scottish storytelling blethers centre and network · behind the scenes also the trad arts networks...

BlethersScottish StorytellingCentre and Network

Issue 23 Autumn 2011

Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1SR

T: 0131 556 9579 E: [email protected]

www.scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk

AN ISLAND ODYSSEYStorytelling Festival Takes to the Waves

The Storytelling Centre has been hosting anincreasing number of music and danceevents, along with happenings that combinestorytelling with the other traditional arts. Thisis drawing excellent attendances and greatfreedback from the public.

Behind thescenes also theTrad ArtsNetworks areworking moreclosely together,and looking to afuture when all ofour traditions canbe reunited incontemporaryculture, in the waythey often were inthe past.

The ScottishStorytelling Forum

is delighted to be part of a group, Chaired byDr Gary West, which includes the TraditionalMusic Forum and the re-forming ScottishTraditions of Dance Trust, along withrepresentatives from Scots and Gaeliclanguage organisations.

The group is hoping to have a wider meetingin the autumn to consult with their memberorganisations about ideas for stronger co-operation and greater promotion of Scotland'soldest artforms.

Trad Arts Come Together

SCOTTI S

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The 2011 Scottish International Storytelling Festival is themost ambitious so far, and full of new treats.

The islands theme teams up fourteen Scottish islands withseven Mediterranean ones, and the results can be enjoyedboth in Edinburgh and on islands ranging from the Cumbraesin the southwest to the Shetlands in the north east. This isour storytelling contribution to Scotland's Year of Islands,and it weaves in music, song and dance as well.

In addition to these Island Night entertainments there is aGreek theme, reminding us in advance of next year'sOlympics, where it all began. That includes following thestory of the Odyssey through the week and a 'TeamOlympus' programme of family events about gods,champions and heroes.

For those who are not island-hopping, the Edinburghprogramme has also grown and the last weekend will seethe Complete Odyssey, All-saints and Hallowe'en events atThe Hub, home of the Edinburgh International Festival. There-furbished National Museum in Chambers Street, theBotanic Gardens and other partners in the city also havetheir own distinctive take on the Festival themes.

With workshops, networking, talks, Meet the Storyteller andother side delicacies the overall 2011 offer is a banquet ofstorytelling delights. For the full programme seewww.scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk/festival/

scottish_storytelling_festival.asp

Last but not least, Tell-a-Story Dayis Friday 28th October with expandedevents, resources and storyteller visitsacross Scotland. See www.scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk/festival/tasd.asp

Photo by Simon Jones

Joanna Bremner Smith

Joanna is recovering well after herlong spell of illness. Everyone isdelighted that she is on the mend.As she takes time out of work tore-build her health, we want tosend her a huge thankyou foreverything she has done forstorytelling since the Centre beganin 1995 with Joanna as its firstAdministrator.

We wish Joanna and her familyevery happiness and look forwardto having her involved instorytelling again in the future.

Sibylle Alexander

All those involved with theStorytelling Centre and particularlythe Guid Crack Club, will be

saddened tohear of SibylleAlexander'sdeath. Herdistinctiveexperience ofgrowing upunder the Nazisshaped her

strong character and deep moraland spiritual conviction. All of thiswas reflected in her storytellingand story collections. It wasalways interesting to reflect thatSibylle's Fairy Tales and SaintsLegends were an ancient traditionrenewed in the ruins of post-warGermany.

Sibylle will also be remembered forher championing of nurseryeducation and her advocacy ofdelaying formal schooling untilaged six. Nature Kindergartenswere a lively passion which alsofed into her storytelling.

Sibylle brought something specialto Scotland's storytelling rainbow,and our thoughts are with theAlexander family as theyremember her long and rich life.

Blethers

A warm welcome to storytellers new to the Scottish Storytelling Centre Directory

2 www.scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk

Directory Welcome!

AlastairMcIver(Glasgow)

Alastair McIverhas a widerepertoire ofstories fromaround the world

but also likes to tell his ownimaginative stories, as well aspersonal reminiscence and storiesmade up on the spot. Hisstorytelling style is quirky, laid-backand inclusive, and he has an abilityto form a strong rapport with hisaudience, especially children.

Alastair has been telling stories aslong as he can talk, with clearmemories of telling dinosaur talesinto a cheap tape recorder when hewas six. He grew up in Dumfrieshearing stories of Charlie andDobbin, a boy and his talking horse,invented by his father. As an adult,Alastair has introduced the Charlieand Dobbin stories to a newgeneration of young listeners. Aswell as being a storyteller, he is alsoan author, and his debut novel,Glasgow Fairytale, is available fromBlack and White Books.

Jesse Paul(Inverness)

Jesse is aperformancestoryteller andwriter with abackground intheatrical arts.Armed with a

ukulele and a repertoire of storiesfrom around the world, she usesrhythm, live music and a goodhelping of audience participation.She loves telling absurd stories andludicrous moral yarns, but also tellsmore contemplative stories, oftenusing song and original ballads.Jesse also creates spontaneoustales, improvising stories using freshideas from the audience to createdeliciously funny yarns.

Jesse has developed audience-centered participatory storytellingand storymaking activities. Thesecombine the art of storytelling withwordplay, drama, puppetry andsong. Over the past year Jesse hasbeen working collaboratively withseveral educational, artistic andcommunity organisations creating'live' audio storywalks.

KatiWaitzmann(Glasgow)

Kati Waitzmanncomes fromGermany and hasnow lived inScotland for nine

years. Her repertoire centres aroundGrimm's tales, Glasgow's old storiesand myths and legends of Skyelearned from the renowned Skyestoryteller George Macpherson. Katibelieves passionately in the power ofstories to change our attitudes andour awareness of our surroundings,and her enthusiasm for storytelling isfuelled by positive feedback from awide range of audiences. Kati is astoryteller because, although storiesare everywhere, in memory, inarchives, libraries, tapes, books, it isonly through telling them to a liveaudience that stories do come to lifeand live on, engaging the listener inthe most unexpected or expectedways. Kati is currently takingstorytelling into Glasgow's secondaryschools as part of a storytellingfellowship programme at GlasgowMediums.

