The Future of Storytelling and Technology: Get Real! Wednesday, November 10, 2021

The Buzz 1: “Even without the modern neurological research that proves storytelling is the best way to capture people’s attention, bake information into their memories, and forge close, personal bonds, humanity has always inherently known that people crave and seek out great stories almost as much as food and water.” (blog.hubspot.com) The Buzz 2: “From fireside folk tales to Netflix dramas, narratives are essential to every society…Scholars specialising in ‘literary Darwinism’ are asking what exactly makes a good story, and the evolutionary reasons that certain narratives – from Homer’s Odyssey to Harry Potter – have such popular appeal.” (bbc.com) The Buzz 3: “No story lives unless someone wants to listen. The stories we love best do live in us forever. So whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.” (J.K. Rowling, author of Harry Potter fantasy books) The Buzz 4: “You’re never going to kill storytelling, because it’s built in the human plan. We come with it.” ‘(Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid's Tale) The Buzz 5: “The most amazing thing for me is that every single person who sees a movie, not necessarily one of my movies, brings a whole set of unique experiences, but through careful manipulation and good storytelling, you can get everybody to clap at the same time, to hopefully laugh at the same time, and to be afraid at the same time.” (Steven Spielberg, filmmaker) We’ll ask Dr. George Viney, Tish Hicks, Rebecca Armstrong and Megan Wells for their take on The Future of Storytelling and Technology: Get Real!