October 25, 2026 / Timișoara, Romania Registration
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October 25, 2026 / Timișoara, Romania Registration

ABOUT

Hello, Timișoara!

The Power of Storytelling (PoS) is a gathering built on the idea that well-crafted stories can bridge divides, inspire action, and create change. Since 2011, it has brought to Romania more than 100 thought leaders and storytellers from media, arts, activism, business, and beyond, creating a space where difficult conversations unlock reservoirs of resilience, purpose, and possibility.

At its heart, PoS is about care and connection: how stories are told, how people are welcomed, and how meaningful encounters between speakers and participants can foster belonging, empathy, reflection, and action.

We gather communicators, entrepreneurs, journalists, artists, educators, NGO leaders, and other curious professionals to learn from one another and explore how stories shape our lives, organizations, and societies.

Our 2026 theme, HOPE, invites us to look honestly at the world – with all its pain, chaos, and uncertainty – and still decide to act. Not hope as comfort or waiting, but hope as a choice: the belief that even under difficult circumstances, our actions can help change the course of things for the better.

Hope to see you in October!

Speakers

Lana Bastašić

She is an award-winning novelist and translator, author of Catch the Rabbit, which won the European Union Prize for Literature and explores themes of friendship, war, and identity in the Balkans.

Patrick Brăila

Patrick Brăila is a 40-year-old trans, neurodiverse artist and activist who has spent over a decade advocating for trans communities in Romania. He still holds hope for a better future.

Elena Stancu

Elena Stancu is the co-founder, along with photographer Cosmin Bumbuț, of Teleleu.eu. From their home on wheels they have traveled across Europe since 2019 to document the lives of Romanian immigrants.

Nathan Thrall

A writer and analyst who covers West Asia, he received the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction for A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy.

Adam Thomas

A coach, and advisor who works with multipotential leaders, creators, and organisations navigating complexity and change. He writes the newsletter Theory of Change, and produces videos on YouTube.

Rhiannon White

Rhiannon White is the co-founder of Common/Wealth, an award-winning political, site-specific theatre company based in Wales. Her work tackles injustice in collaboration with the people most affected by it.

REGISTRATION

SCHEDULE

NOTE: The schedule is subject to change. Participants will be notified in advance.

SUNDAY, 25 OCTOBER

2-3pm

Registration & Welcome Coffee

3-4:45pm

KEYNOTES

Elena Stancu

How Stories Are Made
Every story is built through choices: what to pay attention to, what to leave out, how much context to offer, and how far beyond familiar narratives to go. Drawing on 13 years of reporting from a campervan, Elena explores the layers through which stories are constructed and interpreted, and the responsibility shared today by storytellers and audiences: to resist simplification, remain open to nuance, and make room for complexity.

Lana Bastašić in conversation with Nathan Thrall

The Storyteller: Between Privilege and Responsibility
Who gets to tell the story? Where does the personal meet the political, and what responsibilities emerge in that space? In this conversation, Nathan Thrall and Lana Bastašić will explore art and representation, privilege and perspective, and the complicated relationship between the stories we inherit and the stories we choose to tell. They'll consider what it means to represent experiences beyond their own, and the responsibilities that come with that privilege.

4:45-5:15pm

BREAK

5:15-7pm

KEYNOTES

Rhiannon White

Blame Is a Political Tool. So Is Hope
Growing up in UK social housing, the stories told about us demonised our existence, attempting to decide our worth and making us the scapegoat for those in power. And so the story goes. As polarisation, inequality and isolation rise, we don't have time for old narratives. This talk is a call to flip the switch - to tell different stories as an urgent remedy, a bridge to hope, and proof that our stories matter.

Patrick Brăila

Hope Is Home
What do you do when you lose everything that once brought you satisfaction? The work for which you sacrificed your health? The relationships for which you sacrificed your peace? How do you find relief when your entire life has been a battle with your trans body and your neurodiverse mind? An unjust series of pains? What do you still call “home”? And will hope ever find its way back?

Adam Thomas

The Non-Linear Life: A User's Guide
The idea that a successful life involves picking a career path, then building an identity around it, is over. Now, between AI advances, volatile economies, and upended politics, following many paths is both a hedge against instability and a route to purpose. Adam Thomas (coach, adviser, writer, YouTuber, ambient musician, trail runner, and father) explores why non-linear lives are finally viable, what actually makes them work, and how to build one of your own.

7pm

CLOSING DRINKS & BOOK SIGNINGS

PARTNERS

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The Power of Storytelling
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