This year’s Scottish International Storytelling Festival, that runs from 13th to 29th, sees its first ever new podcast series Another Story. Opened by Storyteller Gauri Raje, it includes six insightful episodes featuring some of this year’s festival performers reading their favourite stories and discussing this year’s festival theme ‘Right to be Human’ chosen to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Hosted by the festival’s Associate Director Daniel Abercrombie, Episode One opens with two hugely experienced storytellers, Ruth Kirkpatrick from the North East of Scotland and British Indian storyteller Peter Chand who is one of Europe’s most renowned storytellers and is in constant demand for his colourful tales from the Punjab.
Episode Two discusses migration and sanctuary with storytellers Anna Conomos-Wedlock, and Gauri Raje. The stories are mainly from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia which were the nationalities of most of the people being detained there at this time. Many of the stories carry the spirit of what it means to be an asylum seeker, and others reflect Gauri’s own migration journey.
Episode Three provides a platform for two new generation storytellers Ailsa Dixon and Ffion Phillips who take inspiration not only from the tradition, but from their own life experiences when telling stories. Alisa is a traditional storyteller and musician who specialises in Scottish stories, often from her roots in Aberdeenshire and Orkney.
In Episode Four we hear from Alice Fernbank whose new work Odin’s Eye and the Art of Seeing will premiere at this year’s festival, and Svend-Erik Engh originally from Denmark who is also performing in a new piece Once Upon a Time There Was a War. Svend will perform this new work alongside musician Mairi Campbell and Danish artist Tea Bendix.
Episode Five discusses how storytelling can reach neuro diverse adults and young people with Ailie Finlay and Claire McNicol. Ailie has been developing a new multisensory piece called The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse alongside artist Kate Lieper for this year’s festival,
In the final Episode Six will be recorded live during the first of our Open Hearth sessions and will feature storytellers Douglas Mackay, Fiona Herbert, and Tim Porteus accompanied by harpist Rachel Newton .
The music featured in the podcasts is from a new track called Bouncing by Mairi Campbell and David Gray.
Host of Another Story and Associate Director of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival Daniel Abercrombie, said “We hope that audiences all over Scotland and beyond will get a real flavour of what to expect from our programme when they listen to this series. There are some well-respected, much-loved and admired storytellers in each episode, sharing their favourite stories and discussing this year’s Right To Be Human theme. I loved hosting this series, so if you can’t wait for the festival I recommend tuning in now! Whether you love storytelling already or are interested in finding out more, all six episodes are for you to enjoy.
To purchase tickets and browse the full programme, visit sisf.org.uk.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 