Framing the Story

Stories ignite our imagination, let us leap over cultural walls and cross the barriers of time. Stories affirm who we are, and allow us to experience the similarities between ourselves and others, real or imagined. Stories help us make meaning of our lives. In this hour, TED speakers explore the art of storytelling — and how good stories have the power to transform our perceptions of the world.

Pixar filmmaker Andrew Stanton explains how the strongest storytelling is joke telling. (He comes back at the end of the show with clues to what makes a great story.) When novelist Tracy Chevalier looks at paintings, she imagines the stories behind them. Chip Kidd creates book covers that embody the books — and he does it with a wicked sense of humor. Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice — and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

Learn more or listen again to this week's episode, which originally aired June 9, 2013.