The Heart of Storytelling

Ashley Ramsden started telling stories in Australia, where he trained as an actor in the Harkness Studio and soon founded MYTHOS, a company dedicated to the revival of the Art of Storytelling. In 1986 he then moved to the United States where he developed a range of remarkable storytelling performances and one-man-shows.His repertoire continues to include: The Titanic; The Man Who Planted Hope; The Arabian Nights; A Christmas Carol; Celtic Tales; Tistou of the Green Thumbs; Gilgamesh; The Holy Man; The Hilarious Adventures of the Hodja Nasruddin; Dylan Thomas’ ‘A Childs Christmas in Wales’; Diary of a Farmer’s Wife; The Song of Roland; The Yorkshire Bible Stories; The Temple Legend and other stories of King Solomon; and This Being Human ~ the Poetry and Stories of Jelaluddin Rumi.In 1988 he returned to England where at Emerson College in Sussex he soon began to host an annual International Storytelling Symposium with storyteller/author Nancy Mellon, a work that was to stretch over the next decade.In 1994 Ashley founded the School of Storytelling at Emerson College which continues to flourish to this day. This school, which is unique to the United Kingdom, draws storytellers from all over the world and focuses on different branches pertaining to the art of the storyteller. These include Storytelling as a Performing Art, Storytelling in Education, Storytelling as a Healing Art, Storytelling in the World of Business, Storytelling and the Environment.For further up-to-date information see: www.schoolofstorytelling.com.In 2008 Ashley’s collaboration with Nancy Mellon resulted in Body Eloquence:The Power of Myth and Story to Awaken the Body’s Energies. See www.bodyeloquence.com.Ashley tells stories in theatres, at storytelling festivals and clubs, in castles, private houses, pubs, Camphill Community Centres, schools, businesses, prisons, churches, spiritual centres, and at charity events.His performances include: Sydney Opera House Mostly Mozart Festival(1985); San Francisco Storytelling Festival (1987); Co-leading workshops with author/poet Robert Bly at Asimolar, California (1991); The Odyssey of a Manchurian with author Belle Yang and the San Jose Chamber Orchestra (1997); Beyond the Border Storytelling Festival (1999); performances with the Jupiter Symphony Orchestra (1999,2001,2006); South Africa Storytelling Festival (2004); Swedish Storytelling Symposium (2004); A Christmas Carol broadcast across the United States on National Public Radio (2005/6); The London Symphony Orchestra (2006); tour with the Stichting English Theatre at Hof van Wouw in the Hague (2006), Holland; Slovenian Storytelling Festival (2007).International storytelling performances and workshops from 1986 to date include Australia, USA, Scandinavia, South Africa, Japan, Greece, Slovenia, Germany and throughout the UK.

Dan Broadbent is an archaeologist and storyteller, based in South West England. His work explores the borderlands of landscape, folklore and mythology, with a particular emphasis on the folklore of Somerset, his home for the last 25 years.He has previously worked as manager of the County Museum of Somerset and more recently as Historic Heritage Officer for the Quantock Hills National Landscape, where he develops community projects which investigate and celebrate the rich heritage of England’s first designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.He is also the founder of Blabbermouth Community Storytelling, a project dedicated to exploring the potential of traditional oral storytelling in building resilient communities, providing opportunities for reconnecting with nature, improving personal well-being, and celebrating cultural diversity. He holds a BSc. in Archaeology and an M.A. in Ecology & Spirituality.blabbermouthstorytelling.co.ukblabbermouthstorytelling@outlook.com

John Row, storyteller and poet has been performing for over half a century across four continents at schools, festivals, museums, libraries, community groups and prisons. He is curator of worldstorytellingcafe.com and artistic director of the Marrakech International Storytelling Festival. His publications include ‘Pootling Through, a life of diversions, Out Of the Hat, stories from around the world and The Pong Machine, stories for children.

Cooper Braun was raised by granola eating coyotes in Boulder Colorado. He was awarded the 2018 JJ Reneaux Emerging Artist Award and the 2022 Regional Excellence Award by the National Storytelling Network. Since the beginning of the pandemic Cooper has become one of the leading producers of virtual storytelling shows. Cooper’s stories remind us that fairy tales were never just for children. That traditional stories can be funny, dark, poignant, and anything but dry.  

David Thompson has been a teller for over 50 years. Focusing on the “forgotten” middle school through university students, his appearances in secondary/higher education have been applauded many times. Telling stories ranging from the truly ancient epics (which are his passion), adapted myths from other cultures setting them in West Texas, and obscure/forgotten history, David has told locally, statewide, nationally, and internationally and is frequently invited to contribute to events. One of six storytellers invited to represent the United States at the Marrakech International Storytelling Festival in Marrakech, Morroco, along with official appreciation from the government of the Republic of Ireland, plus 7 times gold medalist at the International Irish Storytelling Competition, his untiring dedication to storytelling proves that the story tells itself, you are the vehicle for its existence. Two personal mottos that keep him going are: “Children have storytellers, Adults need them” AND “Storytellers are the memory keepers.”You can find him at [email protected]

