Northwest Film Forum

Since earliest times people have used stories to entertain, inform, and pass on cultural values. They have also used stories to persuade. In today’s fast-paced world, corporations use stories to sell products and gain competitive advantages, while political parties use stories to elect candidates and promote their agendas. Slaying the Gorgon is a fascinating and provocative multimedia presentation by storyteller, writer and public radio producer Joe McHugh that explores how stories are told in the modern age with the dynamic and transforming influence of new technologies. From the venerated saints and cathedrals of the Middle Ages to the pop stars and cineplexes of today, he explains why images and sound are increasingly supplanting the authority of the printed word, and, by so doing, radically altering the cultural, economic, and political landscape of United States and the rest of the world. He combines plain language, historical anecdotes, and humor to get his points across while providing the audience a much-needed opportunity for reflection and spirited discussion.