is to get all of these diverse people talking to each other to build a salon -like community (inspired by the Paris model of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas) of sharing of ideas which will stimulate new ideas, new understandings, connections, creations and applications of the art and science of story in all aspects of life, art and healing.

Writers should leave with a better understanding, not just of different theoretical models of story construction, structure, the Hero’s Journey, but also of the anthropological, mythical, archetypal and psychological considerations which contribute to stories and how people react to them.

Psychologists and other healers will discover that some of the exciting new developments in writing relating to story structure, the Hero’s Journey, the story cycle, etc., have profound relevance to the practitioner of psychotherapy. It is said that all life is story-- the story we tell ourselves. Understanding new ways to dissect people’s story’s and to help them reconstruct them can help enhance the practice of psychotherapy. We believe that the new ideas developed by writers need to be heard by psychologists, and that writers will also benefit from hearing about how psychology is working with story in healing and helping people grow.

And then there’s the role of story in journalism-- print, TV, etc., and how there are those who believe that the stories we tell ourselves affect the potential we have to change the world, to make it a better place.

Lots of sub-plots will be going on at this meeting. Story Theoreticians who are novelists and screenwriters will present their models to psychologists. Therapists will present their cases to fiction experts, seeking diverging plot ideas. Theme park executives will explore ways they can use story concepts to build new "experiences."

Stories touch the heart and the spirit, and play essential roles in awakening. So we will also explore the role and the responsibility of the story creator.and of stories and how they can change the planet, and humanity.

Advertisers will learn about how to take different narrative approaches to engage consumers.

Overall, the art and science of story will take massive first steps towards becoming better understood, towards becoming a field which is alive and breathing, lighting parts of our understanding of what it is to be human which have been in the dark, and lighting them with new technologies.

211 N. Sycamore St. Newtown, PA 18940

We expect to have over 30 speakers presenting at this meeting, possibly as many as 40-50 speakers (speaking for between 15 and 50 minutes.) We are creating the meeting primarily for our speakers, and the audience will sit in and listen to the dialogue. We see it as our job to create an intellectually stimulating salon-type, temporary community, where we challenge speakers to stretch and grow. Unlike other venues where speakers give their talk (their usual dog and pony show) to beginners and leave, this is an advanced meeting, where we want and expect speakers to stick around, listen to colleagues and give them feedback, and participate in the panel discussions which are a core part of the meeting.

This format is not for everyone. Each speaker gets a slot of time, with no introduction, no MC, and can take as much or as little of his time to introduce his or herself as he (she) likes (We’ll have detailed bios for all attendees in the program). Dress code is a required casual. We want to maximize open, cordial dialogue, to discourage conflict and ego grandstanding. If you enjoy a reputation as a prima donna, you may not like it here. The interesting thing is, in our other meeting, people with reps for ego and conflict have come, attended, and mellowed. The feel of the community seems to sink in. We will be doing some conference weaving to facilitate this happening.

This meeting is not a show or an expo, but rather, a meeting of professionals from different disciplines, with a goal of working together to take the art and science of story on a quantum leap to a new level, bridging the powers of tapping the unconscious, of creativity with the powers of systematizing, structure and scientific reductionism.

For those presenters who regularly offer workshops on writing, we will have a one day, pre-conference Story Writing Foundations course for attendees (free to speakers.) Presenters will speak for 15--60 minutes, giving a brief overview/teaser of what they teach in their regular courses. This will be audio and video taped for resale. We see it as sampler.-- a way for viewers/listeners to get an idea of the different presenters, so they can identify who they want further training with.

The conference will include an exhibit hall with books and software, for starters.

One of the best parts of the meeting will be the panel discussions. Here’s how they’ll work. A topic will be assigned for three or four people to open up. They will each have about 6-10 minutes to talk. Then, at least 30 more minutes will be kept open for discussion from the floor, where most of the other speakers will also be sitting, listening and hopefully ready to chime in and participate. These ad hoc participants can join the table at the front of the audience. It is not uncommon for Rob to sidle over to a number of speakers and encourage them to add their ideas to the discussion. If, for example, a panel is scheduled for 75 minutes, and three panelists start things off, talking 8 minutes each, and then people from the floor are given three minutes each, that allows for 15-17 more speakers, so it is possible to have 20 panelists in the front of the room by the end of the session. This can get quite lively and always interesting.