Best-selling author Elif Shafak proves that storytelling can be profoundly political -- and makes the case for embracing uncertainty in turbulent times. (Audio only)

"From populist demagogues, we will learn the indispensability of democracy," says novelist Elif Shafak. "From isolationists, we will learn the need for global solidarity. And from tribalists, we will learn the beauty of cosmopolitanism." A native of Turkey, Shafak has experienced firsthand the devastation that a loss of diversity can bring -- an...

Listening to stories widens the imagination; telling them lets us leap over cultural walls, embrace different experiences, feel what others feel. Elif Shafak builds on this simple idea to argue that fiction can overcome identity politics.

"From populist demagogues, we will learn the indispensability of democracy," says novelist Elif Shafak. "From isolationists, we will learn the need for global solidarity. And from tribalists, we will learn the beauty of cosmopolitanism." A native of Turkey, she has experienced firsthand the devastation that a loss of diversity can bring -- and s...

How do we tell stories of humanity and nature at a time when our planet is burning? Novelist Elif Shafak invites us to listen to the trees, whose experience of time, stillness and impermanence is utterly different from our own. "Hidden inside [their] story is the past and the future of humanity," she says.

The climate crisis demands leadership at every level. Governments, cities and businesses are three key players in designing and implementing the necessary transition -- and putting climate back on the political and social agenda. Session 2 of the Countdown Global Launch, hosted by Al Gore and Jaden Smith, features Severn Cullis-Suzuki, Ursula vo...