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Every human civilization has understood this fundamental truth: we are the stories we tell ourselves. From the cave paintings of Lascaux to the streaming narratives that flicker across our screens today, story is not merely entertainment—it is the very architecture of meaning, the invisible infrastructure through which experience becomes understanding.

Welcome to Narrative Now, where we recognize that in our current moment of profound transformation, the stakes of storytelling have never been higher.

Consider this: the stories circulating through our democracy, our communities, our digital landscapes are actively reshaping reality itself. Who gets to tell these stories? Which voices are amplified, which silenced? How do emerging technologies alter the very nature of narrative transmission? These are not merely academic questions—they are urgent civic imperatives.

Housed within ¾«¶«´«Ã½'s Department of English, Narrative Now emerges from a rich tradition of literary scholarship while boldly engaging with narrative's evolving forms across every medium imaginable. We understand that the future of storytelling will be written not in isolation, but through radical collaboration—bringing together novelists and neuroscientists, poets and programmers, historians and digital artists, all united by a shared conviction that narrative thinking is essential thinking.

What excites me most about Narrative Now is our commitment to breaking down the artificial barriers between academic inquiry and public engagement. Our speakers, residencies, and community events are designed as laboratories for narrative innovation, spaces where the theoretical meets the visceral, where scholarship serves not just knowledge but transformation.

Whether you are a student discovering your voice, a researcher pushing the boundaries of how we understand story, or simply someone who recognizes that our collective future depends on our ability to imagine it differently—you belong here. Together, we will not merely study narrative; we will participate in its ongoing creation, ensuring that the stories emerging from this moment are worthy of the world we hope to build.

The story of Narrative Now is just beginning, and you are invited to help write it.

—Christopher González, Ph.D.     
    Director, Narrative Now
    Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Endowed Chair
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