Storytelling done right

Austin Maas | Rawr

In the cacophony of instant headlines and traditional news media, the beautiful details of quality storytelling are often lost. One online publication is aiming to bring that storytelling back to life.

Narrative.ly has a different theme each week, and over the course of the week they publish just one story a day. These stories focus on the lives of extraordinary people.

Most Recently, Narrative.ly published a story titled “Driven: The story of a deaf chauffeur in NYC.” It is the story of 56-year-old Uber and Lyft driver, Yuriy Grinman. The article begins with a short video about Grinman and his interaction with customers. When they climb into his car Grinman hands customers a sheet of paper explaining that he is deaf and, if they’d like to speak with him, they must tap his shoulder.

In the written portion of the article, the authors Dorian Geiger and Saila Huusko, explain Grinman’s story in beautiful detail, while still writing journalistically. They explain that Grinman was born in Ukraine and, due to the lack of variety in education for deaf people, he settled for work as a dental technician. But when Grinman signed up to work for Uber and Lyft, his life completely changed. The story continues by highlighting the ways new technology is impacting deaf and blind peoples’ lives in the modern world.

This is just one example of the kind of stories published by Narrative.ly. Their other stories range in topics from sexual abuse victims and people fighting addiction, to cultural pieces about language and dance.

On the Narrative.ly website, the information page defines their stories as, “overlooked tales that enlighten us, connect us, and capture our imagination; stories that would otherwise fall through the cracks.”

Since its launch in September of 2012, Narrative.ly has always strayed from traditional news headlines and focused instead on the stories that get forgotten and left behind. Narrative.ly is an online publication that’s putting a fresh spin on the fast-paced world of journalism we’ve grown accustomed to.

Our current news system is often forced to cut out all the intricacies that make Narrative.ly so enchanting to read, whether it be due to a lack of available page space or a time crunch to get stories published.

By utilizing an online platform, the team behind Narrative.ly have freed themselves from the restrictions of newsprint. They have given themselves the ability to publish a wide variety of content. From long-form and short-form written pieces, to documentary films and photographical essays, they give writers almost complete creative freedom when it comes to their medium of work.

More than anything, Narrative.ly is a space where creators are given the opportunity to leave a lasting impression and tell the whole story.

The team behind Narrativ.ly has truly created an inspiring platform with intriguing content that anybody can enjoy.