The ever-fabulous Jennifer Warwick of The New Charm School turned me on (through her Gutsy Women newsletter) to Blogher, "a network for women bloggers to draw on for exposure, education, and community." BlogHer is holding a "day-long conference on July 30, 2005, and establishing an online hub." BlogHer is "initiating an opportunity for greater visibility, learning and success for individual women bloggers and for the community of bloggers as a whole."

Lucky stiff Jennifer Warwick gets to go.

And I'm drooling over the long, long blogroll of blogs by women on the BlogHer site and wishing days had about 8,000 more hours in them so I could read all these.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

Today I met Richard (Rick) Stone, founder of The StoryWork Institute. I was excited a couple of months back to discover that this pioneer of the organizational storytelling movement lives only about 40 minutes from me. He discovered storytelling in 1989 and has been using it in his consulting, speaking, and writing practice since. He was quite gracious when my partner and I met him for coffee -- in light of the fact that we were embarrassingly late!

Rick will be speaking to my entrepreneurial class this fall, which also excites me.

And he's bringing out a storytelling game, Pitch A Story, for kids ages 10 through college age.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

A couple of entries ago, I noted that the Flash movie promoting the new book, The Jackrabbit Factor told a nice story. To my surprise, the book itself is told in story. It's much more common to see books with an inspirational, self-help message told in a didactic way than in story. But if there's one thing I've learned in the past year or so of studying storytelling, it is that story touches our emotions and helps us remember.

I asked the author, Leslie Householder, how she happened to choose story to get her message across. Here, in part, is what she said:

I ... knew that in order for a person to really change, they needed to experience a journey similar to mine. The book would have to reach into the deepest corners of their soul and connect with their emotional side. It would also need to lead them to a higher awareness of basic fundamental life-principles that they may not have ever known existed. This is the kind of knowledge that changes lives permanently.

A story was the best way to help a person to discover these things. Let them discover it alongside of the hero. Let them get lost in the story so they don't have to force their mind to wrap itself around new concepts. Let them relax and enjoy the journey to discovery.

It isn't always easy to relax and enjoy a 'how-to' book, especially if the reader isn't hungry for the knowledge. But a story? Anyone can enjoy a story. If they are seeking answers, they'll find them contained within its pages. If they are not seeking answers, they can still enjoy the story. In fact, a person will be able to read it again at a different place in their life and learn something entirely new which was there all along, but had been hidden to their view (because for whatever reason, they were not yet ready to grasp it).

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

Annette Simmons turned me on to The Moth.

The Moth produces 12 storytelling events each season and has its home at The Players Club on Gramercy Park in New York City. As the Moth site states: "Each event sells out in 48 hours or less, yet we continue to hold the shows in this relatively small venue with a capacity of 250 because we cherish the intimate atmosphere. A few times each year, The Moth travels to other venues in New York City and beyond. The shows are organized around a theme such as 'American Myths,' 'Scary Wedding Stories,' or 'Call of the Wild,' and feature five or six storytellers who each tell a ten-minute story. "

I love the idea of The Moth Slam, like a poetry slam.

Annette suggested I order their CD, Audience Favorites, and I did. Got it today and listened to two stories so far (as a PhD student, I think I have to get some work done and use these stories as rewards). I was also so excited to see there are two CDs in the jewelcase! Eleven stories in all.

The announcer made the point that these stories are not scripted, and they are not standup comedy. Matthew McGough, teller of the first story, My First Day with the Yankees sounded like a regular guy, but you could tell his story was meant to convey a lot of humor by the way the audience was laughing. It centers around what I gather is a traditional prank played on new batboys -- asking them to find a "bat-stretcher." But the thing about stories -- and I'm sure this is why Annette recommended this CD -- is that they teach something. So instead of ending with a punchline, these stories end with a bit of a lesson. McGough's hit me viscerally, emotionally. A lump in the throat, and something else kind of grabbing at my innards.

The other story, Breaking Up in the Age of Google, was definitely humorous, and its teller, Jessi Klein, actually is a standup comedian. Hers was also a bit vulgar and expletive-ridden. It didn't offend me; I just thought some of it was unnecessary. On the other hand, the colorful language made it story that a group of girlfriends might tell each other. Klein almost didn't get to tell her whole tale; at the 12-minute mark, violinist Katy Cox strokes her bow across the strings to signal that the storyteller must wrap up. I'm glad Klein went to the full 17.5 minutes, though, because even her humorously smutty story has a good lesson.

I also found it interesting because I am currently conducting focus groups that deal with, in part, people's "Googlability" helping them in the job search.

