Talese, one of the pioneers of modern narrative journalism, Mary Roach, a science writer whose books include four New York Times bestsellers, among them “Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers” and “Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex,” directors of The Moth storytelling juggernaut and Brian McGrory, editor of The Boston Globe. Here’s the full list.
Registration is open, with rates of $50 for BU students, $150 for BU alumni and non-BU students, and tiered pricing of $275 until January 22nd, $325 between January 23rd and February 29th, and $375 afterwards. Our coverage of last year’s conference can be found here and here.
Conference on Narrative Journalism, Amsterdam: “Storytelling in the Digital Age”
April 22
Initiative for Narrative Journalism in the Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
This year’s conference features its first ever curator, Amy O’Leary, the former “This American Life” and New York Times journalist who is now editorial director of Upworthy. Details are still being determined, but there will again be a day of master classes and coaching after the conference itself, including from BU conference founder and director Mark Kramer. Last year the conference cost 105 euros, plus an additional 90 euros to attend a master class. A small discount was available if you pay 35 euros for an annual membership as a “friend of the foundation.”
“THREAD at Yale: Storytelling in Modern Media”
June 5-8
Yale Journalism Initiative
New Haven, Connecticut
In its second year, THREAD at Yale continues with its combination of conference-style lectures and workshop-style small group work sessions and informal evening discussions with the program mentors. This year’s mentors are not yet listed on the web site, but among last year’s were The New York Times Magazine’s Emily Bazelon; Catherine Burns, Artistic Director at “The Moth;” author, journalist, and radio producer Jake Halpern; and New Yorker staff writer Sarah Stillman. Attendees must apply and be accepted, though no qualifications are specified other than enthusiasm and being over 21. Potential attendees must fill out a short online application, which, like taxes, is due April 15. Tuition for THREAD at Yale is $1,750 for program materials only, or $1,995 for program materials, housing at Yale, and breakfast.
“Crafting the True Story: An Exploration of Creative Nonfiction”
June 6-10
Madeline Island School of the Arts
La Pointe, Wisconsin
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jacqui Banaszynski leads an immersive workshop to help writers of all ability levels develop and shape narrative nonfiction (though the lessons also apply to fiction and memoir writers, and even corporate communications writers). In addition to completing fieldwork, in-class exercises, and peer critique, participants will work one-on-one with Banaszynski to develop a work-in-progress and build a plan for future writing. Tuition is $600 for the week. Lodging and food is separate.
Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference
July 22-24
Frank W. & Sue Mayborn School of Journalism
University of North Texas
Grapevine, Texas
The 12th year of the Mayborn conference coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Pulitzer Prizes, and those will be the theme of this year’s event. Speakers and other details have not yet been posted on the conference site. Find a story about a Pulitzer-related talk as well as other links to our coverage of last year’s conference here. The conference also features the annual announcement of winners for several writing contests. Registration is not yet open, but this year’s conference rate will be $425.
Narrative at Cal
Dates TBA
Graduate School of Journalism
UC Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Last year’s second annual conference, limited to 80 experienced writers, sold out. Keynoters were Douglas McGray, founder of The California Sunday Magazine and Pop-Up Magazine, the historian and activist Rebecca Solnit and Julia Turner, Slate’s editor-in-chief. Admission last year cost $275, which covered lectures, workshops and panels. An extra day of master classes cost $50 more. Read a Q&A with Constance Hale (who ran the former Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism) on the vision for the conference here.
Third Coast Conference
Dates TBA
Chicago
This audio storytelling festival, which occurs every two years, returns in 2016. Sign up for details here or email them directly at info@thirdcoastfestival.org.
“The Power of Storytelling”
Sponsored by Decât o Revista
Dates TBA
Bucharest, Romania
The 2016 dates for this conference aren’t announced yet, but you can watch for information on the conference’s website. Past speakers have included GQ’s Michael Paterniti, Esquire’s Chris Jones, Amy O’Leary, formerly of the New York Times and now editorial director at Upworthy, and Pulitzer winner Jacqui Banaszynski. Find stories and links about last year’s conference here and here.
Other conferences of note:
- ASJA Annual Writers Conference, New York, April 20-21.
- Literary Journalism: Telling the Untold Stories, The International Association for Literary Journalism Studies’ annual conference, May 19-21 in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
- Creative Nonfiction Writers Conference, Pittsburgh, May 27-29.
- The Jackson Hole Writers Conference, which includes a creative nonfiction track, June 23-25.
- Excellence in Journalism 2016, New Orleans, Sept. 18-20.
Let us know if we’ve missed one you think should be on the list.