simon brooks

Resources

This page shares some of my own storytelling resources, and as I find new resources I will add them. If you want examples of storytellers working their craft, I highly recommend going to see storytellers in-person. This is the way storytelling should be experienced and is where it is best. If they are far away from you, have a look at their website, as many have examples of both live and recorded performances. For example, CLICK HERE for some of my videos and audio files.

Are you a teacher/educator? Have a look at THIS!

A beginning list of books both collections of stories and about the craft: Click here for BOOKS

This list of books will change as I find new storytelling literature, so keep popping back once in a while.

Albums

Various recordings of storyTellers

Odds Bodkin

Evergreens - A selection of fairy tales for a younger audience, with accompanying music and vocal sound effects.

The Odyssey, An Epic Telling - A retelling of the Odyssey for teens with accompanying music and vocal sound effects.

Simon Brooks

Second-hand Tales - Folk and fairy tales from around the world for younger kids to adults, with music. This fun collection is told for families, and is great for road trips - it’s been reported to have stopped fights!

A Tangle of Tales - Folk and fairy tales from around the world for tweens to adults, with music. These stories are a little deeper, and a little more challenging than Second-hand Tales.

Amy Friedman

Tell Me A Story, Women of Wonder - Folk and fairy tales of powerful women read from a script for all ages with musical accompaniment and sound effects.

Bill Harley

The Town Around the Bend - A collection of fictional ‘childhood memory’ stories with musical accompaniment. Bill has many CDs, some are stories, some only songs, some, like this one, both.

Megan Hicks

Groundhogs Meet Grimm - Fractured Grimm fairy tales with music. Very silly and humourous. A great example of fractured fairy tales.

Tim Jennings

Weatherbeard & other folk stories - an incredibly powerful collection of world folk stories with musical accompaniment (I would say this is a must have).

Tim Jennings and Leanne Ponder

Wolves - a collection of folk stories about wolves told in tandem style (two voices at once), with accompanying music and vocal sound effects. This is stunning.

Jay O’Callahan

Earth Stories - Original environmental tales told as fairy tales for younger ears.

Joanne Piazzi

Lemmetellya! - A collection of fractured fairy stories for all ages. Another fine example of the craft, and Joanne brings real life and energy to the stories.

Bob Reiser

An Evening with Grandpa Abe and Uncle Ahmet - a collection of Middle Eastern stories put together as an ‘epic,’ using rhyme.

Laura Simms

Fish Tales - Folk and fairy tales with a fish/ocean theme from around the world with musical accompaniment and sound effects. Another stunning recording.

All of these CDs have a very different style and flavour to them. The storytellers are all award-winning tellers, all the CDs listed are of high quality and worthy of any collection. Bodkin, Brooks, Friedman, Harley, Hicks, Jennings, Jennings and Ponder, O’Callahan, and Simms all have more CDs published than listed and I suggest visiting their websites for more details about their recordings. Some have retired from storytelling, and sadly Bob and Leanne passed away a few years ago. You may have to reach out to the storytellers as many are moving from CD to digital format, and some places where artists used to sell their wears are no longer available. Some recordings are available on Spotify and other places. It’s worth looking around to find these recordings.

Other Websites

A list of other places you might find of interest

• North East Story Telling has an amazing bunch of resources put together called the NEST Storytelling Guide. It can be found here: https://www.nestorytelling.org/storytellingguide/

• Another of my favourite stores of written work on-line is Sacred Texts: https://www.sacred-texts.com/index.htm
  They have everything from Andrew Lang’s books to world religions, the tarot, and a whole lot more. Well worth a visit, but give yourself plenty of time - it’s a wonderful rabbit hole!

• Karen Chace, friend, and fellow NEST member (see above) has an AMAZING set of storytelling resources at: http://www.storybug.net/

• Famous American stories can be found at Famous American Folktales and Stories - funny that!

• An ever expanding collection of electronic texts of many folk tales: http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/folktexts.html

• What used to be a power house for myth and folk is still pretty strong on the web: Pantheon.org

• National Storytelling Network (NSN). The major national storytelling membership organization

• Since being introduced to Dr. Martin Shaw, storyteller, I have found his work invaluable. He has a course which can be found here: https://www.mysteryschool.tv/
  and his books can be found here: https://drmartinshaw.com/books/