diff --git a/src/components/Dashboard.jsx b/src/components/Dashboard.jsx
index 7f20417..ee8fac7 100644
--- a/src/components/Dashboard.jsx
+++ b/src/components/Dashboard.jsx
@@ -25,9 +25,6 @@ class Dashboard extends React.Component {
     this.handleViewSource = this.handleViewSource.bind(this)
     this.handleHighlight = this.handleHighlight.bind(this);
     this.handleSelect = this.handleSelect.bind(this);
-    this.handleSelectNarrative = this.handleSelectNarrative.bind(this);
-    this.handleTagFilter = this.handleTagFilter.bind(this);
-    this.updateTimerange = this.updateTimerange.bind(this);
     this.getCategoryColor = this.getCategoryColor.bind(this);
 
     this.eventsById = {}
@@ -63,18 +60,6 @@ class Dashboard extends React.Component {
     }
   }
 
-  handleSelectNarrative(narrative) {
-    this.props.actions.updateNarrative(narrative);
-  }
-
-  handleTagFilter(tag) {
-    this.props.actions.updateTagFilters(tag);
-  }
-
-  updateTimerange(timeRange) {
-    this.props.actions.updateTimeRange(timeRange);
-  }
-
   getCategoryColor(category='other') {
     return this.props.ui.style.categories[category] || this.props.ui.style.categories['other']
   }
@@ -90,30 +75,32 @@ class Dashboard extends React.Component {
       <div>
         <Toolbar
           isNarrative={!!this.props.app.narrative}
-          onFilter={this.handleTagFilter}
-          onSelectNarrative={this.handleSelectNarrative}
-          actions={this.props.actions}
+          methods={{
+            onFilter: this.props.actions.updateTagFilters,
+            onSelectNarrative: this.props.actions.updateNarrative
+          }}
         />
         <Map
           mapId='map'
           methods={{
             onSelect: this.handleSelect,
-            onSelectNarrative: this.handleSelectNarrative,
+            onSelectNarrative: this.props.actions.updateNarrative,
             getCategoryColor: this.getCategoryColor,
           }}
         />
         <Timeline
           methods={{
             onSelect: this.handleSelect,
-            onUpdateTimerange: this.updateTimerange,
+            onUpdateTimerange: this.props.actions.updateTimeRange,
             getCategoryColor: category => this.getCategoryColor(category)
           }}
         />
         <NarrativeCard
           onSelect={this.handleSelect}
-          onSelectNarrative={this.handleSelectNarrative}
+          onSelectNarrative={this.props.actions.updateNarrative}
         />
         <CardStack
+          isNarrative={!!this.props.app.narrative}
           onViewSource={this.handleViewSource}
           onSelect={this.handleSelect}
           onHighlight={this.handleHighlight}
diff --git a/src/components/MapEvents.jsx b/src/components/MapEvents.jsx
index 11aeb78..6fe3e00 100644
--- a/src/components/MapEvents.jsx
+++ b/src/components/MapEvents.jsx
@@ -33,14 +33,15 @@ class MapEvents extends React.Component {
     })
 
     if (this.props.narrative) {
-      const { byId } = this.props.narrative
-      const eventsInNarrative = events.filter(e => byId.hasOwnProperty(e.id))
-      if (eventsInNarrative.length <= 0) {
-        styleProps = {
-          ...styleProps,
-          fillOpacity: 0.1
-        }
-      }
+      // TODO: logic to display narratives in Map
+      // const { byId } = this.props.narrative
+      // const eventsInNarrative = events.filter(e => byId.hasOwnProperty(e.id))
+      // if (eventsInNarrative.length <= 0) {
+      //   styleProps = {
+      //     ...styleProps,
+      //     fillOpacity: 0.1
+      //   }
+      // }
     }
 
