Odysseus at Leith

Storytelling Centre Director Donald Smith will be telling stories to celebrate the opening of a new exhibition of artist Kate Leiper's sea story-inspired work at the Leith Gallery on Saturday April 12th at 3 pm. Regulars at the Scottish Storytelling Centre and members of the network will be familiar with Kate's work, as she was the first artist-in-residence at the Centre.

The exhibition, which runs from Friday 4th April to Saturday 26th April, also features the work of Jane Gray. More information is available on the Leith Gallery website.

Posted 4.4.08

Emerson College in Sussex are hosting a two week Storytelling Symopsium on The Future of the Heart. Both weeks will feature inspiring talks,workshops and performances. Participants may choose to come to both weeks, or just one. Speakers at these events include Ashley Ramsden, the founder of the Storytelling School at Emerson, storytellers Helen Chadwick and Nancy Mellon and Philip Kilner, a heart imaging specialist at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London.

For more information, download the PDF or contact Emerson College at Forest Row, East Sussex RH 18 JX, telephone: ++44 (0) 1342 822238 or email: info@emerson.org.uk

Posted 17.3.08

Glasgow Storytellers Development Day

Saturday February 23rd is the day of the Glasgow Storytellers Development Day, to be held at the Village Storytelling Centre in Pollok. You don't have to be a member - anyone with an interest in storytelling in the west of Scotland will be welcome for a day of workshops and presentations, as well as an opportunity to get involved.

Click here for a booking form and here for a programme for the day, which runs from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm.

For more details, please contact Rachel Smillie, Glasgow Storytelling Development Officer, The Mitchell Library, Access Services, Level 6, North Street, Glasgow G3 7DN, rachel@glasgowstorytellers.org.uk, tel: 07854 388 226.

Posted 31.1.08

CONNECTING WITH STORIES
Training and Development Programme 2008-9

The new 2008-9 Scottish Storytelling Centre's training programme kicks off on Friday 4th April 2008.

There's a number of exciting additions to this year's programme including an important new partnership with Newbattle Abbey College which has enabled us to mount residential courses validated by the Scottish Qualifications Authority for the first time. Four different themes of study leading to a Certificate of Attendance are also available: Traditions and Skills, Whole Person Learning, Community Learning and Development and Network Development Days.

Whether you're interested in the traditions of storytelling, the practical skills or just want to enjoy finding out about this most inclusive of ancient artforms, there's something for you in this year's programme.

Stanley Robertson, the great Traveller storyteller, leads a masterclass Muckle Sangs on Saturday 5th April, and the Glendale Gathering hosted by George MacPherson on the Isle of Skye, returns on 23-24th May. Stories for Health and Welbeing: Working with Young People on 4th October, looks at sensitive issues that storytelling can address in a safe way, and Faith Stories on 14th March 2009, will focus on how values can be articulated through storytelling. The content of some of the greatest stories will be studied in The Inheritance of Arthur on 28th February and Celtic Saints on February 6th 2009 will embrace the gamut of saintly superstars, from Bride to Columba, and celebrate their local connections.

For network members there are exclusive opportunities to attend workshops geared towards sharing the latest developments and professional good practice. We welcome the popular English storyteller Taffy Thomas for Zest for Life: Working with Children on 7th June, and he's joined by Steve Killick, psychologist and storyteller who last visited the Centre in 2006 for a sell-out workshop on storytelling and emotional literacy. Tying in with the major theme of the 2008 Scottish International Storytelling Festival there will be fascinating chance to learn about how our European neighbours approach storytelling in Northern Lights: Sources and Resources on 2nd November.

We are delighted to announce our new partnership with Newbattle Abbey College. This has come about as a direct result of demand for residential events which allow quality time to further develop themes and practice. The inclusion of a Professional Development Unit, leading to a SQL Level 8 qualification in Contemporary Storytelling consists of two weekends in a beautiful and historic Midlothian venue which itself has many stories to tell.

If you're new to storytelling, what better way to start than by attending Beginning with Scottish Fairy Tales on 4th April (repeated 25th October), or if you want to hone the skills you already have, Intermediate Skills: Crafting the Story on 6th June and Intermediate Skills: Voicing the Story on 13th June, are both key workshops to help you increase your proficiency in storytelling. Both of these courses are also repeated on 1st November.

To see details of all the workshops, either download the PDF (Adobe Acrobat 7.0, 99 KB) or click on our Events page and select Connecting with Stories: Training and Development Programme 2008-9 from the Main Event Search.

Posted 17.1.2008

World Storytelling Day (March 20th) is a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling. It is celebrated every year on the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, the first day of autumn equinox in the southern. On World Storytelling Day, as many people as possible tell and listen to stories in as many languages and at as many places as possible, during the same day and night.

Your local storytelling group, festival, committee, or even an individual storyteller, can host a World Storytelling Day event - plan an event for March 20th, and promote it as part of World Storytelling Day. The theme for 2008 is "DREAMS." Dream big, and let everyone know about your plans!

For more information on World Storytelling Day, you can visit the event website at: http://www.freewebs.com/worldstorytellingday/. The site has a forum for discussion on event issues, photos from past events, and a link to join the international email discussion list. Also on the site is a copy of the World Storytelling Day logo, which you can use for free to promote your events.

If you're online at www.facebook.com, you can join the World Storytelling Day group there.

If you have an event happening on (or around) March 20th you want to promote to the world, you can email webmaster Dale Jarvis in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, at storytelling@nf.sympatico.ca.

Posted 22.1.08