Storytelling in the 21st Century

It comes in many forms. You likely do it every day, perhaps sometimes without even noticing. If you read the title of this post before clicking on it, you know that I’m not describing eating—or whatever else may have just popped into your head. (If you care to share, please feel free to do so in the comments.) Storytelling, a basic unit of connection, is one of the great joys of humanity. Some might say it gives our lives a sense of time and place, informing us of where we’ve been and providing the necessary grounding for our day-to-day experiences. To be brief—and less Hallmark-y—it is an essential art form, and one that we cherish at Spirit, so much so that we have dedicated our October feature well to it.

In this modern age, the tools of the trade are no longer limited to quills and scrolls, but rather a multitude of things: photographs, song lyrics, flow charts, and even Facebook status updates. Executive Editor John McAlley, and the arbiter of fairness in this office (re: cake slicing, etc.), wanted to see to it that we covered all of our bases, so he peppered in a little of this and a little of that—a combination that produced some pretty impressive names.

While I can’t give it all away, here’s an appetizer. At our request, Patricia Marx, a novelist and The New Yorker’s resident humorist, delivered a short story in the form of a text message exchange. The format was our idea; the decision to turn it into a 21^st-century take on Romeo and Juliet was—LOL—all Patty’s. Songwriting legend Lucinda Williams agreed to handwrite, on a napkin, the lyric to her heart-wrenching “Copenhagen,” the standout track from her new album Blessed. Celebrated illustrator Christoph Niemann offered up a Halloween-themed post from his fantastically visual NY Times blog Abstract Sunday. Acclaimed shooter Gregory Crewdson shared one of his haunted “narrative” photographs—this one featuring the actor Dylan Baker in the midst of some very peculiar behavior. And they don’t get much more peculiar than Doogie Horner, a graphic designer by day and stand-up comedian by night, who contributed one of his thrillingly odd flowcharts, this one titled “Things People Say to My Dog.” You read that right. Did we mention that Doogie was a contestant last year on America’s Got Talent?

Though tantalizing, the chance to collaborate with these creative powerhouses wouldn’t have been excuse enough to move forward with the package. “But, in one form or another, Spirit is always telling stories,” says McAlley. “It’s one of the promises we made to Southwest and one we try to fulfill with every issue: to engage the Southwest customers with tales that speak to their lives, sometimes through humor, sometimes through deep emotion, always with heart. The thrill of this particular storytelling experience has been the chance to deliver that kind of richness in such an entertaining and visually stirring variety of ways. The best art always leaves me wanting to make art. Hopefully, the reader will put down the October issue of Spirit and feel the urge to tell their own stories.”

Posted By: Austin Morton