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.
Storytelling Weekend
Fri 20 June 2025 - Sun 22 June 2025
Tutors
/ Daniel Morden & Phil Okwedy
Guest Reader
/ Jan Blake
Course Fee
/
From
£300 - £400 per person
Genre
/ Storytelling
Language
/ English
Folktales, fairy tales and myths continue to inspire the work of poets, authors and screenwriters. The ancient art of oral storytelling is something we all draw on when sharing stories in our everyday lives. Shocking, magical, touching and profound, these traditional tales help us better understand the human experience and condition, the ever-changing world we live in and our relationship to the natural world.
This yearly, weekend residential storytelling course is an opportunity for beginners to engage with a range of myths, legends and folktales of ancient times but also discover ways to change them and make them speak to today’s audiences. This course will focus on the craft of oral storytelling, and ways of performing your work in a way which is authentic to you. The weekend will also include a special performance by acclaimed storyteller, Jan Blake in the unique and wonderful setting of Felin Uchaf Centre on the Saturday night. By the end of the weekend, you will have developed a short tale to tell to your co-storytellers within a supportive environment, and the knowledge and confidence to take your storytelling to new realms.
Bursaries
One £150 bursary space is available for this course. To apply, please complete this application form
Deadline for applications: Sunday 20 April 2025.
For further information about the support available, please visit our Financial Assistance page: https://tynewydd.wales/courses-retreats/financial-support/
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.
Guest Reader
Jan Blake
Award winning storyteller, Jan Blake, is a consultant, mentor & plenary speaker who has been performing world-wide since 1986. Born in Manchester, UK to Jamaican parents, Jan specialises in folktales and myths from the Caribbean, West Africa, North Africa, and the Arab regions. Always innovating she has a well-earned reputation for dynamic and generous storytelling - appearing at most major international storytelling festivals - leads storytelling workshops for schools and universities and has been a contributor to BBC Radio programmes. With a mesmerising presence and a gift for bringing traditional tales to life, Jan has enthralled audiences across the globe. Drawing from her extensive repertoire of folktales, myths, and legends from Africa and the Caribbean, Jan's performances transport listeners to distant lands and ancient times, leaving them spellbound by the power of her storytelling. In 2021 she launched her own online storytelling school, the Akua Storytelling Project. The school is devoted to developing a new generation of international storytellers, committed to engaging, on a deeper level, with their storytelling practice. https://www.janblakestories.co.uk/#about