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. www.danielmorden.org
Storytelling: A Tale on the Tongue (Intermediate Course)
Mon 22 June 2026 - Fri 26 June 2026
Tutors
/ Daniel Morden & Phil Okwedy
Guest Reader
/ Jan Blake
Course Fee
/
From
£ per person
Genre
/ Storytelling
Language
/ English
This storytelling course is for those with some experience of performing traditional stories live, either to children or adults. Whilst the myths and legends of long ago are a fund of metaphor, often they feature outdated and problematic attitudes and values. The folktales, fairy tales and myths of our ancestors are the building blocks for every story that has been told since, including plays, novels, poetry and screenplays. The ancient tales continue to inspire poets, artists, authors and dramatists today. Shocking, magical, touching and profound, traditional tales define human experience.
During the course Phil and Daniel will offer exercises and strategies to enable participants to develop a version of a story that speaks to now. Participants will be requested to send in advance a short traditional story they would like to explore. The course will include one-to-one sessions, group work and a performance at Felin Uchaf roundhouse near Aberdaron.
Tutors
Daniel Morden
Phil Okwedy
Born in Cardiff of a Welsh mother and Nigerian father, Phil Okwedy is a performance storyteller and mythmaker 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, 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.