ColinWilliamson(Livingston)

Colin is thegrandson of agreat teller, so hehas been listeningto stories all his

life and lot of his learning came fromthis most ancient tradition. Colin is ahistorian and ethnologist and ispassionate about Scotland's history,folklore and customs. Tales ofWallace, Bruce and Jacobite Talesare among Colin's favourites and heloves fairy lore for youngsters. Colinalso likes to adapt traditional tales tosuit the world our children live in andhe has even developed some storiesof his own. Colin has a vast workingexperience as an interactive tourguide in Central Scotland, withexcellent historical knowledge andtales. Colin works with DyslexiaScotland and uses storytelling toenhance the lives of those who areDyslexic or have learning differences.In his spare time he volunteers withRadio Grapevine at St Johns HospitalLivingston where he produces theFriday Night Show and presentsStories on Air.


3www.scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk

The background

The Forum's Life Stories group hasbeen delivering an annualstorytelling project in a differentarea of Edinburgh for the last fiveyears, funded by City of EdinburghCouncil local community grants.These projects often reach groupsof older people who just could notnormally afford a storyteller fee.Unfortunately though, this type offunding means that the project istime-limited, and the following yearthe group must move to anotherarea. Storytellers elsewhere in thecountry also regularly work in olderpeople's settings, such as carehomes and day centres, and havealso independently run communityintergenerational projects inconjunction with libraries andschools. However many storytellersreport a lack of available funding,meaning they often need to workon a voluntary basis with localgroups. Others have highlightedgaps in training and support for

storytellers who want to work witholder people in this way.

Meanwhile, the Scottish StorytellingCentre have partnered the ScottishPoetry Library through the ScottishArts Council's Resilience fund, toemploy consultants BlakeStevenson to carry out a researchstudy into how storytelling, poetryand song sessions could befunded and delivered to carehomes across the country. A pilotproject in three areas of Scotland isplanned for 2012. This work,coupled with Creative Scotland'sexciting plans for a festival of Artsand Older People in October 2012means that the Working Group areriding a wave of interest around thepotential and future of storytellingin older people's settings.

Plans for the future

The group will be looking at newmodels of storyteller mentoring anddevelopment, and will be drawingtogether collective knowledge andexperience of models of bestpractice, guidelines and resourcesfor storytellers. The group havebegun the process by gathering anevidence-based case for the hugebenefits and value of storytellingwith older people, in order toeventually search for funds for a 3-year plan to support storytellersacross the country in sustainablestorytelling activity with the olderpeople who would benefit most.

If you have a project report orevaluation from a storytellingproject you've run with olderpeople, or you'd like to pass onyour experiences or knowledge tothe group, please do [email protected]

There are now over 125storytellers working indifferent ways and indifferent settings all overScotland.

Visit the Directory atwww.scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk

A Working Group for Storytelling with Older People

In March the Scottish StorytellingForum agreed to set up a workinggroup of storyteller practitioners tolook at the future support anddevelopment of storytelling witholder people across Scotland. ThisAugust the group met for the firsttime to agree a work plan for thecoming months.

Reminiscenceand Life StoryWorkA Practice Guide(4th Edition)Faith Gibson(Jessica Kingsley Publishers)ISBN 978 1 84905 151 4 £18.99

Liz Wilson, storyteller andmember of the Life Storiesgroup, reviews a new handbookfor storytelling with older people.

Although aimed mainly at thosewho deal on a daily basis withpeople with dementia there ismuch in this book of interest tothose, like me, who deal on anoccasional basis with people withthis illness through my work withthe Scottish Storytelling Centre'sLife Stories Group.

The chapters cover all aspects ofreminiscence work such as howto plan a Reminiscence Project,dealing with people not only withdementia but suffering fromdepression, or who have sensory,speech and learning disabilities.Also covered are IntergenerationalReminiscence, Reminiscence withGroups and with Individuals andReminiscence with Ethnic MinorityGroups. Something there for all ofus who visit the various groupswithin this country's elderlypopulation.

At the end of each chapter youcan check on your understandingof what is covered by tackling theexercises and also note the keypoints covered.

The book is full of ideas for topicswhich can us used for work withgroups and how these topics cantrigger memories e.g. childhood(brothers and sisters, streetrhymes, books and comics),schooldays (journey to school,what I kept in my pencil case,school dinners), and work (myfirst job, how much was in my firstpay packet).

This is a good handbook to havewhen taking part in a Life Storiesgroup project but can also be agood tool when planning furtherreminiscence work with lots ofideas to help us come up withsome very interesting projects.

Blethers


Connecting and Re-Connecting with Stories

In the last edition of Blethers wedescribed our brand newworkshops and short coursesprogramme structure, which isdesigned to provide in-depthopportunities for storytellers andpeople using storytelling at all levelsto develop new skills, consider thechallenges and opportunities ofworking in specific contexts and toexplore the tales and traditionsthemselves.

We're delighted to report that thesummer programme has been ahuge success, with participantsand event facilitators telling usthey've gained a great deal fromdays that look at storytelling andstories in the widest sense.

Highlights have included aworkshop on 'Storytelling forConscious Reading', where wepartnered the Scottish PoetryLibrary in a day for storytellers andlibrarians which explored how astorytelling community environmentand approach can help a group tofeel comfortable and confident inexpressing individual opinions,especially when responding totexts in book and poetry-reading

groups. The 'Story Museums' daybrought together professionalsusing storytelling and storytellersthemselves, and has laid thefoundation for a full day thiscoming January delving into theuse of story in museums, galleriesand archives.

The next six month programme isnow available, and continues todevelop and test our new trainingstructure. There's a focus onlooking more deeply at storythemes and archetypes thisseason, with a short course onfairytale and two workshops whichopen up women's issues throughstory. New beginner-level sessionsrespond to requests from

participants about specificapproaches to working withchildren, and our CPD strand forstorytellers is also strong, withpractical sessions to help youdevelop your storytelling skills,pitch projects and think about newways of working with others.

Once again, we hope to providesomething for everyone – whetherstorytelling is your profession, yourpassion, or for now, simply asource of potential.

'I came looking for inspiration – Ithink I found it!'

'Great combination of practicaladvice and inspiring examples ofgood practice'.

'I've taken away new ideas andrenewed confidence.'

