October 12-13, 2018
Radisson Blu, Bucharest
Oct 12-13, 2018

The Power of Storytelling (PoS) is an (un)conference built on the idea that well-crafted stories connect people, heal wounds, inspire, lead, and create change.

This is a one of a kind event in Eastern Europe. Since 2011 it has brought to Bucharest almost more than 50 superstar storytellers in all fields – from media, to arts, to business – for inspirational talks, and nuts and bolts training.

Apart from the boost of energy, and creative optimism, PoS is a chance for professionals to master the use of storytelling in journalism, creative industries, civil society, and business.

THE 2018 EDITION: REWRITE

This year, we’re focusing on how good storytelling can change our understanding, and our perspective. The writer Joan Didion said we tell stories in order to live. They are a tool to make sense of the world around us, but also of our own identities, and our place in our communities.

In other words, we are the stories we tell ourselves.

In this era of disinformation, division, and distrust, all of us – journalists, artists, communicators, change makers of all kinds – can use better storytelling to rewrite the existing narratives, and craft a better, more inclusive and more connected future.

Team

Cristian Lupșa

Cristian is the editor of DoR, a quarterly devoted to longform narrative journalism. He started The Power of Storytelling to help spread the gospel and importance of well-told stories.

Cătălina Rață

Cătălina runs the commercial partnerships for PoS. She will do her best to make the conference a unique and interactive experience for sponsors, partners and participants.

Laura Trocan

Laura holds the magic wand of organizing events, including DoR Live and PoS. At the conference, ask her anything about everything and she will answer quickly with a big smile.

Artemisa Pascu

Artemisa guides the DoR and PoS visual identity. She’s the go-to wunderkid for color schemes, cropping, lettering, collage-making and award-winning magazine covers.

Carla Lunguți

Carla is DoR magazine’s distribution magician and the biggest emoji enthusiast. In 2018 she’s helping us with website content and whatever else she can get her hands on.

Anamaria Tataru

Anamaria (friends call her Anuca) is DoR's administrative magician. Her favorite stories are the ones told by numbers: on her daily reading list you will find cash-flows, budgets, and financial reports.

Ioana Șopov

Ioana is an amazing illustrator who co-created the visual identity of the conference. She’s with us for the third year in a row, she loves Earl Grey and admires Darth Vader.

Rareș Cinteză

Rareș is an art director and graphic designer who works in communication, and event management. He co-created #Story18’s visual identity and consults with website design.

Andreea Giuclea

Andreea coordinates the communication & social media for the conference (use #Story18, she says). She’s also a sports writer, and occasionally takes our guests to games.

Cătălina Albeanu

Cătălina works on the communications side for the conference, writing content for the site and organizing coverage during the event.

Cătălin Georgescu

Cătălin is a close friend of DoR and a passionate photographer with a beautiful challenge: to capture the genuine emotions displayed on your faces while you get lost in the storytelling.

Călin Ciobanu

Călin is part of the passionate team at LATERAL, the innovative and creative tech company that has been co-designing, and supporting The Power of Storytelling website.

Ioana Burtea

Ioana assists with social media and is in charge of the media partnerships. She makes sure The Power of Storytelling is known 'round the world, and that it makes the proper splash.

Mihai Leontescu

Mihai is in charge with all side events at PoS including a dozen blind dates with participants. Unfortunately, he will not be able to attend them all.

Adrian Lungu

Adrian has been involved with the conference since 2011, the year he joined the DoR team. Other than raising funds, and enjoying the keynotes, he likes driving the speakers around.

Advisors, friends, and alumni: Irina Tacu, Georgiana Ilie, Gabriela Pițurlea, Sorana Stănescu, Alina Dîrstaru, Oana Sandu, Andreea Drăgan, Andreea Ioniță, Stela Serghiuță, Ramona Cherciu, Oana Filip, Anca Drăgoi, Andreea Vrabie, Raymond Bobar, Călin Tritean, Ștefan Bălan, Mircea Drăgoi, Ana Vișan, Andreea Bota, Lavinia Gliga, Gabriel Dobre, Solene Cesbron, Ancuța Iosif, Ariana Bădin, Irina Ștefan, Sînziana Sumbasacu, DoR reporters and editors, and many enthusiastic and wonderful volunteers.

THANK
YOU!

Past speakers

Over the years, our speakers have included multiple winners of Pulitzer Prizes, National Magazine Awards, Emmys, and many other accolades. They were writers, editors, producers, digital innovators, filmmakers, entrepreneurs, and musicians, all among the best in their respective fields.

Cheryl Strayed

Cheryl Strayed is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling memoir Wild, the New York Times bestsellers Tiny Beautiful Things and Brave Enough, and the novel Torch.

Wendy MacNaughton

Her work appears in places like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Print Magazine. She lives in San Francisco with two cats, one dog and her partner, writer Caroline Paul.

Colin Meloy

Colin Meloy is the singer/guitarist and songwriter for the Portland, OR band The Decemberists. He is also the author of the New York Times bestselling Wildwood Chronicles, a trilogy of novels for middle-grade readers.

Jacqui Banaszynski

Jacqui is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, editor, and globetrotting coach.

Chris Jones

Chris is an award winning writer-at-large for Esquire and a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine.

Lisa Pollak

Lisa is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and radio producer who specializes in narrative stories about ordinary people.

Jonah Sachs

Jonah is the Co-Founder and CEO of Free Range Studios and an internationally recognized storyteller, author, marketer, designer and entrepreneur.

Amy O’Leary

Amy is Editorial Director at Upworthy. She previously worked for The New York Times as a reporter, editor and multimedia producer specializing in digital storytelling.

Tom Junod

Tom has been a writer-at-large for Esquire for 16 years. He got his start writing for Atlanta Magazine.

Monica Nicoara

Documentary film director, producer and writer, Mona was born in Communist Romania and, until 1989, dedicated her early years to becoming a poet.

Tudor Giurgiu

Tudor is a director, as well as the founder and President of the Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF).

Alex Tizon

Alex is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and faculty member at the University of Oregon.

Starlee Kine

Starlee is a radio producer, writer, and pop culture critic. She has produced stories for This American Life.

Evan Ratliff

Evan is founder and editor of The Atavist, a storytelling platform for the digital age.

Pat Walters

Pat is editor of Pop-Up Magazine. Before that he was a producer at the public radio show Radiolab.

Michael Paterniti

Michael Paterniti is a longtime GQ contributor, winner of a National Magazine Award and author of two New York Times bestselling books.

Leslie Jamison

Leslie Jamison is the author of The Empathy Exams, an essay collection, and of Gin Closet, a novel.

Robert Krulwich

Robert Krulwich is co-host of Radiolab, WNYC’s Peabody Award-winning program about “big ideas”, now one of public radio’s most popular shows.

Nikole Hannah-Jones

Nikole Hannah-Jones is an award-winning investigative reporter at The New York Times Magazine covering racial injustice and segregation.

Thomas French

Tom French is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, writer and teacher, who has taught at the Poynter Institute for more than 25 years.