A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a charity in Surrey enquiring about a storytelling session for a wellness and well being day. Within a couple of days I received a second message from a housing project in Bedfordshire and a third from a school in London both inviting me to participate in well being days. There is nothing terribly remarkable about a series of e-mail enquiries which happen to concern the same subject but in the past decade I have never been invited to work at wellness and well being events. Sure enough, like London buses, three events turned up at once and wellness and well being is now firmly on my agenda. The question is what should a storyteller do at such events?
Wellness and well being are to do with mental health and how you feel within yourself. It’s an inter generational issue and concerns loads of important things like happiness, confidence, self esteem and self worth. It’s about everything that can be knocked or crushed when we feel vulnerable or lonely. If well being is defined in terms of how we maintain and nurture a positive outlook in the face of problems like bullying, family trauma and stress then it’s clear that storytellers have a role to play in its promotion.
Storytelling is an ancient art form but as an activity it’s inexpensive and universal. Some people do karate, some go rock climbing and some tell stories. Belonging to a storytelling club or attending storytelling events can be a great way of meeting new people, feeling a part of a group and sharing something creative. Storytelling can transport a person out of their day to day existence, building confidence through participation and even changing a person’s emotional state leaving both the storyteller and the listener feeling good about themselves and (in some cases) empowered. It’s difficult to quantify the long term benefits of storytelling as it relates to wellness and well being and whilst storytellers may not offer a solution to how we nurture and maintain a positive outlook stories undoubtedly offer respite from a chaotic world and pathways for resilience.
So what am I going to do at the Wellness and Well Being events I’m attending? Well I am quite unashamedly going to do exactly what I’ve been doing for almost 10 years; I’m going to tell my favourite stories. I’m going to tell stories that I have magpied off other storytellers, from books and the internet and I’m going to tell them in my own unique way. You see its my long held belief that if I enjoy myself my audience will respond positively not just to my story but to the enthusiasm I bring to the narrative and this will lifts their souls and put joy in their hearts. If my audience walk away with smiles on their faces having had some fun then I will have done my job.
If you want to read more about wellness and well being here are two very useful links to external websites.
Mind (UK based charity)
If you are interested in finding out more about these types of session or other sessions that I offer contact me.
The summer holidays are here and my retelling of 
Sometimes I think maybe its too fast but then this isn’t the book, its a story. In Jeremy’s book he throws in loads of lovely jokes, witty observations and one liners which in a 40 minute presentation I simply do not have time to deliver. This story is a bit like a situation comedy; that much of the humour comes from things getting worse and worse for the characters involved. Its in all this mania that I find my task for even when the story seems to be out of control I have to be master of its rhythms for there to be any kind of momentum. As crazy as what I’m doing might seem, most of the time I’ve got these rhythms on a tight leash and as a result when I do slow down, pauses have real impact and key bits of narrative can be easily stressed.
Next weekend we’re heading to 
Its been a funny old month. After 
place). Nine weeks and a seven and half hour flight later I enter Dubai’s airport – gateway to the Gulf and beyond – shining out in marble and chrome (and that’s just the baggage hall!). From there we were whisked off to Sharjah’s Hilton Hotel and as I’m sat in the lobby staring up at a crystal chandelier I am still pinching myself – is this all a dream? Then I step outside the lobby into temperatures of 31-36oC – no, this is really happening.
Arriving at the Expo Center I am met by a security cordon. There’s royalty attending the opening of the festival and the organisers aren’t taking any chances. Today I’m telling 
My workshops, morning and afternoon, were well received but it is all a steep learning curve here in Sharjah. I am always pretty dynamic when I tell stories but in front of a largely arabic speaking audience I have to become even more demonstrative and am already wondering how my proposed Shakespeare session will go down on Friday night.
I open my curtains to another day of sun but the superb mosque on the other side of the lagoon reminds me this isn’t La La Land.
