Control Your Narrative: Ann Patchett On Power of Storytelling To Change The World
Best-selling author Ann Patchett (L) in conversation with Lisa Lucas, publishing executive, at a recent Chicago Humanities Festival event.
“You can’t save the world, but you can take care of the postage stamp in your yard.”
Ann Patchett, 62, best-selling author of 17 books, winner of the PEN/Faulkner award, Pulitzer Prize finalist, winner of the Women’s Prize For Fiction in the UK, the President’s National Humanities Medal, named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the world, and owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville, told a crowd recently as part of the Chicago Humanities, that stories frame everything. And stories connect us to the world.
So when you collaborate and take action with others, you can create movements.
In an on-stage conversation with Lisa Lucas, former senior vice president at Knopf Doubleday, and former executive director of the National Book Foundation, Patchett says, “What we all need is a sense of community, something we feel good about, that is something I am thrilled to be a part of.”
“What we all need is a sense of community, something we feel good about, that is something I am thrilled to be a part of,” says Ann Patchett, author, @chihumanities on #storytelling power ”
Her mission to use storytelling for leadership and change is aligned with the work of Kendall Cherry, Founder and Chief Storyteller at The Candid Collective, who is leading a Storytelling workshop at Take The Lead’s Power Up Conference August 26.
Read more in Take The Lead from Kendall Cherry
“I think the thing that most people forget about storytelling is that it's meant to be used as a tool to create a call to action. It's not just something that you say or share to get more likes, views, or engagement,” Cherry tells CFW Careers. “It's all about connecting and then converting people into your way of thinking, paying you, or completing any other action you want them to take.”
“The thing that most people forget about storytelling is that it’s meant to be used as a tool to create a call to action. It’s not just something that you say or share to get more likes, views, or engagement,” says Kendall Cherry, speaker @takeleadwomen #PowerUp2026 conference”
Read more in Take The Lead on storytelling in leadership
Patchett, who recently received the Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award for American Fiction, says, “A lot of what is being written now is hard, harsh and hard to take. I am missing a book that is smart and doesn’t punch you in the face.”
Margaret Atwood, literary giant, and keynote speaker at the Power Up 2026 Conference, is also a former winner of the same prize.
Patchett says the chaos in the world today and all its negativity expressed in news, books and other public platforms, is in contrast to her personal narrative .“I see so much kindness in my life and the world. It is the difference between primary and secondary sources. What I see far away is the cauldron, and close up I see so much kindness, that is underrepresented,” Patchett says.
“What I see far away is the cauldron, and close up I see so much kindness, that is underrepresented,” says author Ann Patchett @chihumanities #storytelling ”
Having her first book published when she was an undergraduate at Sarah Lawrence College, Patchett says in the contentious and divisive political and economic culture today, “Cruelty, anger and complaining is low-hanging fruit. Yes, it’s been worse.”
Instead, she advises, “Take a minute to consider all the people who have been nice to you today. It will make a huge difference if we control the narrative.”
Read more from Gloria Feldt on the power of storytelling
The bombardment of disinformation, shocking news and ubiquity of social media makes for distraction and a framework that puts everything in the world in a negative light. Recently writing an essay that what she regrets most in life is having email, Patchett says, “The collective life is more important than one life. My heart could break for the joy of it.”
Speaking specifically about her latest novel, “Whistler,” Patchett says her published works of fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books, are an attempt to use stories to find universal truths. And not just negative events, but love, connection and positive outcomes.
“The collective life is more important than one life,” says best-selling author of 17 books Ann Patchett. #storytelling as a #calltoaction ”
Read more in Take The Lead on the power of stories of underrepresented women
When asked, Patchett says “Commonwealth,” was her most favorite book she wrote, but she does not read any of her books after they are published. She has written about her own family and she says, “My mother said, ‘None of it happened and all of it is true.’”
While she is a best-selling author and has sold millions of books around the world, she has also received criticism. Patchett says, “You can’t control what people think, you can’t control what people are going to hate, so you need to free yourself from all of that..” She adds, “I find my restraint breathtaking.”
