On the NPR TED Radio Hour, Sunday 16th November, Newstalk FM:

Stories ignite our imagination, let us leap over cultural walls and cross the barriers of time. Stories affirm who we are, and allow us to experience the similarities between ourselves and others, real or imagined. Stories help us make meaning of our lives. In this hour, TED speakers explore the art of storytelling, and how good stories have the power to transform our perceptions of the world.

Filmmaker Andrew Stanton, best known for Toy Story, Finding Nemo and WALL-E, shares what he knows about storytelling. He says some of the strongest storytelling is joke telling, and that the best stories confirm some truth that deepens our understanding of who we are as human beings.

When author Tracy Chevalier looks at paintings, she imagines the stories behind them. She shares the story of Vermeer’s most famous painting that inspired her best-selling novel "Girl With a Pearl Earring."

Graphic designer Chip Kidd doesn’t judge books by their cover, he creates covers that embody the book. Kidd's book covers are visual haikus that instantly convey the heart of the story inside.

Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Writer Chimamanda Adichie warns that if we hear only a single story about another person, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

The NPR TED Radio Hour on Newstalk 106-108 FM, this Sunday at 6pm.

Listen back to TED Radio Hour 'Framing the Story' here.