I am passionate about personal stories – both telling them myself, and enabling others to tell their stories. True-life stories benefit both the teller and the listener.
While it is not therapy, there is undoubtedly something therapeutic about the process: reflecting on your own life’s journey to find the stories. Finding the courage to share them is a truly empowering experience. The stories we tell ourselves about ourselves influence the path of our lives.
Pre-pandemic, I worked in Colombia for the British Council, doing Storytelling for Peacebuilding work https://www.britishcouncil.co/en/about/success-stories/storytelling-for-peace-building
I worked with vulnerable teens from remote Afro-Colombian communities on the Pacific and Caribbean rims. I heard their true-life stories, and helped them turn these dark tales into stories of resilience and hope they could share within their communities. It was extraordinary work… Intensely emotional but massively rewarding. It is a privilege to do such work.
I’ve also been teaching adults how to find and shape personal stories in my Arts Council projects A Feather In My Wallet and Unforgettable.
What exactly is a ‘true-life’ story?
It’s a story that has you at the centre of it. It will be composed of one or more memories, woven together and told in a way that will engage a group of listeners.
I have been championing the art of true-life storytelling for six wonderful years. I have founded and curated two clubs: Tell me On A Sunday in Birmingham, and the Arts Council funded The Mee Club in Coventry. The Mee Club delivered outreach work to several community groups.
I have created two autobiographical shows: Meet Me At Machu Picchu and The Road to Varanasi. I also promote events featuring my own troupe of true life storytellers Flashlight.
I offer performances, workshops, outreach programmes, corporate consultancy… The ability to share a story with others – to CONNECT – has endless applications! Tell a story – change your world.
FESTIVALS:
True life storytelling/memoir performances and workshops for general arts and literature festivals. From full length shows to seven minute stories, all told straight from the heart.
COMMUNITY / CHARITY WORK:
‘An enemy is someone whose story you haven’t yet heard’ – Quaker peace activist, Gene Knudsen Hoffman.
Helping people to share their story, to be heard, is an essential part of my work. Through workshops, I can help your group find stories and shape them, and then work on how best they can be presented and preserved. A live show? On video? Through writing? Anything is possible! I will encourage and support, build confidence and help you create something you can all be proud of. Women’s groups, mental health projects, community building projects, reminiscence work with older people, Alzheimer’s projects, migrant groups… So many applications!
THERAPY:
Workshops for therapists to explore the uses of narrative to support healing and explore emotional journeying. Fascinating work!