Dr Joanna Gilar is a writer and storyteller with a PhD in fairy tales and ecological storytelling from the University of Chichester. She is founder and director of StoryCommons CIC, a fairy tale collective dedicated to building resilience via story. Their projects include Rewilding Cinderella, a collaboration of 14 artists, poets and storytellers from minoritized communities across the UK to celebrate the wild diversity of Cinder stories.Joanna is visiting lecturer in children’s and young adult literature at the University of Roehampton, and has taught courses and workshops on fairy tales and storytelling since 2016. She is co-editor of The World Treasury of Fairy Tales and Folklore (Wellfleet Press, 2016), and has published numerous articles on rewilding fairy tales. As a storyteller, she has performed across the UK and Europe, in venues ranging from festivals to universities, Italian castles to Bohemian forests. She has created land-based, wild-story performances for ONCA, Into the Wild, Queer Spirit, Treadwells and Advaya. Her performances have been described as “spell-binding”, “breath-taking”, “astonishing” and “a gift.”www.wildstorycommons.orgwww.joannagilar.com

Our guest today is Clinton Atwater, founder of Storytelling Connections and a storyteller who truly embodies the belief that stories are bridges between hearts and minds. Clinton's journey began around a Michigan campfire, where family stories sparked a lifelong passion for the oral tradition. But his path wasn't direct—he spent years as a Pharmacy Operations Manager before discovering his authentic voice through Toastmasters and eventually stepping into the storytelling world.What makes Clinton special isn't just his performances at festivals, schools, and libraries, but his dedication to empowering others. Through his storytelling community "Let Me Tell Ya!", he creates spaces where both seasoned storytellers and newcomers can share their voices. When COVID threatened live storytelling, he didn't hesitate—he brought the community online, proving that stories can connect us even across distance. This year, Clinton received the ORACLE Award from the National Storytelling Network, recognizing his tireless work building the Mid-Atlantic storytelling community.But at its heart, Clinton's work is about something deeper than entertainment—it's about the fundamental human need to be heard, understood, and connected.www.StorytellingConnections.comhttps://linqapp.com/clinton_atwater?r=linkhttps://www.facebook.com/storytelling.connectionshttps://www.instagram.com/storytelling.connections/

 Louise Gwenneth Phillips is a professional storyteller, coach, consultant, teacher, researcher, author and honorary Associate Professor in the School of Education, The University of Queensland. Her research and publications focus on story(tell)ing, children’s rights and citizenship, arts and rights-based pedagogies and methodologies (see https://louptales.education/publications/).She is particularly enchanted by the lore of everyday folk which have been told from person to person across generations and millennia. To hold and embrace this wisdom, Louise crafts global folktales into hankies and scarfs, so you can keep the wisdom of the story close to you.Email: [email protected]

Having told stories since 1973, storytelling has played a major part in her life and has taken Liz to five continents. Recently she attended the Marrakech International Storytelling Festival  with 100 tellers from 33 countries where she took part in the successful attempt to break the World Record for the longest continuous oral  storytelling session - 80 hours and 35 minutes.https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2025/01/165264/marrakech-breaks-guinness-world-record-for-longest-storytelling-session/As she started telling stories in Belfast during our "Troubles" in Northern Ireland, a time when violence was raging on the streets, Liz learned how important the art of storytelling can be as it can encourage people to listen to each other. Listening to stories which may be very different from our own shows respect , and respect can lead to dialogue which can often lead to the peaceful resolution of conflict.She wrote an article about it here https://storynet.org/out-of-the-tunnel-and-into-the-light-of-peace/Liz is the Storyteller in Residence for a charity which promotes storytelling throughout Northern Ireland and her current focus is on training people from both sides of the Irish Border to tell stories - see https://www.armstory.org.uk/projects/border-talk-She does a lot of intergenerational storytelling, bringing our young people and elders together to promote this invaluable intangible art.  Storytelling is a living tradition and we must inspire our young people to continue the rich tradition. It celebrates cultural diversity and hence encourages communication between people of all backgrounds.For more information, see her website:Liz Weir – Storyteller | Writer

Christina Cairns is a visual artist/writer/performer/song-writer/storyteller.  She is a member of the Great Southern Storytellers and a frequent storyteller at their monthly story gatherings. She has told many stories to appreciative audiences in Denmark over the years.She is fascinated most of all by the power of story, the tales we tell ourselves, tales handed down generation to generation, and how these layers upon layers of story change across time, and shape us and the world we live in. She is inspired especially by fairytales, folklore and mythology, and likes to look at stories from new or different points of view, exploring the what-ifs and the if-onlys.There are no boundaries between the different aspects of her work; music and songwriting influence her artwork, poetry informs theatre ideas, theatre ideas bleed into visual works, and back again.  She is also just a little obsessed with books, creating small, hand made and hand stitched illustrated booklets of poetry and storytelling.Christina writes and performs original song/storytelling shows. Her three solo shows The Wolf Bride, Fables and Treesong have featured at the Denmark Festival of Voice and Brave New Works; Windborne, a co-production with writer Linda Bradbury, was featured at the 2019 Denmark Festival of Voice, and she has most recently written and performed The Descent of Persephone at the 2025 Denmark Brave New Works Festival, in collaboration with Silvia Lehmann, another member of GSS.Christina holds a Diploma in Graphic Design and BA in Theatre and Literature. She lives with her family on the beautiful south coast of Western Australia, in Denmark, a little town that lies between forests of magnificent Karri trees and the Great Southern Ocean.To contact, please email her at [email protected]

