Where do I find my stories
Traveling
Sometimes my stories are based partly on actual events such as ‘Ishtar & Adad’ who are escaping from war torn Syria. They travel through Turkey and eventually find themselves on the Greek island of Kos. As refugees they meet the local people some are welcoming and others are angry and resentful. This is partly based on a holiday experience in Kos and observing how the refugees are treated. It also incorporates the children’s story ‘The Magic Stone’.
Listening to other storytellers
There are lots of events where storytellers share there stories such as the ‘festival at the edge’
The festival is held annually and has just found a new venue: Hopton Court, Cleobury, Mortimer, Kidderminster, DY14 OEF. The festival incorporates international professional storytellers, amateurs such as me and live folk music.
Published paper stories
A visit to the Taj Mahal
An example is ‘The Talking Thrush And Other Tales from India’. Collected by W Crooke and retold by W H Drouse, illustrated by W H Robinson. New York: P Dutton & Co. London: J. M Dent & Sons Ltd. My favourite story is ‘The Wound and the Scar’. Another book I have discovered recently is ‘Nottinghamshire Folk Tales’ by Pete Castle. I recently told the story of love revisited between Robin Hood and Maid Marian which is a story from this publication. Pete also edits the international storytelling magazine Facts & Fiction (F&F) which is published four times a year.
Online resources
visit – original Russian fairy tales. The first story I told was from here; ‘The Golden Fish’, at the Beeston Tales and then again at The Storytellers of Nottingham. The first time I told it I was very focussed on not forgetting the plot and therefore it came over a little stilted. The second time I was much more relaxed and less worried about forgetting my words. I think it came over with much more expression and feeling.
One of my favourite storytellers is Pete Castle – visit here to listen to his stories or to discover more about Facts & Fiction (F&F). Two of my favourite stories are: ‘Call for me tomorrow‘ and ‘The Late Storyteller‘.
