How stories help us gain status and power: Interview + book giveaway with Will Storr

Issue 163: Our identities are characters we play. An interview with Will Storr of You are a Story.

Homo sapiens don’t just love stories, we live inside them. Our alternative nomenclature is homo narrans, meaning, “the storytelling animal” which centers how important and capable humans are at telling stories about ourselves and our world. Will Storr invites readers to explore the power of stories and identities in his new book, A Story is a Deal: How to use the science of storytelling to lead, motivate and persuade.

Will is an award-winning author and journalist known for his human rights reporting in The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The New York Times, and The New Yorker. His investigations into sexual violence against men earned him the Amnesty International Award and the One World Press Award. He also received the AIB Award for Best Investigative Documentary for his BBC radio series.

Known for his investigations into the human condition, Will builds on his previous bestsellers Selfie and The Status Game (he was one of the very first authors we interviewed on this newsletter here) to…