2011 workshop participant feedback

The Connecting with Stories:Workshops and short coursesprogramme November 2011 – April2012 is available to download fromwww.scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk/training

in various parts of Scotland – picking their brainsabout the Curriculum, CPD, and E-learning, amongstother things; identifying the keys themes and issues,and hearing about creative and professionalapproaches which are proving effective in education.I'm also speaking to a number of educationprofessionals who are active and influential acrossprimary, secondary, and adult and communityeducation, in a bid to find out what they are lookingfor from storytellers. And whilst looking at what ispossible, I'll also be looking at the challenges thrownup by the current political and financial climate, andhow these might be overcome – identifying ways tobridge any gaps between available resources andcurrent demands.The outcome of all this probing will be a writtenreport with recommendations for future planningaround SSC education work. I hope this will providea useful source of information as plans cometogether for next year's Network Development plan.And it's great to be back (however briefly!).

Watch this space!

Storytelling in education today

Schools are hard up because of cuts. So we needto think of new ways to get live storytelling intoschools, and ensure that the hearts, imaginations,and spirits of all our kids are fed and nurtured.Caroline Budge, who left the Storytelling Centre in2010 to pursue a career as an occupationaltherapist is back to help us out with a quickfirestudy of what the barriers and opportunities are. Ifyou have any ideas, or if you would like to make adonation to support this vital frontline work, contactEsther Blackburn, National Storytelling Coordinatoron [email protected] 0131 652 3272.

What is the shape of storytelling in education? Andhow can the Scottish Storytelling Centre and Forumsupport storytellers across Scotland to continue theirvaluable work in education settings?Over the next couple of months I will be striving toanswer these questions (and it's a great chance forme to catch up with old friends and meet newfaces!). Between now and September I will beinterviewing around 30 storytellers living and working


The Petal Garden of King ShubashDavide Panzeri interviews Peter Chand and Shonaleigh

Last March the ScottishStorytelling Centre had theprivilege of hosting The PetalGarden of King Shubash by PeterChand and Shonaleigh, a showcombining Indian and Jewishtales and cultures.

You'd be surprised to discoverhow much the two traditions havein common. There is a hugeJewish population in Mumbai, anda great wealth of Indo-Judaic tales."There is that tale of a JewishPrincess who marries an Indianking after being his concubine…"Peter begins.

In both traditions storytelling ismuch more community-based thanperformance-based. "If someonefrom the audience doesn'tunderstand a point, they wouldstand up and ask about it. And ifyou are sharing the floor withanother teller, they might interruptyou to say 'that story reminds meof...' and they would go with theirstory, so the show becomes a sortof organic scene".

This is what Peter and Shonaleighhave tried to recreate on stage.

At the Storytelling Centre, it tookthe audience about 10-15 minutesto work it out, to realise that it wasalright to react and interact. Butonce they got into it, it was great.Shonaleigh laughs. "At one point

we threw it out to the audience,which is a very Indian and Jewishthing to do, and this woman said 'Iwould have done it this way' andwe both said 'that's a very goodidea!'"

In the Petal Garden of KingShubash the link between storiesand society is unbroken. It isn't ananthropological exercise or ableached 'stage' version of theirheritage.

More than anything else, Peter andShonaleigh have fun telling thestories. They have a framework towork with in their show, but withinthat framework there is flexibility."You also need to have trust ineach other" says Peter. "There is apart in the show when Shonaleighdoesn't know what story I'm goingto tell. She has to react to thetheme in that story, and sometimesit is a story that she has never evenheard!"

Peter and Shonaleigh's partnershipstarted four years ago almost byaccident. They were both workingon a project in Yorkshire. Peter hadbeen going to the Punjab for theprevious two years recordingstories and then translating themand Shonaleigh was doing exactlythe same thing, translating herNana's diaries from Yiddish. Sothey decided to do a show

together with these stories whichhad never been told in Britain or inthe Western world, and called itLost in Translation.

Shonaleigh is a Dry'syla (Yiddishoral storyteller), a tradition passeddown from mother to daughter,that in her family has lasted for 300years. Dry'sylas don't existanymore, there are only 3 left in thewhole of Europe. The role of aDry'syla is to tell folk tales but alsoto 'record and remember'.

Peter, among other things, workswith asylum seekers and refugeegroups. Storytelling helps them tointegrate and to learn the language.The combined use of English andPunjabi words lets them know thatit is okay to retain their language,that they don't have to discard theirown culture in order to live in Britaintoday.

"The real work is on the groundfloor, in the community" he says. "Ilove being on a stage, whodoesn't? But real storytelling is dayin and day out, when there is achild who has never had storiestold to them, and they might be 6-7 years old. And that's the realwork, and it's great when you tell astory and you see the light comingon in their eyes".

www.chandstory.com www.shonaleigh.com


Blethers

Scotland's a Blether!

Here's a snapshot of some of the storytelling groups and clubs across the country. Make sure you'reon the Centre's mailing list to get monthly updates on storytelling clubs and groups in your area.

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2. Tayside and North Fife – Blether Tay-GitherOur group is gradually expanding now that wehave settled into a more permanent home, theSpeedwell Bar (locally known as Mennies), 165-167 Perth Road, Dundee DD21 AS. We still meetthe last Tuesday of the month with an agreedtheme. The professional storytellers in the groupare becoming more involved in outreach work atlocal events such as Celebration in the Park(Dundee), Dundee Flower and Food Festival, TheKaleidoscope Sustainability Festival (Fife),Tayroots Genealogy Fair (Dundee) and the Brucefestival in Dunfermline, where we were joined byother groups. In October we will be holding aspecial event on HMS Unicorn in partnership withthe Scottish International Storytelling Festival. Contact Sheila [email protected] or seewww.blethertaygither.org.uk

3. Borders – Borders Bards and Music, Verseand Stories

At the last AGM the Borders Guid Crack Clubdecided to change its name to 'Borders Bards',as our successful storytelling session is called. Theold identity has served us well since the group'sinception eleven years ago but it was felt that afresh persona was needed, and Borders Bards –punchy and alliterative, describes exactly who weare.