Once I’m finished I flit between workshops helping out where I can (drawing with children who have learning difficulties and pretending to be a rabbit in a book workshop). I do this because the other workshop leaders have been at my session to support me, joining in so that the children have somebody to copy. It seems like a really simple thing but its tough work when your audience/participants don’t really understand what’s going on. The support of the other facilitators is invaluable to the success of the sessions.
After a dip in the pool and exchanging messages with home (I miss Lauren and VB and am looking forward to seeing them in a few days time) I’m back in the Expo Center. My afternoon time slot is quite close to prayer time so numbers in the hall are thin but with my colourful jacket and another game of Follow my Leader I am soon the Pied Piper leading the children toward my session. Over the next 30 minutes lots of children and families brave the water and stick their heads in on what I’m doing. It seems that The Mad Hatter is visual enough and interactive to hit the right notes for this event. With this in mind and with concerns about my Shakespeare presentation I take the decision to host a tea party again tomorrow evening!
When I finish my session I go out into the Expo to look at what other people are doing. There are flight simulators, Lego building, book and toy stores, jugglers, acrobats, marching bands and much much more – you couldn’t possibly see it all.
Friday is prayer day in Sharjah which means the festival opens at 4pm giving us enough time to visit Dubai. The hotel shuttle bus drops us near the metro from where we go to the Dubai Mall to see the Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world). From the viewing levels you can see that Dubai has just about every type of tall building ever imagined and that the growing city is surrounded by sand. Its a bit mind boggling to consider what man has achieved in a very short space of time and in such harsh landscape.
Day three represents the halfway point in my trip. I still can’t believe that this is really happening and I count myself very lucky to have this opportunity to be a part of what is a tremendously prestigious event. I remember being asked to participate in Shrewsbury Children’s Bookfest and then the CityRead 2014. At the time these were big, big deals for me after years of hard work but being in Sharjah this week is incredible. The facilities are amazing but its the people who make it. The people here are really friendly and couldn’t do enough to help you. Often what they lack in the way of English comprehension they make up for in sheer enthusiasm for life. The other facilitators too, are very supportive and ultra talented. I’m rubbing shoulders with some very inspiring people.
I think that I’m relaxing into a routine of workshops and 5 star hotel life but I can’t wait to see Lauren and VB on Saturday. I had a dig in my bag and found one of VBz rattles and a book of nursery rhymes (*sigh*).
water and anarchy. We ran and danced and conga lined through the festival; we caused chaos and they loved it. At one stage in my presentation they were three deep at the door, with faces pressed up against the windows and when we finished it took 10 minutes for the families to get all the photos they wanted with me. The children loved taking part and it really felt like we provided something that was genuinely fun that will inspire the learning of English. In short a job well done. I hope that tomorrow, my final day in Sharjah, will be just as memorable.
Saturday morning. My final day in Sharjah. Last night I slept with the curtains open and was woken by the sunrise. It was a bit misty but still rather lovely.
It’s now after midnight. My final presentation went well and I have waved farewell to the expo center for the final time. In some ways its a case of just about getting the ropes then having to leave. I know its for the best though, in 25 hours time I’ll be back in blighty with Lauren and VB and this evening just showing somebody a picture of VBz almost had me in tears. Saying this hindsight is an amazing thing; if I knew before all that I know now eh? On Monday I’ll be with Merton Libraries telling 
The ladies at the expo gave me a little parting gift (a model camel) and 
I love my job. I love it because everyday is different and I get to meet literally hundreds of interesting people and visit loads of new and interesting places. I love it because I work with teachers and library staff to create memorable experiences for young people and in doing so challenge myself and those around me to engage creatively. I love it because of the responses I get from the children and young people I come into contact with. I love the moment I hit the brief or when an entire room is really (and I mean truly) listening to, participating in or simply enjoying a story or just the little moments along the way; a thank you or just a smile. I love my job. I’m not very good at advertising that fact.
May-October 2017 – NEW!! Jeremy Strong’s “One Hundred Mile an Hour Dog”.
All that remains for me to say is a big thank you to my beautiful wife for tolerating another year of chaos (although next year’s