Stories to pass on: A Story telling workshop with James Spence.
"There is a story, but it’s not really a story. I find myself often going back to it. I don’t know why. It happened years ago. It makes my smile when I think about it. Sometimes it makes me sad. I don’t know, there’s just something about it, even though it hasn’t got an ending, but somehow it’s important to me. I can’t explain. I’d like to be able to tell it to my family, or my friends, but I wouldn’t know where to start, or even end, but I think it says something about me, about my mum and dad, that I’d like to pass on.”
We all have stories that remind us who we are and where we come from. When we tell these stories it gives us more confidence in who we are and what’s important to us. We want to pass these stories on to our bairns and families. We are the only ones who can do it. We are the experts of our own stories, because we lived through them.
This introductory workshop will help you start to tell your stories. James will help you shape your story and find an ending that is true and fitting for you, should you feel the need for it. We ask that you bring one or two examples of stories you want to work with. They should be no longer than about five minutes. It is important that the examples you bring that you are comfortable in sharing, and that they are not likely to trigger unresolved personal issues for you.
ABOUT JAMES SPENCE
Little did the shy, young James know when he was listening, enthralled to his father’s stories about the characters of Jethart [the old name for Jedburgh], that there would come a time when he would be passing on the stories himself. Storytelling for James felt like a sort of magic that was way out of reach for him. It was only many years later when Robert, his father, was becoming forgetful, that James thought he’d better write down the stories, that opportunities quite unexpectedly arose for him to him to step into his father’s shoes and tell the stories. Incredibly he now found that he was able to do so, and has never stopped since.James has delivered storytelling workshops and mentored apprentice storytellers over the years. He loves to encourage and inspire people in their storytelling. Learning much wisdom from Stanley Robertson, the great traveller storyteller James passed on many of Stanley’s innovative workshop ideas, including the animal character story workshop.Since returning to Jedburgh in 2022 James set up and ran a monthly local Story Club for two years to help promote storytelling and encourage storytellers. He also wrote a regular storytelling column in Scots in the local newspaper, The Jed Eye.
In 2015 his book Scottish Borders Folk Tales was published (available in the local bookshop Heron & Willow) where it has gone on to become a best seller. He was invited to tell and read stories from the book at the Scottish Border Book Festival later that year. He has also presented Scottish Border Folk Tales at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
WE ARE EXCITED TO HOST JAMES AT ARTAFFECT!
WE WANT STORYTELLING TO BE AVAILABLE TO ALL.
PLEASE SELECT PAYMENT, EITHER FULL PRICE OR CONCESSION. THANK YOU.
Stories to pass on: A Story telling workshop with James Spence.
"There is a story, but it’s not really a story. I find myself often going back to it. I don’t know why. It happened years ago. It makes my smile when I think about it. Sometimes it makes me sad. I don’t know, there’s just something about it, even though it hasn’t got an ending, but somehow it’s important to me. I can’t explain. I’d like to be able to tell it to my family, or my friends, but I wouldn’t know where to start, or even end, but I think it says something about me, about my mum and dad, that I’d like to pass on.”
We all have stories that remind us who we are and where we come from. When we tell these stories it gives us more confidence in who we are and what’s important to us. We want to pass these stories on to our bairns and families. We are the only ones who can do it. We are the experts of our own stories, because we lived through them.
This introductory workshop will help you start to tell your stories. James will help you shape your story and find an ending that is true and fitting for you, should you feel the need for it. We ask that you bring one or two examples of stories you want to work with. They should be no longer than about five minutes. It is important that the examples you bring that you are comfortable in sharing, and that they are not likely to trigger unresolved personal issues for you.
ABOUT JAMES SPENCE
Little did the shy, young James know when he was listening, enthralled to his father’s stories about the characters of Jethart [the old name for Jedburgh], that there would come a time when he would be passing on the stories himself. Storytelling for James felt like a sort of magic that was way out of reach for him. It was only many years later when Robert, his father, was becoming forgetful, that James thought he’d better write down the stories, that opportunities quite unexpectedly arose for him to him to step into his father’s shoes and tell the stories. Incredibly he now found that he was able to do so, and has never stopped since.James has delivered storytelling workshops and mentored apprentice storytellers over the years. He loves to encourage and inspire people in their storytelling. Learning much wisdom from Stanley Robertson, the great traveller storyteller James passed on many of Stanley’s innovative workshop ideas, including the animal character story workshop.Since returning to Jedburgh in 2022 James set up and ran a monthly local Story Club for two years to help promote storytelling and encourage storytellers. He also wrote a regular storytelling column in Scots in the local newspaper, The Jed Eye.
In 2015 his book Scottish Borders Folk Tales was published (available in the local bookshop Heron & Willow) where it has gone on to become a best seller. He was invited to tell and read stories from the book at the Scottish Border Book Festival later that year. He has also presented Scottish Border Folk Tales at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
WE ARE EXCITED TO HOST JAMES AT ARTAFFECT!
WE WANT STORYTELLING TO BE AVAILABLE TO ALL.
PLEASE SELECT PAYMENT, EITHER FULL PRICE OR CONCESSION. THANK YOU.