Our yearly event, the Wooplaw Story Gathering atWooplaw Community Woods went wonderfullythis year. We ran an improved programme ofevents with more interaction for children, greatmusicians, outdoor Celtic games and a verysuccessful closing story and music session. Ourmonthly storytelling session is also going well; newand experienced folk have grown up together inthe group. We went together to this year'sTraquair Fair and ran six sessions in the Children'sBook Tent with Lari Don and other writers. Oursessions are based on mutual support andsharing the inspiration of storytelling. Full or half-formed stories of any kind are always welcome.We meet on the second Tuesday, monthly,7.30pm at the County Inn, Peebles – suggesteddonation £3.

Music, Verse and Stories is about to return to theTraquair Arms Hotel after our summer break. Wehave had some great events with superb guestartists at this year's sessions including Celticstoryteller Alasdair Taylor, local band Spoonthrift,The Fisher Lassies and finally The Tweed ValleyMale Choir.

The incomparable poet and playwright HowardPurdie still compères monthly in our friendly andwelcoming venue, which boasts an open fire anda good bar. We are always looking for performersto come and do a spot – storytellers, bands,singers or poets – just look for us on Facebook oremail me. We meet the first Sunday monthly at8pm, at the Traquair Arms Hotel, Innerleithen.Suggested donation £3, includes a free lightsupper and a raffle. Contact Daru [email protected] 0785 384 5019.

6. Glasgow – Better Crack Club and EvenBetter Crack Club

The adult Better Crack Club normally meets on thethird Friday of the month in Tchai Ovna Tea House,4 Otago Lane, Glasgow G12 8PB, except inOctober when we meet on Friday 28th (Tell-a-Story Day) and December, when we don't meet.Join us for a relaxed, friendly evening of stories,songs and music; everyone is welcome! Meetingsstart at 7.30 and we can guarantee a spot toanyone who wants to trial a tale, just let us knowat the beginning of the evening you are keen to tell.

The Even Better Crack Club is a storytelling clubfor the whole family and meets in the FairfieldRoom, The Mitchell Library, Granville Street,Charing Cross, Glasgow. Meetings are usually onthe second Saturday of the month from 10:30amto 12 noon. Get in touch for more moreinformation and upcoming dates. Contact Frances Logan [email protected]

4. Perthshire – Silver Branch

Silver Branch Storytelling Group meets onceevery month in Highland Perthshire. Being a smallgroup we can gather informally round people'skitchens which suits us just fine. The group aimsprimarily to support one another's storytelling andshare our love of story. One of our members is ayoga teacher and is beginning to weavestorytelling into her sessions, another tells storiesout on the Crannog to the public. We alsoorganise joint events with other groups, as we didin Loch Leven with Fife's Kingdom Krack. We willbe organising a workshop in March 2012combining storytelling with bushcraft and bonecarving. This workshop will be led by Willow Lohrwith stories from Claire Hewitt. We meet the 2ndWednesday of every month. Contact Claire Hewittwww.clairehewitt.co.uk or 01887 820339 or07765 166034.

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Storytelling across Scotland

1. Highlands and Islands – Claik and ClypeStorytelling CircleThe Circle is resting at the moment as the venuehas changed hands, for more information contactGreg [email protected]

5. Fife – Kingdom Krack

What a busy summer we had! In June and Julywe held storytelling sessions for children invarious Fife libraries. The theme was 'The Circus'so we all dressed up in a variety of circuscostumes and shared many wonderfulstories and songs, which were enjoyed bythe children (and some adults) who camealong. This was a truly wonderful experienceand goes to show what can be achievedwhen you throw yourself fully into an event.

Our next objective was The Bruce Festival inDunfermline at the end of August,celebrating the local hero and Scottishlegend, Robert the Bruce. To really help usget in the mood, Rachael and Kate hadarranged a storytelling session in AbbottHouse garden where we all dressed up inour medieval clothing and told stories andsang songs in the open air on a lovely sunnySunday afternoon. The Bruce Festival itself wasmagical, a fantastic weekend of glorious weatherwith many visitors, both children and adults,stopping by the storytelling tent. There was evenan appearance of King Robert the Bruce himself!

Our regular monthly meetings, sometimesenriched by visits of members of the BagaTellegroup, are on the 3rd Monday of each month at6.30pm with the venue to be confirmed. Contact Andrew Elston [email protected]


Storytelling InspirationWeekend 1st & 2nd OctThis October the Storytelling Centre andNetwork is joining forces with GlasgowStorytellers and Stories for Health, for aweekend of pure inspiration.

During the first weekend in October we'llbe taking up residence at the beautiful andhistoric St Mungo Museum of ReligiousLife and Art – within the GlasgowCathedral grounds and across the roadfrom the oldest house in Glasgow,Provand's Lordship.

With its Zen garden and Herb Garden, anda wealth of inspiring galleries, views andintimate spaces, the Museum is theperfect place to host two days of talks,discussions workshops andmasterclasses. The aim is to bringtogether storytelling Network membersand Directory storytellers in a re-invigorating and refreshing space forlearning and reflection, as well as tospread the word about the excitement andimportance of storytelling today.

Open to storytellers and storytellingchampions, as well as anyone interested infinding out more about what storytellingcan do, the weekend will look at storiesthat shape our communities, cultures andidentities, and contribute to our health andwellbeing. A mixture of skills workshops,shared stories and discussion will form thebackbone of the event, with story walksand performances also open to the public.Glasgow Life's 'Curious' project, which isabout sharing stories and ideas of identityand community to break down barriers,will also be taking part in the weekend,with volunteers on hand to share thestories behind their latest exhibition.

A SESH storytelling ceilidh on Saturdayevening will maximise the time available forfun and story-swapping!

To be part of this weekend, book throughthe Scottish Storytelling Centre on 0131556 9579. A weekend ticket is £45, tocover lunch and refreshments on Saturdayand Sunday. Sunday's workshops,programmed by Stories for Health, are bydonation. Advance booking is essential, asplaces are unfortunately limited.