Silvia Lehmann – Storyteller, Theatre Director, Community Facilitator Silvia holds a BA (Hons) and Graduate Diploma in Theatre Directing, Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne Australia (1995). She has lived in the small coastal town of Denmark in Western Australia for 17 years and regularly runs creative writing, acting, somatic movement and storytelling workshops. Silvia has facilitated many cross-artform community performance projects, including Living Testament (2016), The Fisherman and His Wife (2018), and The Spindle of Spoken Story, a 7-month storyteller development programme devised and delivered together with Nicola-Jane le Breton (2019). Silvia was playwright for Movementworks’ adaption of The Yellow Wallpaper (2011) and playwrighting coordinator/mentor on Feet First Collective’s Medusa (2024). Over 2023 Silvia worked on a concept of adaptation of the Baroque opera The Fairy Queen for Denmark Baroque. In 2023 Silvia created Great Southern Storytellers (GSS) together with Jeff Atkinson and Christina Cairns, telling traditional, mytho-poetic tales. GSS has run monthly storytelling circles in Denmark since November 2023, and holds regular storytelling workshops for the community.To contact her, email [email protected]

British-born Claire Hennessy is co-founder/producer of Six Feet Apart Productions, producing online and in-person storytelling shows and festivals. She was a recipient of a 2024 NSN Oracle Award. She’s a GrandSlam finalist at The Moth, the National Storytelling Festival, and West Side Stories. She was a featured teller at the 2024 St Louis Storytelling Festival, the 2021 and 2024 Women’s Storytelling Festivals and the 2023 Sacramento Valley Storytelling Festival. She helps organize the Bay Area Storytelling Festival and is a Board Member of the Storytelling Association of California. She’s performed on The Risk! Podcast, Better Said Than Done, Good Liar’s Club, Moonshine Stories, among others. She is hoping to find an agent for her humorous memoir before she is too old to go on a book tour.You can find out more about Claire at: Six Feet Apart ProductionsStorytelling Association of CaliforniaThe Bonkers Brit

Jeff is a storyteller from the edge of the known world or, if you prefer, a small town on the South Coast of Western Australia called Denmark.  He  runs a monthly community storytelling circle and is involved in running rights of passage ceremonies, in men's work and gatherings at which he has been known to tell a story or two.  Jeff has a keen interest in the intersection of story, myth and ritual.Jeff spent twenty years telling small stories with finely honed words often serving questionable ends.  Hitting middle-age and embarking on the inward journey that often begins at that time of life, he has come to understand that his calling is to spread bigger, grander stories in service of the goal of re-enchanting the world by re-kindling our imaginations.You can find out more about Jeff by emailing him at [email protected]

Vanessa is “London’s resident storyteller” her trailblazing story events for adults have led to a partnership with TimeOut Magazine, a TEDx talk in Stormont NI and many TV /radio performances. She’s founder and lead storyteller of Connection With Wonder (previously London Dreamtime) programming training and projects as well as very popular live events. She’s founder of Space for Storytelling a free crowdfunded support for London’s storytelling community.You can find out more about her on Instagram

Uncle Ken Jones, NAIDOC Male Elder & Proud Boandik ElderUncle Ken is founder of Bush Adventures, a family company that takes guests on personalised tours of the Limestone Coast, telling the stories of Boandik Country. He has He has dedicated over 50 years of his life to conservation efforts , including on the state Aboriginal Heritage Committee, which oversees and advises on the preservation and protection of Aboriginal sites and remains.Pulan the Spirit Bird and the Bunyip is the story he [email protected]: Bush Adventures

Karmit’s work history spans diverse experiences, interests and competences from the healing arts, and the arts & crafts world. Her unique skill-set provides a deep perspective for transformational work, and in working with soul searching questions. Her studies encompass human ecology and earth healing modalities as well as energy healing systems and shamanic practices. Karmit is the founder of Earth speaks, an educational initiative combining earth energy work)and creative expression. Earth Speaks offers seminars and journeys, where people explore holistic connections to the landscape, build a renewed relationship with Place and experience its sacred aspects. Participants develop sensitivity to living systems in nature – cultivating an awareness of the wild, the unseen, and the conscious aspects of the earth.Her work explores the sacred sources of story in the realms of the imagination where everything is possible. She is passionate about creating new narratives that combine ancient, nature based thinking with contemporary forms and needs. She believes the Oral Tradition acts as a healing salve; helping us to stitch together our fragmented perceptions of the world.https://www.earth-speaks.net/IG earthspeaks https://www.instagram.com/earthspeaks/?hl=en

Jennifer Ramsay is a professional storyteller. She has told stories in more than 2,000 events including several international festivals. She also trains people in the art of storytelling.Jennifer is trained in Gestalt therapy, expressive arts therapies, Psychodrama and ecotherapy.She works with story medicine in private practice and as a group facilitator working creatively with stories in unique workshops, weaving tales with Gestalt therapy, psychodrama into the seasons of the year.The heartbeat of Jennifer’s stories is the rhythms of nature as the Celtic wheel of the year turns and the lunar cycles wax and wane. She is committed to using her creativity to help with the environmental policrisis that we are facing and is part of the global network of Earth Storytellers.She has a degree in Biological Sciences and is studying the ways of the Druids. She is fluent in English and in Spanish.Jennifer offers regular courses in her online school: Dancing with Death: Storytelling, Creativity and Ritual to talk about Death and Connect with Life. The Fairy Tale Journey; a year and a day through fairy tales.You can find links to the recordings of a selection of Jennifer’s story-based creative workshops hereHow to find her: Website of Story Arte www.storyarte.com https://www.storyarte.com/ Facebook Story Arte https://www.facebook.com/storyarte/ Facebook StoryArte https://www.instagram.com/storyarte/?hl=en Facebook Story Arte Online school on Teachable https://storyarte.teachable.com/ e-mail: [email protected]