Annette Simmons has written that stories touch the emotions, and these sure do. I will be extra-motivated to do my PhD work for the next several days so I reward myself with Moth stories. Thank you, Annette, for turning me onto them and to The Moth.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

The Jackrabbit Factor is a book launching in Aug. 2005. The link takes you to a screen where you can click on Watch Movie Now and see an appealing self-contained story set to music and based on a 4-minutes long slice of the book. Nicely done.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

Got a nice mention for this blog in crossmedia by Monique de Haas. I absolutely love her vision:

I am a crossmedia communication missionary. My vision: Some people think we are made of flesh and blood. Scientists say we are made of atoms. But I think we are made of stories! When we die, that's what people remember, the stories of our lives and the stories that we told. Stories are always present and relevant, what will change is the way we consume and interact with stories in a cross media manner." My mission is to create and deliver captivating stories to people through the use of crossmedia formats.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

I was instantly attracted to this book by Chris Hilicki because of its subtitle, "Build Your Business by Telling Your True Story."

I admit that I haven't read the whole book yet, but my impression is that the subtitle is a tad misleading -- simply because the book is more about branding than storytelling. However, building one's personal brand is, in my mind, closely linked with job-hunting, so Hilicki's work has meaning for me.

Here are a couple of nice bits on story from the opening chapters:

My story may not sound too different from yours, yet stories are all different, and that is what enables us all to build better, distinct, and authentic brands.

Your past true stories only have meaning in relationship to the life happening here in the present. While your life goes on, you must confront the beliefs your past experiences have programmed into your mind. Are your memories a work of fiction that you've falsely created? You need to figure this out, because those memories will lead you down a pathway of experiences that only you have had. It is what only you can share with the world that creates the basis for your authentic, unique brand. How can you be your authentic self and your true brand indentity if you don't know your truth?

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

In contrast to a previous entry, which discussed a column by "Ivan Tribble" in the Chronicle of Higher Education entitled "Bloggers Need Not Apply," Debbie Weil takes the complete opposite position in her article "Seven Tips for Blogging Your Way to a New Job," in which she states: "If ever there were a perfect tool for the job hunter, blogging is it."

(Since one has to get a membership in MarketingProfs.com to read the full Weil article, I'll give a link to a major excerpt from it by another blogger).

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

In my last entry, I cited a case in which blogging had been at least tangentially helpful to aiding a blogger in getting a new job.

Others have noted the benefits of blogging for career success, as in this piece by Tim Bray:

Ten Reasons Why Blogging is Good For Your Career

You have to get noticed to get promoted.

You have to get noticed to get hired.

It really impresses people when you say “Oh, I’ve written about that, just google for XXX and I’m on the top page” or “Oh, just google my name.”

No matter how great you are, your career depends on communicating. The way to get better at anything, including communication, is by practicing. Blogging is good practice.

Bloggers are better-informed than non-bloggers. Knowing more is a career advantage.

Knowing more also means you’re more likely to hear about interesting jobs coming open.

Networking is good for your career. Blogging is a good way to meet people.

If you’re an engineer, blogging puts you in intimate contact with a worse-is-better 80/20 success story. Understanding this mode of technology adoption can only help you.

If you’re in marketing, you’ll need to understand how its rules are changing as a result of the current whirlwind, which nobody does, but bloggers are at least somewhat less baffled.

It’s a lot harder to fire someone who has a public voice, because it will be noticed.

Now, along comes a screed by the pseudonymous Ivan Tribble in the Chronicle of Higher Education questioning the concept of blogging for those in academia who are in the search or plan to seek tenure-track teaching positions. Tribble's words are a bit worrisome to me since I will soon be in the academic job market.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

Christian Crumlish posted a blog entry in April 2005 about needing a job. While the initial post was aimed at some networking and broadcasting the need for the job, the total of three posts (here’s the one in the middle) became a mini-narrative of searching for the job, culminating with his blog entry on his attainment of the new job in June.

He seemed to realize along the way that it was wise to keep a little quiet about the search. I asked him to what extent he feels posting on his blog helped him obtain his new job.

His response:

It helped, I think, although it did not directly lead to the job I ended up taking. That came from a craigslist ad I responded to. I do think that my blog presence and my visibility (googlability) was a factor in gettting my new job, as my firm is looking to get its name out among the web savvy audience and they feel I can help with that. I’m very happy I put my job search into the public, because I think it strengthened my network. A lot of people gave me advice or passed along leads or sent my resume to their recruiters/HR people.

I kind of critiqued his initial post as I would a resume — since that’s what I do to make a living.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

Volumes could be written about story in advertising, but two relatively new taglines seem to acknowledge a new understanding of the importance of story in our lives:

Pier 1: Every house tells a story.