The Centre hopes to be part of a similarregional event annually. If your storytellinggroup is interested in being a host orpartner for an event in your region in 2012,please contact the National StorytellingCoordinator [email protected]

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7. Grampian – Friday Fling

Grampian Association of Storytellers(GAS) meets for our Friday Fling everysecond Friday of the month, usually atQueen's Cross Church, Aberdeen, in thelounge for telling and listening to storiesat 7.15 for 7.30pm start. We have a greatline up of guest storytellers this half yearand some very funny and intriguingthemes for our DIY sessions. All (over 12years old) are welcome. Contact SeanGordon www.grampianstorytellers.org.uk

8. Edinburgh – Edinburgh's GuidCrack club

A few months ago we had many visitorsjoining us just to listen, and not so manystorytellers. Recently we have had awelcome influx of newer tellers and thereisn't always time to hear them all! Lookforward, then, to our October andDecember nights when we will have noguest teller and more time for stories'from the floor'. The October night (part ofthe Scottish International StorytellingFestival) will be in the nature of 'follow-that', each teller telling a story inspired bythe previous one. The guest storyteller forSeptember is Claire Druett, with Storiesof the Season and of the Sea, while inNovember we will welcome Senga Munroand her tales of the Moon. Contact AndyHunter [email protected]

9. Lothian – BagaTelle

Up until a few months ago BagaTelle was nomadic due to thechangeability of our meeting place, but The Scottish Mining Museum hascome to our rescue. Now we have a great venue, plenty room forstorytellers near and far, complete with cafe and drinks license. Since mylast report the group has expanded, we have made tentative links withBlack Diamond Radio Station and Tyne and Esk Writers Group and arenow planning a joint event with the latter. July heralded an improvisationalstorytelling project around the theme of Dr Who and the Mining Museum,ten youngsters aged 8 and upwards revelled in creating their own 'worldfirst' story – now posted on the Museum's website. In October, for Tell aStory Day, BagaTelle will be working with the Mining Museum to hold afamily storytelling event. Not bad for a once nomadic storytelling group!Anyone interested in joining our monthly meeting will be warmly welcome– we will also be looking for guest tellers for our events.Contact Lea Taylor on 07748 62406

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CONNECT WITH US THROUGH YOUR REGIONAL CORRESPONDENTRegional Correspondents are a direct route to sharing issues, challenges, ideas andsuccesses with the Forum Committee and to making your voice heard. It isimportant for us to have a feedback on the situation in your specific area so that wecan act appropriately, tackling any issues and making the most of the opportunities.A correspondent is a named person who:

is an active storyteller and/or storytelling champion in their area.has an understanding of storytelling activity in their area, and the challenges andopportunities for storytellers locally.is prepared to act as a communicator between the Scottish Storytelling Forum &Centre and storytellers in their area. can work with the Scottish Storytelling Centre to help generate and coordinateregional events (Scottish International Storytelling Festival on tour, regionaltraining days and other network development opportunities).

Area Regional correspondent for Forum 2011 EmailAberdeenshire Anna Fancett [email protected] & Bute Jan Sutch Pickard [email protected] Rosie Mapplebeck [email protected] & Galloway Tony Bonning [email protected] & Galloway John Wheeler [email protected] Judy Paterson [email protected] Wendy Woolfson [email protected]/Moray Andrew MacIntosh [email protected] Allison Galbraith [email protected] Lea Taylor [email protected] (Highlands) Bob Pegg [email protected] Tom Muir [email protected] Claire Hewitt [email protected] Borders Daru McAleece [email protected] Lawrence Tulloch [email protected] & Islands George MacPherson [email protected] Sheila Kinninmonth [email protected]

Stories for wellnessWendy Woolfson describes the ethos behind the Stories for Health organisation

When I first came to storytelling,one of the concepts that struckme was this proverb from theScottish travellers: 'Stories aretold eye to eye, mind to mind andheart to heart.'

This says it all for me; when we tella story we are bringing our mindstogether in harmony with anothersoul, connecting and sharing on adeeper level; with our eyes wesimultaneously shine and reflectinto each other, connecting oncemore and with our hearts we arejoined as our breath slows and webreathe the story together.

With story there can be no harm inthe world, no problem unsolvedand no fear, because story isprofound communication,connection and sharing. Storieshold the wisdom of the ages andcarry the legacy of humanexperience as they speak in gentle,nurturing ways, painting pictures inthe mind and reminding us that weare not alone.

The organisation Stories for Healthcame about after I attended asymposium on Storytelling as aHealing Art in Denmark in 2009.This was a week of in-depthworkshops organised by ALBA, theScandinavian storytelling collectivewho were inspired by the School ofStorytelling at Emerson College.

This gathering with like-mindedpeople inspired me to thinking itwould be wonderful to have asimilar gathering in Scotland;specifically, to hold it in my homecity of Glasgow. Glasgow isreputed to be one of the mostviolent cities in Britain and Europe,a city still divided by sectarianismwhose people are learning to workwith a range of social problems.

I knew that Scotland was so full ofthis kind of work already and myvision was that it would be amagnificent experience to bringthat work, those people, and theirskills and creativity together in oneplace to share and create healingenergy. In my mind's eye I couldsee Scotland gathered up in warm

and loving arms; embraced by itspeople's stories. I decided it was tobe an exceptional week withstories, singing, dancing, poetry,performance, gatherings, sharing,healing and walks – just the sameas in Denmark. And so it was,along with, unbelievably, sunshine– the hottest week of the year, Imight add.

Every day began with a song and acircle dance initiating a positive andhealing energy into the day fromthe start. The day progressed withkeynote speeches and workshopson a variety of topics, andtherapeutic practitioners were onhand in the afternoons offeringyoga and natural healing sessions.

I heard from people throughout theweek of their personal experiences;how they had no idea what toexpect but were feeling sonourished by the stories, warmthand gentle support of otherparticipants:

'Dancing, singing, listening, talking andsharing – A wonderful change fromboring academic gatherings – theycould learn a lot!'

The sun shone for us, which meantwe could gather outdoors forworkshops and breakout sessions,and enjoy meditative walks alongthe banks of the river Kelvin.

This gathering was a bringingtogether of minds on the ideas andpracticalities of therapeuticstorytelling and the workshopsallowed participants time toexperience and practise what thatmeant.

I attended the sessions entitled:Refugees, Asylum Seekers andExile held by Sef Townsend andTony Haddad. As well as sharingstories on this theme and exploringdifferent approaches and ways ofworking, we played a 'game'designed by the UN to enablepeople to encounter theexperiences and emotionssomeone in such a position maybe subjected to. It was a movingexperience and changed myperceptions entirely; it opened upmy eyes and ears to stories I maynot have been able to hear before.As a group we were moved by ourresponses on a personal level.

