“When you tell a better story, you live a better life.”   – Dr. Bertice Berry

Narrative is at the center of our lives, and human beings are hard-wired for stories.  The telling of stories helps us to understand ourselves, connect with others, form memories, and make sense of our world. 

Building on the historical strengths of the School of Humanities, the Center serves as a hub for the exploration of nonfiction storytelling.  We share our appreciation and excitement for true storytelling with the academy and the public, offering researchers, students, journalists and members of the community methods for becoming better storytellers, while fostering academic research and experimentation in life writing and documentary.

We aim to explore and deepen our understanding of the many ways that storytelling is at the heart of what it means to be human, and central to our recognition of human dignity in ourselves and in others.