Fran Stallings is a lifelong storyteller who enchants audiences with her distinctive voice and music. A recovering biology professor, as “Earthteller” she specializes in stories of plants and animals, our ecosystems and the solar system. She performs nationwide and overseas at storytelling festivals, in schools and libraries, and on Zoom.Her website is franstallings.com

In this episode, I speak with U.S. storyteller Marilyn McPhie who has travelled internationally to tell stories. We share a love of ancestry and sharing family stories and dive into a rich conversation about this. We discuss working with people with dementia, running a storytelling organisation and being online and so much more.

Rachael Harrington is a storyteller whose work has taken her around the globe, presenting imagination infused performances and workshops in arts venues, schools, community settings, and as a guest lecturer at Rutgers University. She presents workshops, stories, and talks at conferences including The National Storytelling Summit, The American Association of School Libraries Conference, New Jersey Education Association, New Jersey Association of School Libraries, and New Jersey TESOL Conference. Publications: Storytelling Magazine, School LIbrary Connection, Voices Journal. Performance Highlights: The Sugarhill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling, The Uptown Arts Stroll, The Story Center at Mid-Continent Public Library. Member: The National Storytelling Network, The New Jersey Storytelling Network, North East Storytellers, Clutch Full Circle, StateraArts.Her website is here

Kelli Dunham is the nonbinary ex-nun storytelling nurse comedian so common in modern Brooklyn. Kelli has appeared on Showtime and the Discovery Channel, PBS Stories From the Stage, the Moth Mainstage, NPR, nationwide at colleges, prides, fundraisers, oh so many nursing conferences and even the occasional livestock auction. Kelli's award-winning but dubiously named Second Helping: Two Dead Lovers, Dead Funny was called "a love letter to the power of community" by the Bechdel Theater, and "drop dead funny" by Go Magazine, was featured in last year's Edinburgh Fringe and is touring internationally. Kelli was one of the faces of nonbinary fashion prominently featured in the recent New York Times piece on nonbinary people in the workplace. This is true even though no one before that time (or since) has ever accused Kelli of being fashionable. Kelli is the author of seven hilarious nonfiction books about not humorous subjects including puberty, grief and death and you can hear Kelli chat with an eclectic group of guests about these very subjects as well as LGBT health, caregiving, mutual aid, and knock-knock jokes on her forthcoming podcast Second Helping. Former NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio once called Kelli a show off. To her face.You can find her website here

Talia Levy is an emerging storyteller.She is a woman who follows the flame of passion and inspiration. She is in service to life, authenticity and harmony.She is a teacher of children, a way-shower for women and a guide for those exploring deep nature connection.Her depth and breadth of experience across these fields have found their co-habitation in Storytelling.Through the art of storytelling Talia explores the deep questions of belonging, connection and longing.Storytelling has given her a way to connect to her ancestry through the untold stories of women. She hopes to support others to find belonging through uncovering stories from their own ancestry.You can find her website here

Jamie J, Executive Director of First Person Arts, is an artist/activist using storytelling to build community and catalyze dialogue around important issues, especially those issues impacting the unheard. Brunson was named a 2022 NEA/ Delaware Division of the Arts Established Artist Fellow in Literature: Playwriting. Her creative body of work includes produced plays, published poetry and stories for the stage. She has brought storytelling to audiences across multiple platforms for over a decade, including: executive producer of two documentary films, producer of 12 annual First Person Arts Festivals of memoir and documentary art, host of WHYY’s Philadelphia Revealed Podcast (July 2024); WHYY’s Commonspace Radio Hour and Podcast series (2018), and COVID Stories – A Digital Memoir (2020). She is a Creator of FPA’s Applied Storytelling division where storytelling activities are customized to build communities. She serves as board, committee or steering committee member of: Strategic Planning Committee of Philadelphia’s Dept. of Behavioral Health & Intellectual Disabilities Services Engaging Males of Color Initiative; Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and Avenue of the Arts, ArtPhilly and Stories to Grow By. She has lectured at Bryn Mawr College, University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. She is currently working on a memoir and solo show.Brunson holds an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and BA from Temple University.

Jim Brulé is a transformational storyteller, end-of-life doula, and educator. Drawing on a blend of cultural, spiritual, and academic experiences, he brings a unique perspective to his work with advanced degrees in Family and Systems Therapy and Artificial Intelligence. Jim’s workshops explore themes of healing, multicultural wisdom, and end-of-life support. For over a decade, he has trained spiritual storytellers from a variety of traditions. Known for his collaborative spirit, Jim has co-developed and led dozens of workshops with storytellers worldwide.You can learn more at https://TransformationalStorytelling.org/ or [email protected]

In June 2025, I went to the Sydney International Storytelling Conference and had an incredible time. While I was there, I chatted with a bunch of great people and this mini-episode is the result of that. Adam Booth was the keynote speaker at this event, hosted by Australian Storytellers. You can find out more about it here.