This was something that could onlyhave happened in a workshop thatwas a week long, as this was. Itallowed time for us to workthrough the emotions and be led toa safe place of understanding,helping us to acknowledge skillswe had and highlighting skills weneeded to develop. In the righthands stories told and heard canbe a wonderful experience. Sef is aprofessional storyteller, as is Tonywho is also a psychodynamictherapist. Together, with a wealthof experience and a powerful depthof knowledge, they are able towork skilfully in supported sensitiveenvironments.

'During storytelling, listeners let go ofdefences and relax into the known, safeenvironment of story. A shift inconsciousness takes place. Those wholisten, actually live the story adventuresin their imagination.'

Allison CoxCreative Health Educator and Storyteller

I know many of the participants ofthe week are still processing theevent and that their work iscontinually growing, and it willcontinue to develop in Scotlandwith the added support of Storiesfor Health.

Blethers


Wendy Woolfson



Voices in ScotlandStoryteller Marion Kenny shares her journey into Scotland's voices

Over the past few years I have had the pleasure, and honour, to havebeen supported by Creative Scotland in producing a double CD ofFolktales, Music, and Ballads, called Voices in Scotland.

Initially I formed the organisationonly to achieve the dream ofcreating the symposium and I wasso sure that that was all there wasto it. However, when the week wasover I kept hearing the response'When's the next one?'. I got tothinking… It took about six monthsto think, as I processed thepersonal journey of the previousyears' experience and then, when Ihad finished thinking, it justseemed a selfish waste to throw allthat work away on the whim of oneevent.

Now, two years since I first had thethought, this is where we're at: ouraim as an organisation is to:'Support storytellers in theirpractice and promote Storytellingas a Healing Art in a range of fieldsas well as place storytelling at theheart of learning.'

Since the symposium, Stories forHealth has held other events andworkshops, providing opportunitiesfor artists and practitioners to workwith storytellers and for storytellersto develop their own practice. Andso, Stories for Health continues togrow and we plan to hold regularevents and workshops in Glasgow,the latest one being the InspirationWeekend supported by theScottish Storytelling Centre. Thiswill take place on 2 October 2011at St Mungo's Museum. A greatdeal of thanks goes to our fundersCreative Scotland and the ScottishStorytelling Centre, and to theother organisations, individuals,storytellers and musicians includingRachel Jury of Confab and NancyMellon who sparked the firsthopes; my heartfelt gratitude andwe look forward to a healthy futurefilled with stories!

'If we don't know the trees then we arelost in the forest, But if we don't knowthe stories we are lost in life.'

Siberian Elder

Originally published in Lapidus Journal,Summer 2011, Volume 5 Issue 3

www.storiesforhealth.org

Scotland is rightfully proud of itstraditional arts, and the manypeople who have moved from allcorners of the planet to live here,have brought with them theirstories, music and dances, makingour communities all the richer formulticultural diversity sharedthrough creativity.

Voices in Scotland is a selection offolktales which have beendramatised by originalsoundtracks. The words and musictogether evoke vivid images andemotions. The albums explore andcelebrate the musicality of thehuman voice, and also include twoballads. The storytellers andmusicians come from all corners ofthe globe, but all the performerspractice their art in Scotland.Initially, the storytellers were invitedto contribute a story of their choiceto the project. I then chosecombinations of instruments whichwould enhance each storyteller'svoice and suit the atmosphere oftheir tale.

After arranging musical movementsof each story, musicians wereinvited to respond to each sectionof the tale through improvisation.The final stage of the creativeprocess was carried out in therecording studio, were I workedalongside sound engineer RichardWerner to weave the music andwords together.

Storytellers Stanley Robertson,Mara Menzies, Michael Williams,Mio Shapley, Claire McNicoll,Lawrence Tulloch, Chuck Warren

and myself, were joined by some ofScotland's mightiest musicians,including Mairi Campbell,Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers, MaryMacmaster, Donald Hay, LeoMcCann, Kim Ho Ip, Jean DavidCalloet, Pete Vilk, Jamie Kenny,Joel Sanderson, Andy Cooke,Stuart Dinwoode, Dougie Hudson,Sarah McFadyen, Sandy Wrightand composer Eddie McGuire.

Artists collaborating on the albumshail from China, Japan, America,Canada, America's First Nations,Belgium, England, Ireland,Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, andmany regions of Scotland,including Shetland, Orkney, andAberdeen to name but a few.

From the very outset of the project,it was always my hope andintention that all the collaboratorswere all working towards a liveperformance. Absolutely no soundeffects were used in the recordingprocess, precisely so that theentire album could easily berecreated in a live situation.

I am delighted to announce thatthe project has also been awardeda traditional arts touring grant, andit is anticipated that a selection ofmaterial from the albums will beshowcased in two performances atCeltic Connections Festival inJanuary 2012.

Voices in Scotland is respectfullydedicated to the memory of masterstoryteller, Stanley Robertson, agreat mentor and friend who gaveme enormous support andencouragement with the project,and died shortly after recording onthese albums.

Voices in Scotland has beensigned by Sandy Brechin to hisrecord label BAR (Brechin AllRecords) and is now due forrelease. Anyone wanting topurchase CDs, which are availableat the cost of £11.99, shouldcontact www.brechin-all-records.com/shop.htm or [email protected]

Blethers


This project took place betweenSeptember 2010 and April 2011. Itwas part of an initiative organisedby Faith in Communities Scotland,and run by the TransformationTeam, based at AnderstonKelvingrove Church, Glasgow.

They asked me to run thestorytelling aspect of the project,which would bring the work of fivecommunity groups in Glasgowtogether for a celebration of theirstories, writing and photography atThe Kelvingrove Museum and ArtGallery, Glasgow, in April 2011.

We each brought an object to ourindividual groups and talk and writeabout the significance of theobject. This could be an object ofgreat personal meaning, or onewith religious or cultural meaning.In two sessions each group toldthe stories of the object they hadchosen, and then in the thirdsession we photographed them.These photos were then digitallyproduced with a little piece ofcarefully chosen text fromeveryone's individual tales, andthen finally printed as beautifulpostcards. The culmination of ourwork went on display at TheKelvingrove Museum on 9th April,where it can be viewed until theend of the summer.