Levi's: A style for every story.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

Rob Kall has a nice collection of quotations about story on his Storycon site. Here are a few of my favorites:

"The universe is made of stories, not atoms."
-- Muriel Rukeyser, poet

"There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside of you."
-- Maya Angelou, American poet

"A human being is nothing but a story with a skin around it."
-- Fred Allen, humorist

"The highest-paid person in the first half of the next century will be the 'storyteller.' The value of products will depend on the story they tell. Nike and many other gloabal companies are already manily storytellers. That is where the money is -- even today."
-- Rolf Jensen

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

Several entries ago, I reported the discovery of Jill Walker's site documenting the explorations of her PhD program. I've now found several more and have realized that they, along with mine, describe the narrative arc of our PhD programs, or at least portions of our programs. My blog attempts to tell the unfolding story of my encounters with story.

Danah Boyd, a Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley, explores "how people negotiate their presentation of self in mediated social contexts to an unknown audience."

Christy Dena's sites cover a number of fields, including Writer Response Theory, New Media Arts, and the ones of greatest interest to me, Polymorphic Narrative, and CrossMediaStorytelling. Dena is a PhD candidate at New Media and Creative Writing, School of Creative Arts, University of Melbourne, Australia.

I also keep another blog, password protected and mostly for my own benefit and that of my doctoral committee, that traces the narrative arc of the process of my program, where this one is about content.

I find fascinating the idea of being able to follow the stories of intellectual discovery of globally far-flung scholars.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

I'm teaching an entrepreneurial seminar to college students starting next month. I've taught this class once before, but this time I plan to completely revamp it and take a storytelling approach to it. The class lends itself perfectly to storytelling because it is speaker-driven -- each entrepreneurial speaker tells his or her story.

But I'm a little worried about how my students will respond to the idea of a class taught with a storytelling approach. Last time I taught it, I had a few arts and sciences majors. This time, my roster shows 30 business majors. I'll be an INFP talking to a sea of ESTJs (probably). When I emphasized the importance of good writing when I taught business communication, my students would whine, "But Mrs. Hansen, this isn't an English class."

And last time I taught the entrepreneurial seminar, one of the students' absolute favorite speakers was the only one who didn't really tell a story. He framed his talk as the 10 Commandments of Entrepreneurship or some such thing. He was much more didactic than the other speakers. And the students ate it up for some reason.

I got a glimmer of an idea when I saw a little snippet from Steve Denning in response to someone who said "Storytelling will never work in my company." Denning said sometimes you have to use stealth storytelling -- use storytelling, but don't tell your audience you're using storytelling. So, I'm considering using stealth with my students. Part of me feels that I'd be a pretty rotten proponent of storytelling if I were not able to make my case to a classroom of college students that story is a wonderful thing. But I am a bit tempted by the stealth idea. What to do? What to do? Color me perplexed. I'll keep you posted as Aug. 29, the first day of classes, approaches.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

Last week, I made my first small attempt to publicize this blog. Having sent an annoucement to the Working Stories list, I got a lovely e-mail from Stephen Harlow, who, I believe, became the first blogger to blog about my blog

Stephen turned me onto several interesting story links. I'm just beginning to digest Ulises Ali Mejias’ blog and his concept of Distributed Textual Discourse.

A bit more accessible to my feeble brain is Mark Bernstein, with whom I was already familiar and one of whose articles is linked from this blog's links section. In a frequently cited piece for A List Apart magazine, "10 Tips on Writing the Living Web," Bernstein presents Tip No. 6, Let the story unfold:

The Living Web unfolds in time, and as we see each daily revelation we experience its growth as a story. Your arguments and rivalries, your ideas and your passions: all of these grow and shift in time, and these changes become the dramatic arc of your website.

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.

So, I went to 5th and 6th grade with Jeff Jarvis of BuzzMachine fame. Yeah, probably lots of people have met Jarvis, described as "Blog Daddy" in a CNN screen capture at BuzzMachine. But how many of them know that in 1964, today's liberal wore a political campaign pin sporting a plastic bubble with gold glitter suspended in water -- get it? -- Gold Water? Or that he was a lieutenant on the safety patrol? Or that he played Captain Hook (to my Peter Pan) in the 6th grade play.

That's him in May 1965 in the lower left corner of the photo above (I'm the one with with four round buttons on my jumper in the upper right). To me, he looks exactly the same today as he did then, today's beard nothwithstanding. Who knew back then that he would grow up to spoil TV and movie reviews for me forever because he, to the best of my knowledge, invented the system of giving letter grades in reviews. Now, if a review doesn't have a letter grade, I don't know what to make of it. I even make my husband give my cooking letter grades. Jarvis carried this invention to Entertainment Weekly, of which he was the founding editor. He's long gone from EW, but he set the tone for a terrific magazine, to which I still subscribe. For a time in the late 80s, my husband and Jeff both worked at People magazine.

Is this tribute to Blog Daddy Jeff Jarvis a cheap attempt to get more attention for my blog? Ummmm ..... yes?

Entry by Kathy Hansen. Learn more.