Christine Carlton is an Australian Storyteller and Educator who has performed and facilitated workshops throughout Australia, New Zealand, USA and Asia. She loves how stories challenge, heal, entertain, inform, develop and delight both the tellers and the audience. For over 40 years Christine has conducted workshops with groups of children and adults, organisations, and lectured in Story and Drama in Education at the University of Western Sydney. She also provides individual coaching and mentoring for people keen to expand their storytelling skills. Christine has been the Convenor for all of the Weaving Stories Together - Sydney International Storytelling Conferences and is President of the Australian Storytelling Guild NSWaustralianstorytellers.org.au/christine-carlton

Laura Packer knows that the best way to the truth is through a good story. For over 30 years she has told, taught, ranted, raved, consulted, and considered storytelling around the world. When she isn’t telling, she runs venues, coaches, writes, and helps people and organizations find their stories, hone their vision and use their voices to make the world a better place. She has won many awards, including induction into the National Storytelling Network's Circle of Excellence for standard bearers of the art and craft of storytelling; Best in Fringe in many fringe festivals; the New England Storytelling Brother Blue Award; and others. Her books have been recognized as seminal works.Laura is also the sole proprietor of thinkstory organizational storytelling. She has helped for- and non-profit organizations around the nation identify, hone, capitalize upon, and celebrate their stories. Previous clients include NASA, iRobot Corporation, Quest Diagnostics, Dreamfar, Unbound, and others. For her story and more, go to laurapacker.com. For her blog go to patreon.com/laurapacker. And to learn more about her organizational storytelling work go to thinkstory.com.  

Daniel Abercrombie is the Head of Programming at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh and the Associate Director for the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, which takes place throughout Scotland each October. He has over 15 years of experience in events programming, working in partnership with a wide range of artists and cultural organisations in Scotland and internationally, focussing his work on collaboration and shared creativity. Daniel also hosts and curates the storytelling podcast Another Story. https://www.instagram.com/dannyabercrombie/https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/another-storyhttps://www.sisf.org.uk/https://www.scottishstorytellingcentre.com/

Marcus Pibworth is a storyteller who uses story to entertain, explore the magic of the world, and facilitate change. Two years ago he moved with his wife and two young daughters to the foothills of the Black Mountains just on the English side of the Welsh border, where he has been working tirelessly to explore the intersection between story and the natural world, rewild and restory 10acres of land, and use the ancient wisdom of story to bring groups of dads together to explore fatherhood in the magical Rock Cottage yurt, and provide a peaceful rural haven for storytellers. Marcus is also the host of The Grey Wolf Story Cafe, a monthly storytelling night in Hay-on-Wye. You can find him on Instagram here

Lucia L. Luckett-Kelly , solopreneur, the founder and owner of Phantasy Staircase Education is an Educator, Creative Dramatic Instructor and Storyteller.She has been teaching students of all ages and backgrounds for over 30 years and has been performing for even longer.Lucia has made appearances at schools, park districts, libraries, churches, museums, bookstores, restaurants, private family homes, and art festivals, in person and virtually on Zoom.She is a former Board member of the ITA (Illinois Theatre Association), a member of NSN (National Storytelling Network), and on the Board of Directors for (BlessingsBalanceBreathYoga).She is an artistic, sociable and enterprising individual who enjoys sharing stories that span the ages and cultures from the United States and Around the World.Home | Phantasy Staircase Education

Donald Smith is a storyteller of Scotland. Inspired by his time at the School of Scottish Studies in Edinburgh, Donald became Director of The Netherbow Arts Centre and founding Director of the Scottish Storytelling Centre. He is a longstanding activist in Earth Charter International, and co-founder of The Earth Stories Collection. Donald is currently Director of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival but also a busy supporter of Scotland's national storytelling network. In 2023 he received the Hamish Henderson Award for lifetime service to the Scottish arts. [email protected]: 0131 652 3271Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street, EH1 1SR

Michael has told stories both as a solo performer and with other artists throughout the UK and Europe as well festivals in North and South America. Most of his work is in either English or Welsh and he specialises in bilingual delivery of stories.He is a familiar performer in the UK festival and club scene and draws particular inspiration from the Welsh oral heritage and landscape. He  combines depth of material with lightness of delivery which is timed and paced to perfection and minted fresh for every audience.Michael has devised and toured collaborative work with leading UK storytelling production company Adverse Camber, was awarded a Major Creative Wales Award, took part in the the 3rd Labo at La Maison du Conte in Paris and was a featured teller at the National Storytelling Festival  in Jonesborough, Tennessee. A new collaborative show based on the Lady of the Lake legend is currently on tour with Michael as Artistic Director.www.michaelharvey.orgBando! Michael Harvey's new storytelling company https://www.bandowales.org/Links to articles etcSubstack - articles etc

Laura is an internationally acclaimed storyteller, writer, coach, and humanitarian. She combines traditional stories with personal narrative. She is artistic Director of the Hans Christian Andersen Storytelling Center, and served as a Senior Research Fellow for Rutgers University Peace Center under the auspices of UNESCO. Laura won the Sesame Street SUNNY DAYS AWARD for work with children worldwide, received the Hasbro September 11 Grant and a lifetime achievement award from the National Storytelling Network. She is a certified dharma art teacher, senior meditation instructor, and works with The Constellation. Her most recent book is Our Secret Territory: The Essence of Storytelling. Her new book The Story of Wild Rose: Summoning The Restoration of the World is being published by Sentient Books (TBA).See her website at Laura SimmsEmail her at: [email protected]

Melissa Min is one of West Australia’s most prominent storytellers. She works with language, myth and story to evoke a deep sense of connection, belonging and healing. Melissa is a passionate advocate for bringing creative and artistic practices to community spaces. She facilitates storytelling events, poetry circles and creative writing sessions throughout Perth and the South West of WA. 

