Daniel Morden has been telling traditional stories since 1989. He has told tales all over the world, from the Arctic to the Pacific to the Caribbean. He is known for his lucid retellings of Greek myths, and his passionate performances of Welsh tales. He is the author of several collections of folktales, including Dark Tales from the Woods (Gomer, 2006) which won the Tir na n-Og Award. In 2017 he was awarded the Hay Festival Medal for his storytelling.
A Tale on the Tongue: Storytelling Course
Mon 17 June 2024 - Fri 21 June 2024
Tutors
/ Daniel Morden & Phil Okwedy
Course Fee
/
From
£675 per person
Genres
/ PerformanceStorytelling
Language
/ English
The myths and legends of long ago are a celebration of metaphor, vivid imagery, language, and community and continue to inspire poets, artists, authors, and dramatists today. During this intermediate course, experienced tutors and storytellers, Daniel Morden and Phil Okwedy will encourage you to explore the sometimes problematic and outdated context of your telling, whilst also offering exercises and strategies to help you develop a version of a story which speaks to now and resonates with today’s audiences.
The tutors will nurture a supportive environment throughout the course which will include one-to-one sessions, group work and an evening at the unique and magical Felin Uchaf roundhouse near Aberdaron. By the end of the course, you will have gained a deeper understanding of our traditional tales and their contemporary relevance and developed your skills and confidence as a performance storyteller. Participants will be requested to send in advance a short traditional story they would like to explore.
This course welcomes individuals with some experience of performing traditional stories live, either for children or adults.
If you have any questions about course content or suitability, please feel free to get in touch with a member of the Tŷ Newydd team either on tynewydd@literaturewales.org or on 01766 522 811.
Tutors
Daniel Morden
Phil Okwedy
Born in Cardiff of a Welsh mother and Nigerian father, Phil Okwedy is a performance storyteller and myth maker who draws deeply on his dual heritage and multiple cultures. He regularly performs in storytelling clubs and has featured at Beyond the Border and Aberystwyth Storytelling Festival, as well as at Kea Festival in Greece and Fabula Festival in Sweden. In 2018 he published his first book, Wil & the Welsh Black Cattle (Gomer, 2018), a set of Welsh folktales framed around the mythology of the ancient cattle drovers. In 2021 he was awarded a place on Literature Wales’ Representing Wales writer development programme and in 2022-23 he toured his first storytelling show, The Gods Are All Here, around Wales, weaving together myth, folktale and Phil’s own personal story sparked by the discovery of a series of letters from his father in Nigeria to his mother in Wales.