Welcome to the Society for Story telling web pages. This page introduces the aims and purposes of the Society, and acts as an introduction to the other pages.

Aims and Purposes

The SfS is an open organisation which welcomes anyone with an interest in oral storytelling, whether teller, listener, beginner or professional. There are subgroups to cater for specialist interests such as storytelling in Education or Therapy. Since June 1993 we have been active in bringing like minded people together to enjoy, discuss and practice the art of storytelling.

What do we mean by oral storytelling?

Storytelling predates the written word, people have been telling stories for as long as we have had speech. Even after the invention of writing only a minority had access to the written word. Stories passed from lips to ears, changing as each teller forgot things, or deliberately left them out, and replaced them with their own inventions. This is the "oral tradition". Even now we think in narrative and tell anecdotes, urban myths and personal stories almost without realising it. Stories are learned image by image, rather than word by word, and are retold from the heart in gatherings with friends or in public performance. Each telling will be different as the teller chooses their words to suit their audience. This is oral storytelling.

We aim...

• to provide information on oral storytelling, stories, storytellers, storytelling clubs and storytelling events, such as storytelling festivals.
• to be a network for everyone interested in the exchange of knowledge regarding the art of oral storytelling. We encourage networking between members, especially those with specialist interests such as education, therapy, organisations and libraries, and publish fact sheets in some of these areas. Our annual membership list is published (to members only) in County order to facilitate local networking.
• to increase public awareness of the art, practice and value of oral storytelling and the narrative traditions of the peoples and cultures of the world
• to promote the exploration and sharing of oral storytelling and stories, whether locally, regionally or internationally, formally or informally
• to advise on the nature and scope of oral storytelling
• to develop contacts and liaise with organisations and individuals whose aims are complementary to ours, both nationally and internationally.

We produce...

• Storylines, the quarterly member's magazine, which in particular contains the Storytelling Diary.
• various publications including the Directory of Storytellers (including an online version). Some of these publications, especially fact sheets, are available for free download on the Publications page.
• a catalogue of storytelling tapes available via mail order
• an informal e-mail list for announcements, events and requests
• and we maintain a Reference Library at the MythStories Museum

We hold...

• an annual Gathering with a full programme of events, where members can get together. This is held each spring, in a different part of the country each year. In 2008 it will be held in St Luke's Campus - University of Exeter.
• conferences to explore various aspects of storytelling in a practical way and introduce new people to the wonderful world of storytelling
• a National Storytelling Week each year – see the week's page for what's coming in 2008 and what happened in previous years. National Storytelling Week 2008 will run 26th January - 2nd February 2008. An information pack is available.
• other events at a regional or national level

We held our inaugural gathering in Birmingham on 19th June 1993. The event, which featured Alan Garner, Grace Hallworth, Philippa Pearce, Eileen Colwell and Muriel Bloch, heralded the birth of an organisation created to serve and promote the art of oral storytelling.

Acceptable Use Policy: All contact details on this website, whether e-mail, phone, or postal addresses, are to be used solely for storytelling matters related to the obvious reasons for which they are provided. In particular, e-mail addresses are not to be used for unsolicited commerical e-mails (or other spam) unrelated to storytelling.

Patrons:

Professor Jack Zipes, Grace Hallworth, Professor Harold Rosen, Marina Warner, Kevin Crossley-Holland and Taffy Thomas

A Company Limited by Guarantee (England & Wales) registration no. 3139120.

Registered Charity 1052038

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If you wish to link to this page you can use the societies registered URL: http://www.sfs.org.uk

This site is a member of The Storytelling Ring. The Storytelling Ring allows you to visit other sites on the Internet that are dedicated to the art of storytelling. Each is connected to the others in a circle, allowing you to go from one to the other and finally back to the first by simply pressing the next link on each site. Or you can view a list of sites on the ring. For more information on the ring itself, including, how to join, click on the home link.

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