Kavita breathes stories and is a passionate professional storyteller. She facilitates storytelling experiences for children and adults utilising various storytelling techniques and art therapies methods. Her lively storytelling performances using different storytelling styles keep people of all ages spell-bound. Her repertoire of stories includes a wide range of Indian and other Asian folktales, European fairy tales, Personal and Family stories, True-life incidents, and modern stories from numerous cultures. Different Artforms like Oral Storytelling, Kamishibai (Japanese), Kawwad- DashaAvtara (Rajasthan), Musical Storytelling with Rhythmic Beats, Tandem Telling, Story Cards, Story Performances Solo and Tandem, Crankie Storytelling, and many more to be performed promoting Indian Art and Culture.InstagramFacebookWebsite : www.kathakahani.co.in

“Do Scéalaí Ceanadach le Scéalta Éireannacha!”“Your Canadian Teller of Irish Tales!”Brian Walsh is a professional storyteller specializes in Irish Folktales and Mythology as a source of wisdom and humor, discomfort and delight.  Brian’s background is in Psychotherapy, World Religions, and Celtic Studies. He has told at diverse venues including the Toronto International Storytelling Festival, the Niagara Irish Festival, Schools/Universities, and around the campfire under the stars.Find him on Instagram at:https://www.instagram.com/brianwalsh.ca/

Brenda moved to Perth from England with her family in 1970. She wears many hatsincluding retired librarian, oral storyteller and writer of poetry and short stories.In the 70s she enrolled at WAIT (now Curtin University) in Library Studies. Duringthis time she worked in high school libraries and discovered the Storytelling Guild ofWA in 1983, of which she is a Life Member. After graduating she started her ownbusiness, combining libraries and storytelling.She has travelled widely – interstate and overseas – on holidays, or spreading thejoy of oral storytelling through her love of words and language. Storytelling andlecturing took her to many interesting venues, including Singapore, School-of-the Airand visits to prison! The experiences have been rewarding and many an unsuspectingtraveller has been the basis for a story.In 1998 she discovered the Writefree Women’s Writing Group at the KatharineSusannah Prichard Centre and has contributed to 26 anthologies put out by this group.She has had poems published and in 2008 launched her first book of short stories andpoems, Telling Tales and Weaving Dreams, and in 2018, she published her secondbook which includes a novella and other short stories, A Web Untangling.Brenda lived in Gooseberry Hill in Western Australia for 41 years and has recently downsized to a unit in Kalamunda.Email: [email protected]

Jenni is a nationally recognised storyteller and educator with thirty years experience, now based in Meanjin, or Brisbane. Jenni tells her stories eye to eye and heart to heart, engaging listeners with her warm, welcoming and expressive style. Jenni toured schools in Australia and New Zealand for seven years and has five award-winning story albums. She has been an invited presenter and workshop leader at online storytelling gatherings and conferences in the US and is a part-time academic at Southern Cross University, teaching storytelling for educators, change-makers and healers. Jenni is available for storytelling performances, workshops, story coaching, school shows and staff in-services. You can contact her and see her work at www.storytree.com.au

Marion spent many hours in the evening as a child sitting on the lap of her mother reading stories. When she encountered the Art of Storytelling in 2013 it was evident. This was the craft of her heart! She went in 2018 studying Storytelling at Emerson college in England. As her craft grew she traveled to many places telling stories until she landed in the northern part of Italy where she settled. Today, Marion is creating her own events where she tells stories as well as goes to schools to enchant the imagination of the children. She also weaves Storytelling and Dance, her other passion. When possible she invites people to sit in Nature, listening to a story while reconnecting to the Earth. You can find more about Marion's work on instagram: @thisismarionmary 

Donna Jacobs Sife is a writer, award-winning storyteller and peace -worker. From the United Nations to Woodford Folk Festival, her considerable international reputation is built on her capacity to bridge difference within our societies, our communities or ourselves. For nearly three decades she has travelled widely throughout the world teaching and telling stories.www.Donnajacobsife.comWatch donna tell a storyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugv1hPpscdchttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXJxU-acRUI

Dave Tonge is a jobbing teller of tales. An itinerant journeyman who performs at festivals,museums, heritage sites and schools. From Lindisfarne Holy Island in the north, to ArundelCastle in the south, he works regularly for English Heritage and national museums like theAshmolean and British Museum. He has written three books, Tudor Folk Tales, NorfolkFolk tales for Children and Medieval Folk tales for Children, with a forth, Trickster TalesFrom Many Lands, due in 2025. Dave specialises in telling period rich and often irreverenttales shared by the poorer folk long ago, at heritage sites and is particularly interested inbringing storytelling to wider non storytelling audiences. But he can also be heard atstorytelling events including Taffy Thomas’s Tales in Trust, Festival at the Edge and SettleStorytelling Festival. That said, many of his performances still have an historical flavourwith sets like Tavern Yard Tales and Dame Fortunes Wheel.https://www.facebook.com/dave.tonge.3https://www.instagram.com/davetongestoryteller/Copies of my books can be brought via the History Press Website..https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/tudor-folk-tales/9780750991643/https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/norfolk-folk-tales-for-children/9780750984812/https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/medieval-folk-tales-for-children/9780750990943/

