Storytelling Series with Ira Glass (Pt. I)

I’m a big fan of Ira Glass, the host of the acclaimed radio show This American Life.

His take on storytelling and journalism is one of the best I’ve heard, and he discusses it in the introduction to his anthology of contemporary nonfiction, The New Kings of Nonfiction.  I got this book for my graduation from Y-Press last summer, and I just now sat down to read it–I wish I had sooner.  The introduction really connected with me because I felt like my own views about  journalism were being spewed back out at me, but with more clarity.

I’m working on a piece which will quote big segments of Glass’ piece and include my own thoughts, but in the meantime I wanted to start posting a daily series of videos of Glass discussing storytelling.  They’re only about five minutes and incredibly insightful.

Here’s the first, which is about the two important building blocks of great stories.