Jelani Cobb of The New Yorker to Keynote “Power of Narrative” Conference

Jelani Cobb, author and New Yorker staff writer will deliver the keynote address at the Power of Narrative Conference at Boston University March 20-22, 2020. Cobb writes frequently about race, politics, history, and culture. His most recent book is The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress.

Boston University's Sumner M. Redstone Professor of Narrative Studies, Mitchell Zuckoff said of Cobb: "Our attendees will undoubtedly learn an enormous amount from Jelani Cobb, who is not only a masterful reporter and historian, but also the public intellectual and moralist we need in our troubled times. Jelani joins almost 40 other accomplished speakers at the vanguard of the storytelling craft – all of whom are inviting, accessible, and eager to engage with our attendees."

The conference features established authors, journalists, editors and more in large keynote addresses, and small panels and sessions. "We're an ideal size conference, large enough to attract A-list journalists, but still small enough for our attendees to have the chance to meet our presenters." said Sarah Kess, Assistant Director of the conference.

The audience is a mix of veteran practitioners engaged in narrative journalism careers, early career professionals hoping to build narrative skills, and students. Attendees identify as writers, visual media creators, and audio journalists. They work on every imaginable platform, from newspapers to magazines, books to the web, podcasts to multimedia, sometimes pushing the boundaries with innovative start-ups.

The conference, now in its 22nd year is held on the campus of Boston University. Registration is currently open and organizers expect the conference to sell out. Early registration is encouraged.

More details, a complete list of presenters, the daily schedule and online registration are on the website: bu.edu/com/narrative