“This isn’t appropriate for us” April 25
Swearing, Valencia, Sudan, Kodak, network storytelling, chickens + a reluctant cat
Today’s headline quote is from seven-year-old Otis who is not my child so I’m allowed to say he’s one of the best. Otis decided Last One Laughing had too much swearing in it, (“swearing is never funny”), and stopped watching. Since this is the first evidence I’ve seen of the younger generation self-censoring, I’m clinging to it as a beacon of hope.
Your April storytelling circuit breaker includes: innovation, chickens, Amadou, moving books and Dreamies:
“I asked her if she wanted to go for a kebab, she said she was a vegetarian but she’d have some chips instead, and the rest is history.”
Is there anything better than hearing your friend’s voice on the radio, especially when she’s introducing a love story set in Swansea? Probably not. The Patch by Polly Weston is always brilliant by the way, in case you don’t already subscribe.Climate resilient chickens
Featuring Brian Otieno’s delightful photos. Here’s the NYT piece. More pics on Brian’s instagram.
Hi and happy catharsis to my friends in innovation + creative
This episode of Sliced Bread is about the rise and fall of Kodak and (at minute 17-ish) a familiar tale of an organisation focusing too hard on financial projections during the innovation phase… and killing off countless brilliant ideas before they’ve had a chance to succeed. It’s not a laugh a minute but stories about stifling creativity rarely are, which is kind-of the point I guess.
Improve your writing:
The ick: Jargon-busting your b2b copy
An idea for improving ‘trustability’ in news
‘A/B testing has so far shown a better understanding of editorial decisions, higher agreement with those choices, and increased perception of content credibility.’ Via Steph Bailey 🙏🏻
La vie est belle… RIP Amadou ❤️
Amadou & Mariam’s manifesto for life, music and work, a soulful highlight of the WePresent series
Put their tiny desk concert on while you read it. Or the animated video for La Vie Est Belle. Actually just stop what you’re doing and have a dance.
Something positive!
A nice email from FrameWorks celebrating the wins that inspire them to keep trying to shift harmful narratives.
New brand ad for Breakthrough T1D
I love how it honours what families go through with T1 Diabetes.
The storytelling playbook
If you’re into ensemble and thematic storytelling or you want to do more of it, here’s a brilliant resource from the Fito Network that dives into network storytelling for social change. It’s pretty long but nicely designed and full of loads of great tips.
“It was also a war on our memory.”
Mosab Abushama’s photos show Sudan before the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, directly comparing scenes of community and everyday life with how things are now. Effective and just so sad.
Who gets to tell stories of Italy?
‘And so I ask myself: who has the right to tell Italy’s story? To that, I answer without hesitation: anyone, as long as it’s done with honesty. Some will speak from lived, everyday experience. Others will tell it as the land they chose for a new life, or as a cherished memory. What I dream of is a space for dialogue, where many voices—Italian, those with Italian roots abroad, and foreign enthusiasts—can coexist, without any of them being dismissed from the start.’ Giulia Scarpaleggia via India knight.
“Awareness alone won’t help a soul”
Rutger Bregman on moral ambition and wasted talent in The Guardian.A really pleasing way to move a bookshop
And how to create a nice community/PR moment.
Two stories about the human desire to be on the inside:
Will Storr, who presumably chose his career by seeing how his name autocorrects. I think this might now be a paid link but he’s all about storytelling so sign-up if you can.
And the latest from Sonder and Tell: ‘More often than not, citizens do not choose which party to support based on policy opinion; they alter their policy opinion according to which party they support. Usually they do not notice that this is happening, and most, in fact, feel outraged when the possibility is mentioned.’
And finally, here’s me delivering this newsletter in the nick of time, clinging to the monthlyness of it for no obvious reason. (After I was chucked in a pool a while back I’m 99% sure I looked this elegant when I resurfaced.)
Thanks for reading and enjoy the sunshine,
Em
The usual PS: I offer limited, free, 45-minute unblocking sessions to charities (not as invasive as it sounds). I get to talk about stories, you get to bring a new perspective to your challenge or idea. Macro or mega-specific, I don’t mind. I just miss the day-to-day collaboration and troubleshooting a bit, not being staff anymore. I’m flexible but will obviously fit it around my paid work: my midlife crisis is going to be both spectacular and expensive. Here’s a bit about my experience. I’m at emma.price.stories@gmail.com.