We Create Transformative experiences of creativity, courage, and the common good.
The New Story is a bold experiment for a better world, embodying imagination, spirituality, social action, and playful connection - defined above all by the practice of love.
The world runs on stories – the deep, underlying narratives (aka Ideologies, worldviews, belief systems, etc.) that fuel the ways we live and relate to one another.
OUR STORIES CAN LIBERATE OR OPPRESS, ENCOURAGE RECONCILIATION OR FURTHER SEPARATION, INSPIRE NEW LIFE OR EVEN BRING DEATH. BUT WHEN WE BECOME CONSCIOUS OF OUR STORIES, WE CAN BEGIN TO CHANGE THEM.
Believing that “the best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better,” New Story events seek to lead us into a better story – one that encourages growth and liberation, healing and harmony; a story where the downtrodden are uplifted and everyone is included.
In short, we define the New Story as one of compassionate action, collective liberation, and radical reconciliation.
To help us shape this new story together, we gather artists, activists, teachers, practitioners for spiritual/emotional health & wholeness, along with numerous other social innovators to share their creativity, practices, and stories at a variety of events, both online and in person.
Our signature event is an annual outdoor festival on the campus of Huston-Tillotson University, right in the heart of historic east Austin and just blocks from downtown, with music, art and stories, speakers and workshops, conversations both formal and spontaneous, helping us step into a better story – one with the potential to transform both Austin and the world. Our inaugural festival in 2019 drew over one thousand attendees.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we chose to cancel the 2020 New Story Festival. We will resume our in-person events as soon as it is safe and wise to do so. In the meantime we have launched a free social network, the New Story Online Community, for ongoing connection. We also offer subscriptions to our online learning community, Living the New Story, with regular Zoom events, small group cohorts, and a host of online resources.
Originally conceived in 2017 by co-founders Gareth Higgins and Mike Clawson, the New Story has been nurtured into being by artists, activists, and leaders with experience in international peace-building, local activism and community organizing, health, wholeness, spirituality and personal growth - friends and guides who want to share their wisdom and enthusiasm with you. Many of us are energized by the progressive Christian tradition, which means that while New Story events are not “religious” events per se, they are spiritually inclusive, inviting all who share these values to join in shaping a better world. Those from historically marginalized groups – women, persons of color, indigenous peoples, immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those with disabilities – are an especially integral part of both the leadership and programming.
New Story events, whether online or in person, are for sharing words and ideas, sound and vision, laughter and dancing, intimate conversations and moments of silence – creating a temporary embodiment of a story whose energy will last the whole year round.
Our programming features nationally-known headline speakers and influential local leaders; high-profile music acts as well as inspiring sounds from local up-and-comers.