Philip Greenwood is the founder and creative director of Sacred Earth Community Benefit Society, working through the mediums of deep nature connection, earth wisdom and ancient healing practices and processes. For the last 25 years i have been on a journey of restoration, healing myself while healing and working on restoring a disused industrial land site back into a nature sanctuary for people to connect to self, others and the natural world. Storytelling is part of my Craft as we discover what it means to be a whole hearted human being.www.sacredearthland.co.uk

Liz is a storyteller and narrator of systems for life: food, water, energy, movement, community, hope, and spirit of the land. An engineer by training, and a storyteller by provenance, Liz grew up between worlds. Between Manchester's swagger of industrial ingenuity and a remote valley in the Yorkshire Dales where folk spoke in Norse dialect and roaring becks flowed with peat-brown water, coloured with tannins from ancient mosses.20 years ago, Liz was called by the far away land of Australia through memories of her Granny's tape-recorded tales of life in the Australian bush. Liz is an environmental consultant and sustainability project manager at City of Canada Bay Council.You can see her website here: Thrive Story

Durgah Devi Palanisamy (Dee) is an international, multicultural storyteller and educator from Singapore, currently based in Melbourne, Australia. Her boundless passion for the art of storytelling radiates through her captivating narratives, engaging and creating connections worldwide. She shares her love for Asian folktales and stories with audiences of all ages. With a background in speech and drama education, she skillfully weaves together tales that inspire, entertain, and educate. Her work includes personal and bilingual stories, tales for personal transformation, and more recently exploring rhythm in creative ways. Dee is also a coach/trainer and is grateful to connect with people and different communities through stories.

Anna Jarrett is an internationally acclaimed storyteller, inspirational speaker,published author, recording artist, story consultant, teacher, trainer, writer andoutdoor guide, living on the south coast NSW, on Yuin country. With 35 years ofexperience in creative arts, performance, media production and education, Anna hasbeen a featured teller at storytelling events in USA, Singapore, New Zealand andaround Australia. Most recently Anna has focussed her projects close to home,developing a body of writing, community programs and photography work around thetheme of ‘Wild’, and exploring the essence of magic in natural landscapes andstoryscapes.As a Story Consultant, Anna designs and delivers custom programs for communityand organisational clients, specialising in storying content for communityengagement and education. Her work spans a wide range of story subjects andtakes many forms including films, books, guided tour scripts, museum audioinstallations, interpretive signs, live performances and photography exhibitions.Combining her passions for nature, indigenous perspectives, south coast ecology,education, community building and travel, Anna is creating new narratives andstorytelling that expresses multilayered and multi-media stories for our times. Herwork is respectfully inspired from traditional oral cultural stories, lived experiences,Australian landscapes and histories, memories, dreams, imagination andconversations with creatives and educators.More information:Watch Anna storytelling:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KflzDG9ICg8Research Anna's work with storytelling in education, as a contributing writer to'Storytelling Pedagogy in Australia and Asia', edited by Louise Gwenneth Phillips,Thao Thi Phuong Nguyen. Palgrave MacMilllan 2021https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-16-4009-4#tocWatch Anna's Artist Talk for her photography exhibition 'WIld! Patterns in Nature'https://vimeo.com/753725924Business Tags:Story Consultant, Storyteller, Trainer, Speaker, Author, Writer, Photographer,Recording Artist, Teacher, Communicator, Creative, Outdoor Guide,#storytelling #wildwalks #creativecommunications #caringforcountry #myth #imagination#culturalheritage #deepecology #education #nature #community #Yuincountry #artisttalks #narrative #fairytales #magic #conservation #community engagement #natureconnection #socialaction #changemaker #earth stories #naturalheritage #media #environment #shorebirds

Jackie was born in Melbourne and set up home here in Newport almost 30 years ago after living in nearly every State and Territory in Australia, She’s been an actress and worked in theatre, film and television. A desire to choose which stories to tell led her to oral storytelling and later - to writing. To date, she’s written five non-fiction picture books for children. Jackie is passionate about the value of collaboration and building community through story sharing. She was president of Storytelling Australia Victoria for 4 years, currently enjoys a shared role (with Em Chandler and Adrian Newington) coordinating Newport Storytellers. Newport storytellers run a monthly open mike session and have produced podcasts & videos with local storytellers. In 2023 she represented the Newport team at a shared session on community & storytelling (with Kate Lawrence, founder of Story Wise Women) for the Federation of Asian Storytellers Conference - Jakarta. She attended my first fairy tale gathering in 2012 – The Monash Fairy Tale Salon, and two years later, was MC for the first Australian Fairy Tale Society Conference in NSW. In 2016, she delivered the keynote, Into the Bush: Its Beauty and Its Terror. As well as her books & storytelling, she creates stories in other forms like comic book making and Japanese Kamishibai.Find her website hereFor more information about Newport Storytellers, click here

