The Storyteller of the Year Award Recognizes Outstanding Narrative Skill, and Stories Relevant to Current Events at Multi-day Festival Featuring 200+ Authors, Poets, and Creatives Discussing the Art of Storytelling
RECAP FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SEAN MURPHY
My mission, on behalf of 1455 but also as a writer and critic (and reader and fan) is to create space and awareness for anyone who is trying to tell stories; this organization’s goal is to showcase and celebrate as many creatives as we can, particularly those who fall outside the mainstream and are not recognized or supported by more traditional channels. Day in, day out, that’s what this organization does, and we’re proud of our free programming.
That said, we need heroes.
The best way to understand storytelling achieved at the highest level is to acknowledge how much mediocre content there is; not just from those not sufficiently experienced or skilled to tell effective stories, but those who, for cynical or commercial reasons, seek to reach demographics instead of individuals, who can convey talking points and focus-group tested slogans. The best storytellers inevitably are human beings who want to talk to other human beings about real human feelings.
Each year 1455 singles out one person who epitomizes not only the art of telling stories, but represents a virtuoso who uses their talents to inform and inspire, who sees that the craft of narrative is always a work in progress, adapting to changing times by refining skills and learning new ways to communicate and connect with an audience, who, in short, infuses the joy and passion by making their life’s work something by which everyone else can measure themselves.
1455 is proud and honored to present this year’s 1455 Storytelling Award to Lisa Ling. Her celebrated career speaks for itself, but during a year of disruption and uncertainty, Lisa illustrates why the best storytellers are so integral to society. If I were to describe her to someone who had no idea who she is or what she does, I’d say that Lisa Ling is trying to cover the entire world, one story at a time, showing us how we work, what we eat, who we love, where we meet, and why everyone has a story worth telling. Lisa is the perfect accompaniment to our festival’s spectacular assortment of important voices, from well-known novelists, poets, artists, to up-and-coming creatives spanning the globe. Once again this year, 1455 is dedicated to presenting a truly inclusive event that will celebrate the vital art of storytelling as a force for good in this world. We are indescribably grateful to Lisa for accepting this honor and taking some time out of her impossibly busy schedule to chat with us.
Lisa Ling is the award-winning journalist, host and executive producer of CNN’s This is Life with Lisa Ling, currently in its eighth season. The docuseries offers a gritty journey to the far corners of the U.S., and follows Ling as she travels across the country telling stories of communities that are unknown or misunderstood, providing insight into some of the most unconventional segments of society. Ling also hosts and produces Birth, Wedding, Funeral, a travel docuseries for HBO Max which reveals the cultures of different countries through stories and rituals surrounding the universal events of births, weddings, and funerals. Ling announced in 2021 that she will launch Take Out, a six-part docuseries on HBO Max that seeks to shine a light on the diverse communities and stories behind America’s Asian food scene.
