Telling American Stories

hwickline — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:17:36 -0800

I've been working on Telling American Stories for the past several years, creating a workshop, an essay, and now a web site to talk about how traditional American narratives inform the frames people have about the nonprofit communications work that I do, and how progressive values intersect with what many call traditional American values. I started working on Telling American Stories because I was frustrated that so many organizations and issues that I cared deeply about were being defined as somehow outside of what's really "American." I didn't see anyone making the argument that I wanted to make about how progressive causes have just as much (and probably even more) right to frame their struggle in terms of our shared history than conservative ones. So I created a workshop. Then wrote it up.

And now I've put it online. If this sounds at all interesting, I'd be grateful if you take a few minutes to check it out. The core of the site is the original essay, which can be downloaded as a PDF here. And I'd be even more grateful if you take another minute to forward this to others you think might be interested, or write a comment on a post that interests you. I know that a lot of the ideas I'm writing about can spark strong reactions, and I'm nearly certain that you won't agree with everything you see at the site. But that's okay, because I'd really like to hear where you think I've gotten it wrong, or what's missing. Plus it will let me know I'm not just talking to myself. Which is always nice.

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Telling American Stories