[081] Meeting My Tribe at STORY 26

Story #081

The Quiet Ones

Max J Miller

October 5, 2026

My dear friend MaxPaul sent me a link for an intriguing event called STORY 26 with a note saying, “Let’s go to this next year—it’s right up our alley.”

He added, “I just figured out why I’m so excited about being alive these days: This is the Age of Imagination!” Then he quoted the event website:

“We have reached the end of the Information Age. With knowledge commoditized, imagination—the ability to conceive what does not yet exist—becomes the primary driver of economic and cultural value. Welcome to the Age of Imagination.”

He sent that on September 2. The event would be the first couple of days of October in Nashville.

I briefly perused the event website and called MaxPaul. “Why not go this year?” I asked. He told me the logistics might be challenging.

MaxPaul (who is 81) would be returning home to North Carolina a day before this event from Los Angeles, where he would be attending the grand opening of George Lucas’s new Museum of Narrative Art.

In his inimitable can-do style, MaxPaul immediately changed his flight so we could meet in Nashville for STORY 26.

I’m writing this Field Note the day after we returned from Nashville. I haven’t had time to digest the experience, but my mind and heart are so full I just couldn’t wait to share a bit of it with you.

Of dozens of conferences I’ve attended, STORY 26 ranks among the most impactful.

Let me share a few highlights now, and I’m sure I’ll have more to share in future Field Notes.

It began with a welcome reception in the lobby of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Entering between the giant columns, I pondered the contrast between the building’s grand scale and the intimacy I associate with story.

As I reached for the front door of the Symphony Center, I heard a buzzing swarm of people inside and felt a familiar pang of uneasiness in my gut. I held the door for MaxPaul and felt reassured that I wasn’t entering an unfamiliar crowd alone.

A woman in a NASA flight suit and others holding welcome signs greeted us immediately. They guided us through a simple registration process, gave us each a name badge, a tote bag, and a program that was graphically stunning. First impression: dazzling.

In a little more than an hour, I met a dozen of the 500 attendees and four of the featured speakers.

As MaxPaul and I returned to our hotel, we shared stories of serendipitous encounters. We had each met several people with whom we shared common connections.

Back at the hotel, I filled out my online profile for the event. It asked, “Why are you here at STORY 26?” I immediately knew my response:

I’m here to meet my tribe.

Among the last to secure tickets for this event, we were seated in the balcony, above the main floor, the box seats, and the mezzanine (three levels up). Though our view was slightly obstructed by lighting trusses, we could see the entire hall.

The production was stunning—on par with a Disney theme park attraction complete with lighting, lasers, Jumbotron screens, and realistic set pieces.

I saw MaxPaul using his phone as a telephoto lens to see the stage. I asked if we needed to move to a different location. He told me he couldn’t hear the speakers clearly.

We walked out and told our situation to a staff person. She spoke to someone on a radio and asked us to follow her. After a labyrinth of elevators, stairs, and hallways, she opened a door to box seats fifty feet from the stage. She assured us we could enjoy these seats for the rest of the event.

We settled in just as the host invited Jodi Benson (the voice of Ariel from Disney’s The Little Mermaid) to the stage. I confess my time “behind the scenes” at Disney made it tempting to dismiss a Disney princess’s thoughts. I was more eager to hear from other noted authors and storytellers on the program.

But this Princess exceeded my expectations. She pulled back the Disney veneer and shared authentically and vulnerably about her own struggles with discouragement and other ‘negative’ emotions.

One of the biggest takeaways was her epiphany that it’s normal to feel conflicting emotions at the same time. As someone who has struggled to hide or suppress ‘bad’ emotions, I found her story encouraging.

She spoke about working with Howard Ashman (the lyricist and producer). After coaching her through the recording of Part of Your World, he took her aside and warned her that she might not like the final edit.

“We had many takes to choose from,” she recalled him saying, “and you might think the ones we chose aren’t perfect. It is perfect for Ariel, and it’s perfect to tell this story.”

That imperfect performance became an anthem for generations of little girls.

Another performing artist who took the stage later in the morning was Kafi Pierre. She has performed as a swing in Broadway’s The Lion King and in Cirque du Soleil.

Kafi spoke about how performers who didn’t even speak the same language could unify into a single, seamless performance by rigorous training, rehearsal, and synchronizing their breath.

“The performance is not where the work happens,” she said, leaning forward and whispering her secret, “it’s when you prove that the work has already happened.”

Over two days, I heard from over 20 speakers and performers on themes of wonder, courage, wisdom, teamwork, and faithfulness.

I’ll have more to share as I digest my 21 pages of notes and dozens of pictures I took.

The creator of STORY 26, Harris III, opened and closed the event, making the case to put “Wow!” before “How?”

Much of what he shared at STORY 26 comes from his wonderful new book, Start With Wow. I started reading it on my journey home from Nashville. It is a tour de force.

“The Information Age, which rewarded whoever had the most knowledge, is giving way to something new. What’s scarce now isn’t information. It’s imagination. It’s vision. It’s the willingness to sit in the uncertainty of wonder long enough to see what’s actually possible.”
— Harris III, Start With Wow, p. 20

I’ll leave you with one bit of wisdom Harris III shared at STORY 26 and a follow-up question:

“Our journey depends on how patiently and persistently we navigate the space between the no-longer and the not-yet. When perplexed, pause and wonder. Then act.” — Harris III

Where in your life are you standing between the no-longer and the not-yet, and what might it look like to pause and wonder there before you act?

Shine,

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