Insight into the World of Professional Writing
SSU English Majors on their Experience at the 2026 Power of Narrative Conference
This past March, a cohort from the English department at Salem State University gathered with writers, editors, journalists, podcasters, students, and professors from around the country for the annual “Power of Narrative” conference at Boston University. Across two days we had the privilege of hearing from high profile speakers including documentary film maker Ken Burns, New Yorker staff writer Sarah Stillman, author Patrick Radden Keefe, and BBC host Asma Khalid, among many others.
The panel discussions and lectures covered a wide range of topics relevant to the creative and professional writers in attendance including podcasting, journalism, creative nonfiction, character-driven narrative writing, and pitching editors. The choose-your-own-adventure format meant that each attendee had a different — though, it seems, equally gratifying — experience. Below are some reflections from this year’s SSU attendees…
Will Murray
Maybe it was because I started taking (prescribed) Adderall that weekend, but I was dialed into the Power of Narrative conference. Every panel had something enlightening to offer. The speaker that stood out to me the most was Keith O’Brien, author of Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird. He did the impossible: writing a biography about someone but not successfully getting a hold of them. Instead, O’Brien interviewed basically everyone in Larry Bird’s small town in rural Indiana. In fact, he probably learned more about his subject than he would if he talked to Bird. This panel taught me that even if you are unsuccessful in the original plan for your piece, you can take your failure and craft something larger than life itself.
Ash Muzzillo
The Power of Narrative conference at Boston University was an eye-opening experience that provided a lot of perspective... Ken Burns’ opening keynote was an entertaining and touching start to the event, and each panel/presentation I attended was unique while focusing on the importance of narrative as a compelling mode of communication. Two of the panels in particular highlighted how journalists and writers are evading censorship and performing independent investigations into larger-than-life political schemes, so I know the people I was listening to were in touch and confronting the true weight of our current reality head-on. Even as a Creative Writing concentrator, my respect for narrative prose and the practice of writing was strengthened. I was also exposed to some of the potential dangers that come as a result of writing powerful narratives, which just goes to show how much propaganda is directed at preventing connection and communication and really underscores the true power of narrative.
Jourdan Novoa
Going to the Power of Narrative conference was pretty interesting, both as someone who hadn’t been to a conference before and as a writing major interested in narrative. Of everything there, the panel that was my favorite, as well as the one I found most striking, was “Journalism After Disinformation.” I found all of the speakers’ candor, camaraderie with each other, and use of humor while discussing a depressing topic like disinformation highly engaging. Attending many of the panels and speaking with a few different figures at the conference altogether gave me insight into what the professional worlds of news writing and specifically narrative journalism are like, and has helped me better figure out the sort of work I’m interested in pursuing in the future.
Professor Alexandria Peary
The Power of Narrative Conference was easily one of the best professional writing conferences I’ve attended in my career. The keynotes were über-experienced writers and filmmakers—Ken Burns, no less! Ken Burns’ advice about the long-term work of his documentaries: “If you do it, step by step, it happens, like a Boston Marathon runner”: great stuff. It was fascinating hearing how Patrick Redden Keefe found his concept for his most recent nonfiction book—a chance encounter. As PRK said, “My best ideas find me.” I especially appreciated the Pitching Aces panel and watching three magazine editors provide on-the-spot feedback to four article concepts.
