PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2024

Christine Carlton

Over the last year, the Australian Storytelling Guild NSW has organised and hosted numerous activities in-person and online. Members, their friends, guests, and visitors from interstate and overseas have enjoyed the hospitality and dedication of our committee members, who have provided excellent opportunities for skills development, mentoring, networking, and storytelling performances. 

Additionally, we have fostered international connections and collaboration in highlighting the power and relevance of Oral Storytelling

Our Monthly Online Events.

Inner West Story Circle

Hosted by Liz Locksley on the first Tuesday of each month.This group gathers to share ideas and explore storytelling concepts all in preparation for developing their own stories.

Blue Mountains Story Circle

Led by Jill Webster and Kiran Shah, this circle meets monthly on Sunday afternoons, via Zoom. It provides a wonderful opportunity for storytellers to practice new stories, receive feedback, share stories, or simply listen. The group attracts 6-14 participants from a variety of places.

Monthly Story Swap

Hosted by Christine Carlton with tech support from Susan Ida Boucaud, this group meets on the third Wednesday of each month. Around 25 people join from various countries worldwide. Each session features a different creative theme or prompt for 6-minute prepared stories, along with breakout groups for networking, discussion, and cultural exchange. It's a fantastic opportunity to experience diverse styles and genres of oral storytelling.

Themes for the past 12 months

  • Stories from Inside the Box, 

  • Gratitude, Kindness, Generosity,

  • Found or Lost

  • Discovered or Misplaced

  • Celebrate Stories

  • Tales of New Beginnings

  • You can Smell it

  • Building Bridges

  • Spy Stories

  • Stories of Falling

  • Fishing for Stories

  • Raining Stories

Special Online Storytelling workshops/events

  • Visioning and Planning Day

  • Workshop - Your Story Stinks - using the sense of smell in storytelling - Christine Carlton - NSW

  • Across Borders - with FEAST

  • Tips , games and techniques and AGM

Three In-person events

  1. Tea treats and tales - Sept 2023

  2. Dec - Afternoon tea and stories . Both of these events took place at the home of member Sue Alvarez in Manly.

3. One Day Wonder - Storytelling Conference June 1st   2024

    Boronia Grove Community Centre - Epping NSW

Four Workshops were offered: 

  • - Collaborative Storytelling with Young Children - Leanne Logan

  • - Stories From Your Heart - Personal Stories - John Hockney

  • - Crafting a Companion: How to Make and Use your Own Puppet Storyteller - Jill Webster and Brenda Bogroll

  • - Vital Voice - Bringing Life to Your Words - Julia Longford

Concert: MC Michael Patterson. 6 tellers, Kiran Shah, Christine Carlton, Dee Palanisamy, Christine Greenough, Leanne Logan, Priti Modyiyer

Thanks to our committee for work prior to the day and at the Conference

  • Judy Mitchell, Christine Greenough, Michael Patterson, Dee Palanisamy, Priti Modyiyer 

  • & Conference Convenors - Christine Carlton and Kiran Shah

  • Cherie Burns from Darwin who handmade individual thank you cards for our presenters.

  • Feedback - very positive and participants look forward to 2025 Sydney International Storytelling Conference to be held in June next year. We are working with Staff and students from UTS to effectively promote and continue to reach out to a demographic that is diverse in age, gender, culture, language and people who use applied storytelling as well as for performance and education.

Mentoring and Support to our members.

Many of our members offer coaching and mentoring for people working on stories for special occasions. These may be for Guild activities, International and Australian performance events

Involvement with Storytelling for wider community

  • Some of our members have contributed their skills at other Australian storytelling events and also a number have presented storytelling workshops for International conferences and associations such as FEAST and NSN

  • Across Borders - FEAST (Federation of Asian Storytellers) and the Australian Storytelling Guild (NSW) presented, 'Across Borders'.  We were represented by Michael Patterson, Zanette Burr and Jodie Edwards. - This was a wonderful collaboration by two enthusiastic Storytelling Associations that encourage and support Oral Storytelling. 

  • Jakarta -  FEAST Storytelling Conference taking place in Jakarta, Indonesia.  The following Australian storytellers presented workshops at the conference: Jackie KerinChristine Carlton, Dee Palinisamy,, Jo Henwood, Kate Lawrence, Kiran Shah.

  • Some of our members look forward to presenting at the Conference in South Korea in September

Grants Committee

Grants committee was established to seek funding to support some of our activities hopefully in regional areas and overseas storytelling groups.

  • Kiran Shah, led the group with a grants application with DFAT for a project with Keyan Storytellers. Although we were not successful in receiving the grant, it was a valuable experience for the Grants sub committee

Podcasts - ‘Share Your Voice, Tell Your Story’ - short podcast interviews that spotlight Australian Storytellers members. - Committee Caroline Welkin, Ashleigh Mythen, Christine Carlton, Christine Greenough, Liz Locksley, Lorinda Curnow, Michael Patterson - This group continues to work on this project.

Promoting Our Activities.

  • Newsletter - Susan Ida Boucaud and I work together on the monthly newsletter.

  • Facebook and Website - Christine Carlton, Kiran Shah, and Jill Webster have actively used Facebook to keep our members and international followers informed about relevant storytelling events. The platform has been helpful in promoting our activities to a wide audience. Christine C also updates our Website 

Thanks to Action Committee

I wish to thank the members of the action committee for their time and energy in working for all the members of the Guild. –  

  • Kiran Shah - Vice- President. - Kiran is stepping down from this role. and co-convenor of the One Day wonder Storytelling Conference, and host of the Blue Mountains story circle for her energy commitment to keeping oral storytelling alive and active for new tellers.  Her work with leading and preparing a submission of a grants application with DFAT for a project with Kenyan Storytellers. 

  • Michael Patterson - Guild membership secretary and treasurer who has efficiently kept our books in order and been part of the Podcast and Grants sub committees

  • Dee Palanisamy - secretary - offers enthusiastic and creative contributions to committee meetings and the conference registration and is developing a list of storytelling resources for members.

  • Christine Greenough - Accreditation coordinator and part of the podcast and Grants sub-committees. 

  • Judy Mitchell - hospitality and encouraging support for our members and visitors at online events and the One Day Conference.

  • Susan Ida  Boucaud - provides tech support for Zoom gatherings and has collaborated with me to keep our members updated with our monthly online newsletter. Even though Susan is located in Canada, she is a dedicated supporter and significant contributor to our Storytelling Guild community.

  • Priti Modyiyer - contributed enthusiasm, ideas and practical work and attention to details at the One Day Conference and is working on the complication of storytelling resources for members.

  • Zanette Burr who is our Country Liaison committee member who was a representative teller from our Guild at the Across Borders Collaboration.

Our achievements this year are a testament to the efforts of a diverse and collaborative team. I am confident that the Guild will continue to foster both storytellers and listeners by providing high-quality storytelling experiences.

Christine Carlton

President - Australian Storytelling Guild (NSW) Inc.

australianstorytellers.org.au