     return (
diff --git a/src/components/MapNarratives.jsx b/src/components/MapNarratives.jsx
index 2c9d777..bbd62ad 100644
--- a/src/components/MapNarratives.jsx
+++ b/src/components/MapNarratives.jsx
@@ -74,13 +74,15 @@ class MapNarratives extends React.Component {
   }
 
   renderNarrative(n) {
-    const steps = n.steps.slice(0, n.steps.length - 1);
-
-    return (
-      <g id={`narrative-${n.id.replace(/ /g,"_")}`} className="narrative">
-        {steps.map((s, idx) => this.renderNarrativeStep(n.steps, s, idx, n))}
-      </g>
-    )
+    // TODO: representation for narrative lines
+    // const steps = n.steps.slice(0, n.steps.length - 1);
+    //
+    // return (
+    //   <g id={`narrative-${n.id.replace(/ /g,"_")}`} className="narrative">
+    //     {steps.map((s, idx) => this.renderNarrativeStep(n.steps, s, idx, n))}
+    //   </g>
+    // )
+    return null
   }
 
   render() {
diff --git a/src/components/NarrativeCard.js b/src/components/NarrativeCard.js
index 4526164..e52ac5f 100644
--- a/src/components/NarrativeCard.js
+++ b/src/components/NarrativeCard.js
@@ -56,11 +56,15 @@ class NarrativeCard extends React.Component {
   }
 
   render() {
+    // no display if no narrative
     if (!this.props.narrative) return null
 
+    console.log(this.props.narrative)
     const { steps, current } = this.props.narrative
+
     if (steps[current]) {
       const step = steps[current];
+      console.log('here')
 
       return (
         <div className='narrative-info'>
diff --git a/src/components/Toolbar.jsx b/src/components/Toolbar.jsx
index d6ef534..cb3b3da 100644
--- a/src/components/Toolbar.jsx
+++ b/src/components/Toolbar.jsx
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import * as selectors from '../selectors'
 import { Tab, Tabs, TabList, TabPanel } from 'react-tabs';
 import Search from './Search.jsx';
 import TagListPanel from './TagListPanel.jsx';
-import ToolbarBottomActions from './ToolbarBottomActions.jsx';
+// import ToolbarBottomActions from './ToolbarBottomActions.jsx';
 import copy from '../js/data/copy.json';
 import { trimAndEllipse } from '../js/utilities.js';
 
@@ -46,8 +46,8 @@ class Toolbar extends React.Component {
   }
 
   goToNarrative(narrative) {
-    this.selectTab(-1) // set all unselected
-    this.props.onSelectNarrative(narrative);
+    this.selectTab(-1) // set all unselected within this component
+    this.props.methods.onSelectNarrative(narrative);
   }
 
   renderToolbarNarrativePanel() {
@@ -112,9 +112,7 @@ class Toolbar extends React.Component {
           {this.renderToolbarTab(0, 'Focus stories')}
           {this.renderToolbarTab(1, 'Explore freely')}
         </div>
-        <ToolbarBottomActions
-          actions={this.props.actions}
-        />
+        {/* <ToolbarBottomActions /> */}
       </div>
     )
   }
@@ -161,9 +159,7 @@ class Toolbar extends React.Component {
           {this.renderToolbarTab(0, 'Narratives')}
           {(isTags) ? this.renderToolbarTab(1, 'Explore by tag') : ''}
         </div>
-        <ToolbarBottomActions
-          actions={this.props.actions}
-        />
+        {/* <ToolbarBottomActions /> */}
       </div>
     )
   }
diff --git a/src/js/utilities.js b/src/js/utilities.js
index 0da7f7b..2c4b3c6 100644
--- a/src/js/utilities.js
+++ b/src/js/utilities.js
@@ -73,6 +73,13 @@ export function formatter(datetime) {
   return d3.timeFormat("%d %b, %H:%M")(datetime);
 }
 
