top of page
Gender is a story we tell ourselves
The first time I read Yoon Ha Lee’s Ninefox Gambit , I was captivated by the worldbuilding and the story’s overarching military conflict....
Jun 28, 20223 min read
Moving Beyond “Making The Case”: How We Build Narrative Power For Reparations
(This is part 1 of a 2 part series between Liberation Ventures and Narrative Initiative on narrative change and reparations.) “The world...
Jun 21, 20224 min read
Building relationships: How to capitalize on the momentum of your op-ed
You have your argument, you’ve identified your audience, and you’ve pitched your op-ed with successful results. Now what? How do you keep...
May 31, 20226 min read
Recognition and invisibility: A conversation with Panthea Lee about AAPI narratives
May is AAPI Heritage Month and we are speaking with women who live, see and share the narrative power of Asian Americans. Last week we...
May 25, 20227 min read
The voices missing from the abortion debate
The imminent repeal of Roe v. Wade has brought public narratives of motherhood and reproductive justice to the forefront. Each side has...
May 18, 20228 min read
Pitch Perfect: How to place your op-ed and get it published
To harness narrative power to activate change you must have an argument to make and an audience to whom you can make it. Once you have...
May 5, 20224 min read
Who are you talking to? The audience of an op-ed
The communications used for any narrative change project must have an audience. You need an audience who is open to change and willing to...
Apr 21, 20225 min read
We all have narrative power
Some of the most interesting and revelatory conversations I’ve had about politics and life have been in the back of a cab. This is a...
Apr 14, 20224 min read
What listening to Rusty Mae Moore taught me about narrative change
From 2015-2018, I was an interviewer with the New York Trans Oral History Project (NYTOP). A friend had convinced me to join because I...
Mar 18, 20223 min read
The Argument: How an op-ed can shift the narrative
An op-ed case study showing the why, when and how of turning a story into an argument that successfully advocates for change. “Get down...
Feb 7, 20225 min read
Five films we’re watching at Sundance Film Festival
The iconic Sundance Film Festival is coming up next week, from January 20th to the 30th, in a virtual format. As always, we’re looking...
Jan 13, 20222 min read
A 2021 narrative reading list to launch your 2022
We’re gathering up the articles, essays, resources, podcasts and more that made us think about how narrative change is working today....
Dec 21, 202112 min read
Narrative Organizing: How we shift power towards justice
Narrative organizing is the act of building, creating and using narrative to shift power towards justice, equity and democracy. Narrative...
Oct 6, 20214 min read
Terms of Abuse: White Supremacy, Structural Racism and White Nationalism
Scot Nakagawa is a Senior Partner at ChangeLab. Scot has spent more than four decades exploring questions of structural racism, white...
Jun 30, 20215 min read
Systems Language for Narrative Power
Science fiction is full of all-knowing villains. They can’t be understood or defeated. The unknown, as storytellers from H. G. Wells to...
Jun 16, 20215 min read
How to do Intersectionality
This article was originally published in 2017 by Rinku Sen. Over the last five years, intersectionality has become a buzzword and an...
Mar 8, 20218 min read
Turning collective grief into collective power
Grief, Love, Action: Transforming collective sorrow into collective power was co-hosted by Narrative Initiative and Women’s March...
Feb 25, 20211 min read
Feminist political organizing offers lessons in narrative power
Feminist narratives are powering some of the most important movements of the 21st century by turning anger to joy, creating care in...
Feb 9, 20215 min read
Narrative change happens fast
Narrative change happens fast in times of crisis and national trauma. Let’s look at how the “terrorist” stories of this past week (and...
Jan 14, 20215 min read
Rinku Sen named Executive Director of Narrative Initiative
Rinku Sen succeeds founding Executive Director Jee Kim to help the social sector harness the power of narrative to make progress towards...
Dec 1, 20203 min read
Polyvocal narrative strategy: Turning many voices into durable change
What would it mean for many voices to come together, each voice individual and distinct, and speak for change in the same direction? A...
Nov 19, 20205 min read
Thinking with our eyes: Understanding the power of visual narrative
Visual narrative includes the photos and video we see in front of us every day. It’s also the fuzzy scenes stored in our memory. These...
Sep 17, 20206 min read
Our futures now: Turning imagination into narrative power
Narrative Initiative connects futures and narrative to create power. Futures work gives people space and tools to imagine a world free...
Sep 1, 20206 min read
Four Baskets: Necessary capacities for narrative change
Narrative change projects can be exciting to plan but can face complex challenges. The Four Baskets framework can help facilitate your work.
Jul 30, 20209 min read
NI Blog
Here you will find case studies, interviews, insights, and reflections from staff.
bottom of page