Your Story Well Told

So, you’ve got a story to sell . . . “A great resource” for business or social occasions from an Emmy winner and storytelling coach (Samantha Harris, cohost of Dancing with the Stars and author of Your Healthiest Healthy). 2021 International Book Awards finalist in Self-Help: Motivational #1 New Release in Speech and Public Speaking Learn the art of telling stories and make the sale, land the client, propose a toast, or impress a date. Corey Rosen is an Emmy Award–winning writer and actor with years of experience as a skilled storytelling coach, and his book is jam-packed with some of the best storytelling strategies out there. We’ve all got stories to tell-but how do you make your story the best? Here, the Moth Radio Hour veteran and master teacher conveys the best techniques from improvisational theater to design an accessible guide for all ages and skill levels. Crafted to help ordinary people tell extraordinary stories, this laugh-out-loud handbook covers everything from how to tell a good story to going off script. Learn how to sell yourself through the art of telling stories. The best storytelling uses improvisation to enthrall, entertain, and keep audiences on edge. Laugh along with tales of performance triumphs (and disasters) and explore ways to develop confidence and spontaneity. From brainstorming and development to performance and memorization techniques, learn how to tell a good story with: A variety of structures and editing approaches to bring out your best story Improv exercises to stimulate creativity without feeling foolish Quick and easy lessons on building stories Resources for putting on a showcase to tell your story “Let Corey Rosen teach you how good-humored authentic story sharing, in any social and cultural context, beats those nasty public lying contests every time.” —Nancy Mellon, author of Storytelling and the Art of Imagination “I know I will return to it again and again for ideas, inspiration, and entertainment.” —Samantha Harris

Creative nonfiction is the literary equivalent of jazz: it’s a rich mix of flavors, ideas, voices, and techniques—some newly invented, and others as old as writing itself. This collection of 20 gripping, beautifully-written nonfiction narratives is as diverse as the genre Creative Nonfiction magazine has helped popularize. Contributions by Phillip Lopate, Brenda Miller, Carolyn Forche, Toi Derricotte, Lauren Slater and others draw inspiration from everything from healthcare to history, and from monarch butterflies to motherhood. Their stories shed light on how we live.

Stories have tremendous power. They can persuade, promote empathy, and provoke action. Better than any other communication tool, stories explain who you are, what you want...and why it matters. In presentations, department meetings, over lunch-any place you make a case for new customers, more business, or your next big idea-you'll have greater impact if you have a compelling story to relate. Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins will teach you to narrate personal experiences as well as borrowed stories in a way that demonstrates authenticity, builds emotional connections, inspires perseverance, and stimulates the imagination. Fully updated and more practical than ever, the second edition reveals how to use storytelling to: Capture attention * Motivate listeners * Gain trust * Strengthen your argument * Sway decisions * Demonstrate authenticity and encourage transparency * Spark innovation * Manage uncertainty * And more Complete with examples, a proven storytelling process and techniques, innovative applications, and a new appendix on teaching storytelling, Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins hands you the tools you need to get your message across-and connect successfully with any audience.

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE WRITERS’ TRUST SHAUGHNESSY COHEN PRIZE WINNER OF THE OTTAWA BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION ​Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada Beverley McLachlin offers an intimate and revealing look at her life, from her childhood in the Alberta foothills to her career on the Supreme Court, where she helped to shape the social and moral fabric of the country. As a young girl, Beverley McLachlin’s world was often full of wonder—at the expansive prairie vistas around her, at the stories she discovered in the books at her local library, and at the diverse people who passed through her parents’ door. While her family was poor, their lives were rich in the ways that mattered most. Even at a young age, she had an innate sense of justice, which was reinforced by the lessons her parents taught her: Everyone deserves dignity. All people are equal. Those who work hard reap the rewards. Willful, spirited, and unusually intelligent, she discovered in Pincher Creek an extraordinary tapestry of people and perspectives that informed her worldview going forward. Still, life in the rural Prairies was lonely, and gaining access to education—especially for girls—wasn’t always easy. As a young woman, McLachlin moved to Edmonton to pursue a degree in philosophy. There, she discovered her passion lay not in academia, but in the real world, solving problems directly related to the lives of the people around her. And in the law, she found the tools to do exactly that. She soon realized, though, that the world was not always willing to accept her. In her early years as an articling student and lawyer, she encountered sexism, exclusion, and old boys’ clubs at every turn. And outside the courtroom, personal loss and tragedies struck close to home. Nonetheless, McLachlin was determined to prove her worth, and her love of the law and the pursuit of justice pulled her through the darkest moments. McLachlin’s meteoric rise through the courts soon found her serving on the highest court in the country, becoming the first woman to be named Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. She rapidly distinguished herself as a judge of renown, one who was never afraid to take on morally complex or charged debates. Over the next eighteen years, McLachlin presided over the most prominent cases in the country—involving Charter challenges, same-sex marriage, and euthanasia. One judgment at a time, she laid down a legal legacy that proved that fairness and justice were not luxuries of the powerful but rather obligations owed to each and every one of us. With warmth, honesty, and deep wisdom, McLachlin invites us into her legal and personal life—into the hopes and doubts, the triumphs and losses on and off the bench. Through it all, her constant faith in justice remained her true north. In an age of division and uncertainty, McLachlin’s memoir is a reminder that justice and the rule of law remain our best hope for a progressive and bright future.

Stories take us into other worlds so that we may experience our own more deeply. Master storyteller Geoff Mead brings the reader inside the experience of telling and listening to a story. He shows how stories and storytelling engage our imaginations, strengthen communities and bring adventure and joy into our lives. The narrative is interspersed with consummate retellings of traditional tales from all over the world.

"In Story screenwriting guru Robert McKee presents his powerful and much sought-after knowledge in a comprehensive guide to the essentials of screenwriting and storytelling." -- Methuen.

When Hearing the Story Isn't Enough The student-run Eyewitness News in downtown Portland has a lot of balls in the air: a series on homelessness, a new look at why downtown is so empty, an investigation into the man who tried to kill some of the staff, and a whole host of other stories. Plenty to keep them all busy, the news editor thought. And now what? A war in Ukraine? How was she supposed to cover that? Still reeling from the recent events, the staff gears up to try to do the story justice. But J.J. Jones wants to do more than provide a Portland angle — more than give context from the scholars who study the region, or the students who have lived there. He wants to go see for himself. Just like previous generations of war correspondents. And he thinks he's found a way.... This is the 18th book in Newsroom PDX — book 3 of year 3. Join the staff as they struggle to provide the news people need in downtown Portland while dealing with the issues of their personal lives. Foul language, some sex, lots of politics. It's Portland, after all. {And Cage and Emily are getting married! And you all are invited. If Ryan can manage to find a judge, a dress for Emily, and a mother of the bride? We're good.)