Stories connect, inspire, lead, create change, and heal

Join us for inspiration and craft insights on how to use storytelling in communications, journalism, creative industries, civil society, and business.

PoS AFTERMOVIE 2019

Latest stories

Jacqui Banaszynski: Sharing stories is its own human life therapy

We talked to journalism legend, teacher and editor Jacqui Banaszynski on the healing power of stories in uncertain ...

Takeaways from #Story19: Day 2

Here's what we learned on the second day of #Story19.

Takeaways from #Story19: Day 1

Here’s what we learned on the first day of The Power of Storytelling conference.

Speaking in 2019

Line-up subject to change. Scroll to see all speakers.

Lulu Miller

Peabody-winning science journalist, co-founder of Invisibilia, a groundbreaking podcast about the invisible forces shaping human behavior.

Jacqui Banaszynski

Teacher and veteran reporter, winner of a Pulitzer Prize, editor of Nieman Storyboard, a site dedicated to the craft of storytelling.

Lisa Taddeo

An award-winning journalist and author, she wrote the bestseller Three Women, a book that studies the intimate desires of three women over eight years.

Evan Ratliff

Award-winning author of The Mastermind, the gripping history of the rise and fall of a computer programmer turned drug lord.

Jonathan Gottschall

Author and editor of several books, including a memoir of training as a cage fighter, and The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human.

Jennifer Brandel

A conversation innovator in journalism, and CEO of Hearken, which helps the public have more power over how journalism is made.

Tatiana Țîbuleac

Author with an unmistakable voice. Her latest book, Grădina de sticlă, won the 2019 European Union Prize for Literature.

Aaron Lammer

Co-founder of Longform.org and the Longform podcast, both go to places for the best non-fiction work out there.

Max Linsky

A podcasting entrepreneur, co-founder of Pineapple Street Media and the Longform Podcast, co-host of With Her with Hillary Clinton.

Lucia

A Romanian singer of modern indie pop, who surprised everyone in 2012 with the single "Silence", which has gained 25 million views so far and fans worldwide.

Luke Dittrich

Award-winning journalist and author of Patient H.M. part memoir, past scientific history of how our brains make and lose memories.

Lipi Roy

Physician and writer interested in addiction, nutrition, and mindfulness, who worked with incarcerated, homeless people and earthquake victims.

Kate Samworth

Award-winning artist and illustrator interested in what the history of art reveals about our evolving understanding of the natural world.

Aaron Wickenden

An accomplished documentary editor who helped shape more than 15 films, including the Oscar nominated Finding Vivian Maier and Hail Satan.

Ann Marie Lipinski

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University.

Ioanida Costache

Academic, musician, videographer, and Roma activist interested in the relationship between trauma, memory, and healing.

Patrick Brăila

Film director and activist, an important voice of the transgender community in Romania, and director of the autobiographical short, Abreast.

Robin Kwong

An award-winning journalist, he leads a team of creative producers at The Financial Times looking for new ways to tell stories.

More about the speakers

The PoS experience

Experience inspirational talks by award-winning storytelling, screenings, book signings, and other surprises.

Meet and network with our eclectic mix of participants from journalism to arts to business, in a space designed to build relationships.

Learn the craft tips and tools to tell better and meaningful stories in your work and community.

Testimonials

A well-told story can help us face the world, with eyes open, and give us reasons to hope and work, despite seemingly impossible odds. They connect us to one another across time and space and all sorts of boundaries, which gives them (and us) incredible power.

Participant

This was my fourth time in a row at PoS. I come back every year because this is where I recharge my batteries. The most important lesson I have learned so far is that storytelling is a vital skill everyone should have.

Participant

This is one of the best events currently happening in Bucharest, and I am truly grateful to attend, to be part of the community, and to learn more about how we can try to make the world a better place using the craft of storytelling.

Participant

The conference is utterly stunning the quality of speakers, organizers, venue and participants is high and the overall atmosphere is like a breath of fresh air.

Participant

It was a really great and novel event for Romania, showing that the media is enthusiastic about adopting new approaches to journalism in a form that would be educational and inspiring for the wider public.

Participant

Please organize this event many years to come!

Participant

The stories give us the strength to go further when it’s hard and give flavor to our experiences when it’s easy. The stories are lessons learned from our past and resources for a wiser future.

Anca Ungureanu – Director of Marketing and Communications, UniCredit Bank

A mix of tools, advice and inspiration: Stories matter, especially the complicated, messy ones.

Participant

The Power of Storytelling Conference is the right place to be if you want to spend two days of truly enriching talks given by outstanding speakers – in a strongly professional but also a very personal way.

Participant

We believe stories are told to help us understand how similar, often difficult challenges we do share. As a creative hub, Lateral is really proud to help now The Power of Storytelling share those amazing stories, told by the world’s most creative, talented journalists.

Ciprian Morar – CEO Lateral

I’ve been so impressed by the people here and the conversations and I think that everyone who came together for these 2 days of conference is really motivated by the same question which is how do we reach people with our stories? There is an incredible diversity of speakers.

Amy O’Leary – Editorial Director at Upworthy

Thank you for the experience, for your work, for daring to do things differently. Inspiring – both in a personal and a professional manner.

Participant

Partners

Inspired By

Official Sponsors

Supporters

Friends

Supported in part by a grant from the Open Society Foundations.