What our audiences said in 2023
Facts and Fiction Review 2023
Venue - 'think food and stories, animals and stories, plants, grass, landscape and stories - rural history and how we have and how we will eat - it is a stroke of genius to have a storytelling festival in a food museum..'
Atmosphere - 'What I particularly loved was the open and welcoming nature of the event - whether as steward, teller, or punter, everyone was made to feel an important and integral part of this gathering-in of stories.'
Open Mic - a lovely informal open mic slot led by the effusive and garrulous Gerry Donlon, who MC-ed with warmth and grace, giving everyone who wished to tell a space, and plucking out of the audience trickling in and out some storytellers he knew who would certainly have a tale trickling out of their mouths. There were a wild bunch of stories, taking us from Ireland to Yorkshire, and all the worlds and motivations in-between, and a goodhearted dialogue with everyone in the room.
Performances - 'sparky offerings from John Row, Festival patron Taffy Thomas, Chris Richardson and others. This led into the evening’s exquisite headline offerings from Hugh Lupton, ‘The Spirit Menagerie’, followed by Sally Pomme Clayton, with ‘The Mighty Goddess’... 'the new day brought stories into green leafy glades, and tales of oak, from Quercus (aka Hanna Brailsford), Norse mythology from Cat Weldon, a story walk, music from several bands, and more. Storyteller Laureate Taffy Thomas MBE, wearing his tremendous storytellers ‘talecoat’, made by textile artist Paddy Killer, offered us ‘stories with legs’, and got a really warm response – perfect inspiration and true tall tales for all the family. '
Workshops - It was great to see Cambridge-based community artist Hilary Cox Condron with her ‘Imaginarium’ crafting workshop: empowering young and old to make and do, and fully dream into our shared future. Also, previous bard of Cambridge Glenys Newton was on hand to help create willow work, beautiful, lasting and useful too.
Conclusion - 'I couldn’t get to see and hear every event and every story,but I came away buzzing with stories, cultures, humanity in all our sacred and profane aspects, and energised by the warmth and communality of this gathering, ironically in the town of my birth, all those many moons ago. I will definitely be back, and cannot recommend the East Anglian Storytelling Festival enough, to all - young and old, tellers and listeners, dreamers and doers, eaters, drinkers, growers and thinkers: get ye along next year!'
By James Murray White, Facts and Fiction
Facts and Fiction Website
(A note from us - we are delighted that John Row, Taffy Thomas and Glenys Newton will be at our 2024 Festival!)
Venue - 'think food and stories, animals and stories, plants, grass, landscape and stories - rural history and how we have and how we will eat - it is a stroke of genius to have a storytelling festival in a food museum..'
Atmosphere - 'What I particularly loved was the open and welcoming nature of the event - whether as steward, teller, or punter, everyone was made to feel an important and integral part of this gathering-in of stories.'
Open Mic - a lovely informal open mic slot led by the effusive and garrulous Gerry Donlon, who MC-ed with warmth and grace, giving everyone who wished to tell a space, and plucking out of the audience trickling in and out some storytellers he knew who would certainly have a tale trickling out of their mouths. There were a wild bunch of stories, taking us from Ireland to Yorkshire, and all the worlds and motivations in-between, and a goodhearted dialogue with everyone in the room.
Performances - 'sparky offerings from John Row, Festival patron Taffy Thomas, Chris Richardson and others. This led into the evening’s exquisite headline offerings from Hugh Lupton, ‘The Spirit Menagerie’, followed by Sally Pomme Clayton, with ‘The Mighty Goddess’... 'the new day brought stories into green leafy glades, and tales of oak, from Quercus (aka Hanna Brailsford), Norse mythology from Cat Weldon, a story walk, music from several bands, and more. Storyteller Laureate Taffy Thomas MBE, wearing his tremendous storytellers ‘talecoat’, made by textile artist Paddy Killer, offered us ‘stories with legs’, and got a really warm response – perfect inspiration and true tall tales for all the family. '
Workshops - It was great to see Cambridge-based community artist Hilary Cox Condron with her ‘Imaginarium’ crafting workshop: empowering young and old to make and do, and fully dream into our shared future. Also, previous bard of Cambridge Glenys Newton was on hand to help create willow work, beautiful, lasting and useful too.
Conclusion - 'I couldn’t get to see and hear every event and every story,but I came away buzzing with stories, cultures, humanity in all our sacred and profane aspects, and energised by the warmth and communality of this gathering, ironically in the town of my birth, all those many moons ago. I will definitely be back, and cannot recommend the East Anglian Storytelling Festival enough, to all - young and old, tellers and listeners, dreamers and doers, eaters, drinkers, growers and thinkers: get ye along next year!'
By James Murray White, Facts and Fiction
Facts and Fiction Website
(A note from us - we are delighted that John Row, Taffy Thomas and Glenys Newton will be at our 2024 Festival!)
Photos From The Eighth East Anglian Storytelling Festival
12th - 14th May 2023
FESTIVAL 2022 The Bury Free Press covered our festival in detail - see the article here!
Photo Gallery and Bury Free Press Coverage
Photo Gallery and Bury Free Press Coverage