Five very diverse groups took part,including: The South East Carersgroup, (storyteller – Lesley O'Brien);the Jenniburn Centre, ESOL group,(storyteller – Jean Edmiston); theToryglen Intergrating Youth Group,(storyteller – Mags Smith); and TheKiran Women's Support Group, &Crossroads Youth and CommunityAssociation's Govanhill FreeChurch Drop-In Group, (storyteller,me, Allison Galbraith). We allworked in our own different wayswith the groups, but the results all

Objects of MeaningA Community Storytelling Project in GlasgowStoryteller Allison Galbraith reports

shared the same quality of heart-felt passion and attention to detail.

From my write-up to Faith inCommunities Scotland I reportedthat:

Group workers were delighted withthe turn out, and response fromtheir community members. Theyfelt that through sharing verypersonal memories and stories witheach other, that the members ofthe group had communicated witheach other on many new levels. Achurch member and group leadercommented that by the thirdsession, there was a heighteneddynamic of movement betweengroup members, i.e., people weregetting up from their chairs andtables, moving around the roomand talking to many othermembers of the group. All of thegroup leaders expressed the viewthat the project had brought a newlevel of energy and enjoyment tothe drop-in group; 'a great buzz ofexcitement and chat cross theroom'.

The workers have expressed ahope for more projects like'Objects of Meaning', to continue,and expand this heightened level ofinter-group enthusiasm and communication.

The group members all appearedto enjoy the project, and areexcited about seeing their workexhibited in the KelvingroveMuseum, where they can takefamily and friends to share theircreative experience.

Each storyteller reported similarresults, but with perhaps onecriticism: that a longer period oftime to develop the work wouldhave been desirable.

The exhibition is lovely, with aselection of the objects, (whichrange from a paper-lantern star toan alarm clock, or from a modelship to a teddy bear), thephotographs, the text, and a shortvideo showing group memberstalking about their work. If you arein Glasgow you are welcome to goand take a look at the lives andwork of these inspirationalcommunity [email protected]

Signed Stories Don't miss some fabulousopportunities to experience storiestold in the air over the next fewmonths! Nancy and Hamish Turnerbursary-holder and Deaf storytellerMark MacQueen brings a series ofworkshops and performances tothe Scottish Storytelling Centrethis autumn.

Since he was awarded the bursaryin February, Mark has been workingwith Storytelling Centre staff tocreate performance events andtraining opportunities that explorethe richness and creativity of BritishSign Language – a language infusedwith story and metaphor. Mark usesstories told in BSL to entertain,demonstrate the creative potential ofthe language, and to break downbarriers between deaf and hearingaudiences. An outreach session atHMP Greenock in August was a hitwith inmates and staff, who said themorning was both inspiring andeducational. Mark has since beeninvited back for a full-day's followup. In late September, Mark visitsCarlogie Primary School in Angus,where he'll be telling stories topupils from their deaf support unitand mainstream classes together,and encouraging them all to makesigned stories of their own.

Back at the Centre, Mark isperforming a signed visual theatrepiece with his theatre group as partof the Scottish Mental Health Artsand Film Festival, is running storyworkshops for BSL learners andadvanced users as part of theCentre's autumn workshops andshort courses programme, and canbe seen in solo performance at theCentre's theatre in November. TheCentre is also delighted to behosting BSL UPTAKE's knowledgeexchange drop-in event on Saturday5th November – when Mark will berunning free signed story tastersessions. Make sure you see andtake part in some of this excitingactivity!

Sat 8 Oct Dream or Not? ScottishMental Health Arts and FilmFestival

Sat 5 Nov Deaf in the Story: Visualstories of an invisible people

Thu 10 Nov Stories on AirWed 23 Nov Discovering Signed StoriesSat 17 Mar Signing Stories


Scotland's Pilgrim Ways is anational project to rediscover oldpilgrim routes with theirassociated traditions and stories.One major route is to wend fromIona to St Andrews. But what waywould an ancient pilgrim havegone? Andy Hunter and DonaldSmith decided to find out – thehard way.

Being top bracket pilgrims theytried to trace how Adomnan thefamous Abbot of Iona would havedone the trip. He was StColumba's biographer, possibly theAbbot who commissioned theBook of Kells, and the man whofirst proposed the protection andexclusion of non-combatants fromwarfare. So they were following inpretty good footsteps.

It was probably by boat round Mulland then up Glen Etive, maximisingthe sea miles. From the head ofthe glen there are then drove roadsup and over into Strath Orchy byway of Inveroran where there is stillan old drovers inn, now muchfrequented by walkers, and thirstypilgrims.

Strath Orchy is on the WestHighland way, but the modernmain road from Tyndrum, overRannoch and into Glencoe,obscures the historic crossroadssouth of the present Bridge ofOrchy. Here the routes northwestinto Glen Etive and southwest toDalmally meet and, crossing themain road, continue east round theshoulder of Ben Doran, comingdown eventually into Glenlyon.

How do we know Adomnan camethis way? Because there are manyplacenames and traditions


summer and back into shelter eachwinter. All in the spirit ofecumenism.

At this point Donald made the fatalerror of suggesting a 'shortcut'climbing over the hill into GlenCailleach and Andy equally fatallyagreed. That tussocky moorland,even on steep gradients, wassodden, moss layered andtreacherous. It is saturated withwonderful plant life but lousy foottread. Descending eventually, Andystill in reasonable shape, they wereon the wrong side of the fiercestriver yet. Deep wading followedwith a near suicidal attempt byDonald to sail his boots downriverwithout his feet in them.

However the Bodach and familywere grateful for this steadyingvisit, since the earlier gales hadtoppled them onto the turf. Aftersuitable refreshment with theirhosts Andy and Donald did the lastleg into Glenlyon in excellent spiritsready to rendezvous with lifts andsubstantial dinners. But mobilephones do not obtain a signal upGlenlyon.

A little daunted our weary pilgrimsdid another seven miles while theprospects of dinner and even thelast train home receded. A night inthe open, living on Andy's fruitbars, seemed a likely outcome,when a local rescue team arrived.Clearly Glenlyon still has more thanits share of Saints.

The journey down (or up) Glenlyonis truly beautiful, tranquil and rich inancient traces. It is easy to imaginethis busy agricultural glensupporting thriving communitieswhich attracted the attentions ofAdomnan on his missionaryjourneys.