+export const parseTimestamp = ts => d3.timeParse("%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S")(ts);
+
+export function compareTimestamp (a, b) {
+  return (parseTimestamp(a.timestamp) > parseTimestamp(b.timestamp));
+}
+
+
 /**
  * Debugging function: put in place of a mapStateToProps function to
  * view that source modal by default
diff --git a/src/reducers/app.js b/src/reducers/app.js
index 3725fce..0b37e77 100644
--- a/src/reducers/app.js
+++ b/src/reducers/app.js
@@ -33,11 +33,11 @@ function updateSelected(appState, action) {
 }
 
 function updateNarrative(appState, action) {
-  console.log(action.narrative)
   return {
     ...appState,
     narrative: action.narrative
   }
+
   // if (action.narrative === null) {
   //   console.log(action.narrative)
   //   return Object.assign({}, appState, {
diff --git a/src/selectors/index.js b/src/selectors/index.js
index 0ef170d..5d7ac87 100644
--- a/src/selectors/index.js
+++ b/src/selectors/index.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { createSelector} from 'reselect'
+import { parseTimestamp, compareTimestamp } from '../js/utilities'
 
 // Input selectors
 export const getEvents = state => state.domain.events;
@@ -22,7 +23,6 @@ export const getTimeRange = state => state.app.filters.timerange;
 /**
 * Some handy helpers
 */
-const parseTimestamp = ts => d3.timeParse("%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S")(ts);
 
 /**
  * Given an event and all tags,
@@ -89,40 +89,45 @@ export const selectEvents = createSelector(
  */
 export const selectNarratives = createSelector(
     [getEvents, getNarratives, getTagsFilter, getTimeRange],
-    (events, narrativeMetadata, tagFilters, timeRange) => {
+    (events, narrativesMeta, tagFilters, timeRange) => {
 
       const narratives = {};
-      events.forEach((evt) => {
+      const narrativeSkeleton = id => ({ id, steps: [] })
+
+      /* populate narratives dict with events */
+      events.forEach(evt => {
         const isTagged = isTaggedIn(evt, tagFilters) || isNoTags(tagFilters);
         const isTimeRanged = isTimeRangedIn(evt, timeRange);
         const isInNarrative =  evt.narratives.length > 0;
 
-        evt.narratives.map(narrative => {
-          if (!narratives[narrative]) {
-            narratives[narrative] = { id: narrative, steps: [], byId: {} };
-          }
+        evt.narratives.forEach(narrative => {
+          // initialise
+          if (!narratives[narrative])
+            narratives[narrative] = narrativeSkeleton(narrative)
 
-          if (isInNarrative) {
-            narratives[narrative].steps.push(evt);
-            narratives[narrative].byId[evt.id] = { next: null, prev: null };
-          }
+          // add evt to steps
+          if (isInNarrative)
+            narratives[narrative].steps.push(evt)
         })
       });
 
-      Object.keys(narratives).forEach((key) => {
+
+      /* sort steps by time */
+      Object.keys(narratives).forEach(key => {
         const steps = narratives[key].steps;
 
-        steps.sort((a, b) => {
-          return (parseTimestamp(a.timestamp) > parseTimestamp(b.timestamp));
-        });
+        steps.sort(compareTimestamp);
 
-        steps.forEach((step, i) => {
-          narratives[key].byId[step.id].next = (i < steps.length - 2) ? steps[i + 1] : null;
-          narratives[key].byId[step.id].prev = (i > 0) ? steps[i - 1] : null;
-        });
+        // steps.forEach((step, i) => {
+        //   narratives[key].byId[step.id].next = (i < steps.length - 2) ? steps[i + 1] : null;
+        //   narratives[key].byId[step.id].prev = (i > 0) ? steps[i - 1] : null;
+        // });
 
-        if (narrativeMetadata.find(n => n.id === key)) {
-          narratives[key] = Object.assign(narrativeMetadata.find(n => n.id === key), narratives[key]);
+        if (narrativesMeta.find(n => n.id === key)) {
+          narratives[key] = {
+            ...narrativesMeta.find(n => n.id === key),
+            ...narratives[key]
+          }
         }
       });