Dr. Hazel Denhart
The Universal Grammar of Story
Dr. Hazel Denhart is a distinguished scholar, educator, and author whose career spans the fields of education, communication, and creative writing. Her work seeks to awaken the ancient storyteller archetype—born into every writer—to guide society along the uncharted edges of an increasingly dangerous social frontier. A graduate of Portland State University with a doctorate in Education, she has taught at universities worldwide, including at the European University Viadrina in Germany, Prince Mohamed bin Fahd University in Saudi Arabia, and the American University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan. Dr. Denhart developed the "Universal Grammar of Story," at Portland State in the 1990s. This revolutionary approach to writing seamlessly unifies logical structure, linguistic architecture, and unconscious emotional drives with the intuitive mystery underlying all narrative forms. Louisiana poet laureate Mona Lisa Saloy calls this work, “the most beautifully designed, thoughtfully laid-out book on writing I have ever witnessed.” By integrating ancient and contemporary storytelling practices, “The Grammar” guides writers in tapping into and developing their multiple intelligences in the service of stories to unite fragmented communities. Beyond her academic and creative pursuits, Hazel Denhart is a passionate humanitarian. She has responded to crises ranging from famine in Central Asia to guiding women through armed conflict in the Middle East to assisting with emotional trauma in the aftermath of natural disaster. In 2018, Hazel Denhart and her husband, Rick, co-founded The Invisible Press as the publishing home of the Universal Grammar of Story, dedicated to sharing its transformative power through books, videos, and innovative educational programs. Denhart's work continues to inspire and empower writers, students, and readers worldwide by illuminating the latent power born into every writer to bring forth social transformation and healing through their native gift of storytelling.