Nowadays this route is for thehardy walker but well worthy of itsplace as a Heritage path and(masochists) option on the overalljourney between Iona and StAndrews.

Where are we going next, Andy?Andy? Andy!

associated with Adomnan inGlenlyon, reaching all the waydown to Fortingall where the Celticmissionaries took over an ancientdruidic site, with its sacred yewtrees. It is quite possible that whenthe relics of Columba were takenfrom Iona to Dunkeld to escapeViking raiders, they followed thisroute.

The path east to Glenlyon, thoughregarded as a traditional route, hasfallen into disuse and is no longerregistered as an official heritagepath. So Andy and Donald decidedto survey it and get it re-registered.

Arriving at Bridge of Orchy the rainwas torrential and conditions in thebunkhouse also seemed a littletempestuous. Nonetheless after aslightly restless night our pioneershad some excellent porridge andstarted out. Coinciding for the firstthree miles with the West HighlandWay southwards, their route thenbranched east and met the first ofa series of fords.

These were without exception intorrents so our intrepid pilgrimstook turns to jump, wade or throweach other over the rapids in ahopeless endeavour to keep theirfeet dry. A reward awaited thoughat the watershed where someimpressive engineering channelsthe rushing head waters into GlenLyon with its double dam.

Water Board tracks were excellentall the way so progress was brisk,and we decided to detour intoGlen Cailleach, on the banks ofLoch Lyon, to pay our respects tothe Cailleach herself and theBodach, pagan deities who stillreside in the glen moving outside in

To Be A Pilgrim Donald Smith reports on a pilgrim's progress

Donald Smith

Andy Hunter


Blethers

BOOK BLETHERS

Lots of useful resources areappearing for those using storytellingin an interactive and participative waywith children and young people.

Rob Parkinson's Storytelling andImagination explores storytelling andstorymaking with 8-14's. His themeis pushing beyond literacy tosparking motivation and creativity. Itis written with the English curriculumin view but has lots of adaptableideas and approaches.

Our own Renita Boyle has producedanother excellent resource for churchgroups, entitled Parachute Fun forEveryone. The parachute remainsgrounded but the fun flies with a hostof sparky story and activity ideas forfaith groups.

IMAGINE….Drama across theCurriculum, is published by ScottishBorders Council, with Nicky Toneri amoving spirit. The aim is creativelearning through drama for 3-13'swith stories being the commoncurrency throughout. There is a hostof useful materials and activities onCD and USB. It has a great quotefrom Donald Winnicott on the cover:'A sign of health in the mind is theability of one individual to enterimaginatively and accurately into thethoughts and feelings and hopes andfears of another person.'

Ewan McVicar's ABC My GrannieCaught a Flea culls the gems fromhis extensive researches into anendlessly entertaining collection ofScots children's songs and rhymes.If I start quoting I won't be able tostop because its compulsivelyentertaining and intriguing. Alright.Just one:

My Grannie went doon tae the cellarA Leak in the gas for to seeShe lit a match so she'd see betterO bring back my Grannie to me.

STORYTELLING ANDIMAGINATION Rob Parkinson(Routledge) ISBN 9780 415 5711111187 6 £21.99

PARACHUTE FUN FOREVERYONE Renita Boyle(Barnabas for Children) ISBN 978 1 84101 702 0 £6.99

IMAGINE DRAMA ACROSS THECURRICULUM(Scottish Borders Council) ISBN 0 9533011 6 8 For availability and cost [email protected]

ABC MY GRANNIE CAUGHT AFLEA Ewan McVicar(Birlinn) ISBN 978 1 84158 937 4 £9.99

JACK AND THE DEVIL'S PURSE Duncan Williamson(Birlinn) ISBN 978 1 84158 951 0 £8.99

TALES FROM THE FOREST Ian Edwards(Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh) ISBN 978 1 906129 76 7 £6.00

A CONCERT OF STORIES / PASDE DEUX Abbi Patrix and Linda Edsjo avec EricaWagner(Paradox) ISBN 978 2 915259 25 4 £10.00

INVISIBLE ISLANDS Angus Peter Campbell(Otago) ISBN 978 0955228308 £8.99

ARCHIE AND THE NORTH WIND Angus Peter Campbell(Luath) ISBN 978 1 906817 38 1 £8.99

Scottish Storytelling Centre43-45 High StreetEdinburgh EH1 1SRT: 0131 556 9579E: reception@scottishstorytellingcentre.comwww.scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk

Birlinn, the publishers, have correctlygiven it the physical feel of a classicbook – because it's a classicselection.

Linda Williamson continues to re-editand to enlarge the previouslypublished collections of DuncanWilliamson's incomparable stories.The latest addition is Jack and theDevil's Purse which is beautifullyproduced by Birlinn. A finer collectionof Jack tales it would be hard to findworldwide. Duncan's huge inspirationcontinues to grow.

Ian Edwards' fine collection of treestories, Tales from the Forest hasbeen published in a beautiful editionby the Royal Botanic Garden inEdinburgh. It's a great starting placefor this theme, and will form thebasis of two training events we'rerunning with the Gardens inNovember – and the illustrations byEri Griffin are a delight. The collectionis dedicated to Stanley Robertsonwhose keynote story ‘Auld Croovie’is included.

Those attending Fringe performancesat the Storytelling Centre will haveenjoyed A Concert of Stories withAbbi Patrix and Linda Edsjo. Thebook of the show is available in a bi-lingual edition in French and English,as shaped in collaboration with EricaWagner. It is a wonderfuldemonstration of how to tell a talewith an economy of words and amaximum of effect.

As this year's Storytelling Festivalapproaches, you might sample ahost of island publications. AngusPeter Campbell's Invisible Islands isan evocation of the island themeacross culture – a feast of lyricalfables, while his Archie and theNorth Wind gets into close contactwith the Gaelic storytelling traditionsof the Western Isles. The Centrebookshop will have many suchgoodies to tempt festival visitors,alongside the incomparable magic ofliving voices.


Donald's round-up of exciting storytelling titles out now

Online ShopVisit the Scottish Storytelling Centre

@ www.scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk

scottish storytelling blethers centre and network · behind the scenes also the trad arts networks...

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