Rachel Hedman competed in storytelling as a sophomore high schooler in 1994. Everything went wrong with her first telling, and she considered quitting. By senior year, she received 5th in State (Wisconsin) for Storytelling. Rachel launched the BYU Storytelling Club as a freshman; it earned the Service Award. She became the first recipient of the J.J. Reneaux Mentorship grant from the National Storytelling Network, training with Don Doyle. For 15 years, Rachel mentored California high school tellers and received the Arne Nixon Storytelling Award from them. She has been Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance Co-Chair, National Youth Storytelling Showcase Board Member, and Utah Storytelling Guild President. Rachel received the national ORACLE Award for service and leadership in the Western Region and the Karen J. Ashton Award for storytelling service specifically in Utah. For eight years, she served the WSU Storytelling Festival, became Storyteller Chair, and started the Annual Youth Teller Reunion. Meanwhile, she completed her Storytelling Masters from East Tennessee State University. The adoption folktales thesis was defended two days before adopting two boys with her husband, Casey. They have since adopted a girl. She kickstarted Story Crossroads, a Salt Lake county storytelling festival in 2016 and continues to expand it with the dream of an Olympic-level six-day event called World Story Crossroads no later than 2030. Currently, Story Crossroads holds year-round events from live to virtual shared in the form of performances, workshops, camps, and trainings for youth to adults. Go to Story Crossroads at http://storycrossroads.org.

From Tim: Long, long ago I was an acrobat in the New Circus revolution. Surprisingly that took me deeply into how to connect with people using narrative. That’s how I realised that story is at the heart of everything, and having the courage and technique to lead people through stories is deeply humanising.So I ran away from the circus to become a storyteller and later a coach. I founded and trained Wordweavers, blending traditional storytelling with improvised physical theatre. And for a decade I ran the first storytelling club in my region of the UK, drawing people into the new revival.Because my circus training was so transformational, turning me from being shy to a fearless authentic performer, I realised that intense fun equals deep learning. With the same approach I found I could teach people how to BE storytellers rather than simply how to tell stories.So for 35 years I have run workshops for beginners and professionals in the art of presence and connection, through experiential play, where people discover the psychology of being authentic, confident, spontaneous, and creating deep rapport, leading audiences through experiencing their stories.I love to unleash that authenticity, and help storytellers bring everyone closer together and create community. I train storytellers to take themselves and audiences deeper because I believe the storyteller’s superpowers of giving hope, inspiration, and even wisdom are much needed in the world.In 1995, as the Web was being born, those values led me to create the Storytelling FAQ, which became the largest collection of storyteller resources on the net, to spread storytelling and connect the world’s storytellers. Now I run the global celebration World Storytelling Day each March, for the same reasons, and I’ve advocated for storytellers through giving international conference keynotes and workshops.It pains me that many storytellers still can’t make a living from their art, especially when they already hold the secrets to a thriving business but instead keep their rare skills confined to the stage. So I’ve been developing a coaching system to help tellers put the heartfelt values of storytelling to work for their entrepreneurial success. I believe every storyteller deserves to recapture their traditional place at the heart of society. I love how storytellers’ warm, intimate, authentic communication creates community and meaning, inspires collaboration, and overcomes people's distance and differences.I've always been fascinated by how entrepreneurs turn nothing into something. What struck me most was how closely aligned their core secrets and principles are to how traditional oral storytellers learn to practise our art – we have the advantage!So although many storytellers find themselves being starving artists, I realized that with some little breakthrough shifts in perspective we can apply our heartfelt values and practices to create a thriving storytelling business out of nothing, using the most successful method taught to top businesses. So I'm now launching a coaching system to help tellers get paid what they’re really worth.For years I’ve been coaching purpose-driven entrepreneurs to connect more authentically with the world, get the spark that lights up their audience, and build a loyal tribe, for deep social impact through storytelling. In my work training changemakers and social entrepreneurs to engage and lead movements with authentic storytelling, I keep thinking ‘storytellers already have greater ability in this just waiting to be applied – let’s get paid to make the world more human!’My other current project is to offer a course in the Lost Language of Fairytale Symbolism, in how to unpick the surprisingly deep meaning, way beyond the modern psychological interpretations, that has kept people fascinated by the resonance of these tales through the millennia. Fairytales are what first drew me into a lifelong fascination and study of ancient symbolism. Now I’ve turned to tracing the transmission of that symbolism from its original mythology and philosophy into the format of traditional fairy tales. I’ve been astounded as I’ve unearthed the specific and profound message that the oral traditions have always consciously embedded in those tales, and want to share!Website: www.timsheppard.co.ukAlways happy to chat or help at facebook.com/timsheppard

Jan Blake is a storyteller, consultant, mentor & plenary speaker who has been performing world-wide since 1986. Born in Manchester, UK to Jamaican parents, Jan specialises in folktales and myths from the Caribbean, West Africa, North Africa, and the Arab regions.With a mesmerising presence and a gift for bringing traditional tales to life, Jan has enthralled audiences across the globe. Drawing from her extensive repertoire of folktales, myths, and legends, Jan's performances transport listeners to distant lands and ancient times, leaving them spellbound by the power of her storytelling and the medicine contained within these stories..In 2021 she launched her own online storytelling school, the Akua Storytelling Project. The school is devoted to developing a new generation of international storytellers, committed to engaging, on a deeper level, with their storytelling practice.Website: https://www.janblakestories.co.uk/#aboutThe link to her upcoming Africa Dreaming Retreat:  https://africadreaming.janblakestories.co.ukA link to her online Storytelling Community: https://akua-storytelling-project.mn.co

To find out more about me, you can go to www.alyssacurtayne.comFB/Instagram/TikTok/YouTube @alyssacurtaynestories