“You can’t control what people think, you can’t control what people are going to hate, so you need to free yourself from all of that.,” Ann Patchett on #success, #criticism and #selfworth.”
Read more in Take The Lead on the power to change the narrative
With honoring and telling your story as key frameworks for Take The Lead’s 9 Leadership Power Tools, the message is similar. Gloria Feldt, co-founder and president of Take The Lead, created the tools for participants in conferences, trainings, cohorts and private coaching.
“Women without a clear leadership presence are often overlooked. But even more importantly, those with bold ideas and big visions can find themselves stuck without a clear strategy to soar,” Feldt says. “The 9 Leadership Power Tools Course gives you the mental reset and strategic foundation to rise—whether you're navigating change or building toward something bigger.”
The first power tool, “Know Your History,” speaks to what Patchett says is crucial about narrative and storytelling. When you know your history, “you can create the future of your choice,” is Take The Lead’s definition.
“Know Your History is @takeleadwomen #PowerTool #1 . When you know your history, “you can create the future of your choice.” #leadership #success #future”
Read more in Take The Lead on the power of story
Power Tool # 9, Tell Your Story, applauds an individual’s power to share their narrative. “Your story is your truth; your truth is your power. Telling your story authentically helps you lead (not follow) your dreams and have an unlimited life,” according to the definition.
Each year at the Power Up Conference, Felicia Davis, Take The Lead ambassador, Executive Voice and Culture Advisor and creator of the Voice Sovereignty Method, presents the Power Tool Champions who live and lead the conviction of each tool.
“Power Tool # 9 @takeleadwomen: Tell Your Story. Your #story is your truth; your truth is your power. Telling your story authentically helps you lead (not follow) your #dreams and have an unlimited life. ”
Read more in Take The Lead on Power Tool Champions 2025
At the Audacity: Leadership in Action conference this year, the team will be “recognizing nine exceptional women from among the 5,000+ program participants who exemplify each of the 9 Leadership Power Tools in action. These champions will lead roundtable discussions, sharing their insights and experiences,” according to Davis, who will announce and present the awards winners again this year.
The Power Tools are “practical, profound, and essential for any woman ready to lead with intention and impact,” says Davis.
Similarly, finding community in narrative is critical to Patchett’s work and life. She says, “We are all woven up with the same threads.”
After publishing her first book, The Patron Saint of Liars, successfully, as a college student at Sarah Lawrence, Patchett says she pursued journalism as a way to keep telling stories, learn more and write more books—one at a time. She worked at Seventeen magazine, publishing essays from the time she was 22 until she was 30.
“Ann Patchett published her 1st book, The Patron Saint of Liars, as a student @SarahLawrence , then pursued journalism as a way to keep learning and telling stories. @chihumaniities”
Read more in Take The Lead on the power of story
She says she was deeply edited, needed to work very quickly, and that was the foundation of her pace of publishing books—though she says her book editors do not request editing changes. She turns in the manuscript after her circle of friend editors advise her on changes.
As someone who frequently publishes opinion pieces and commentary, Patchett says, “When I write, I think how can I be more succinct, and direct, and still have the writing be beautiful and meaningful?”
Read more in Take The Lead on the power of storytelling
When asked how she researches her books and decides between fiction and nonfiction, Patchett says, “Memory is fascinating and completely unreliable.” So she works very hard researching characters’ jobs and dives deep.
Her best advice, though, is not just for writers, but for everyone. “Treat your brain as the thing that is going to make a living for you and take care of it.”
Take The Lead’s Power Up Conference 2026, Audacity: Leadership In Action, features a diverse group of speakers and experts speaking on the importance of inclusive leadership and strategies to solve systemic and historical barriers across all sectors. Kendall Cherry is leading a session on the power of storytelling, following keynote Margaret Atwood, literary icon, plus panels on AI, women’s health and more. Learn more about other speakers and panels and register here.
