Past Events

Be warned, the Odyssey is not for the weak hearted, and this storyteller is not for those that easily blush. Alexander Mackenzie has written and illustrated his version of the Odyssey that has recently been published. He has all the gorgeous imagination of Homer plus his own inspirational spontaneity. He will tell the story of the hero Odysseus with all the verve and attention to detail that it deserves with a dollop or two of sauce that was never mentioned…

Have we been asleep? From these troubled times there has been darkness and light. To some there has been a slowing of time. Time to wonder at the beauty of the earth and a precious time of warmth and friendship. For others the journey of awakening has been hard and sorrowful. Tonight we will hear stories that will gladden our hearts and minds. To help us be strong, grounded as we stand tall to face this strange and changing world.…

We are honoured to present one of the foremost tellers of today;  Michael Harvey. Michael is a familiar figure on the storytelling scene and has travelled all over the world telling traditional stories to audiences of all ages. We are delighted that he will be joining us. All in the course of the evening  we will meet witches and ogres and take a wild ride through a wondertale! Starting with Taliesin, one of the great stories of these islands. Strange,…

Stepping Out - The Singing Shoemaker and Other Stories with Ivanir Sibylla Hasson and Chris Bostock. Ivanir hails from the mountains of Telemark in Norway, from where she will lure us into her forest web with tales of the Singing Shoemaker the farmer who took her goats to the Garden of Eden. And Chris, a bit of a loafer, has cobbled together some soulful tales to set tongues wagging in his local brogue. So step up and join this pair…

Cracking On is an evening of discussion and exploration around a selection of stories. We welcome Zahra Afsah, teller of traditional Persian tales and anecdotes, who will be sharing ‘The Mouse and The Girl’, a traditional folktale originally from an ancient Sanskrit text, the Panchatantra. We are also honoured to have Penny Grennan, local storyteller who will share ‘Tea for Three’, a collision of history and class by the banks of the East Allen River, written by Penny specially for…

Gather round! We have invited friends of A Bit Crack, both some of the regular contributors to our open nights as well as some new friends from further afield all bringing a story to share just for you. Join us for a fabulous evening of stories from Richard Birmingham, Gill Warren, Greg McCormick, Sarah Deco and another special guest or two... As always, our open nights promise to be a wonderful evening, who knows where we may journey and what we…

Mysterious beings arise from the sea, a fisherman throws his nets endlessly into the water and a young man finds love. Meanwhile a formidable goddess of the deep rages storms across the oceans. Though many stories of the sea are full of tragedy, further beneath the waves there are glimmers of kindness, love and compassion. Join Claire and Pat for an evening of stories from the heart of the ocean. This event is free to attend thanks to the previous…

Emily Hennessey was kidnapped by trolls as a baby, and brought up in the Swedish forest where she learned to cook porridge, steal gold and scare children; skills which are useful to her now as a storyteller. One of her many missions in life is to teach people about trolls who are sometimes just a little bit misunderstood. (Sometimes. Not always. Many WILL try to eat you...) Some say trolls should stay in the shadows, shut out, banished to the mind’s edge-lands. But…

We are inviting back old friends who have been to visit us over the past year to share stories of hope and wonder at this time of confusion and disorientation. From London we welcome back Kerima Mohideen, from Glasgow Gauri Raje, from Hungry Maja Bumberack, from Cumbria Nick Hennessey and from Newcastle Martin Manasse and Chris Bostock. As always, our open nights promise to be a wonderful journey through the world of stories. The event is free to attend and…

Join us for another evening of online storytelling! A Bit Crack have invited internationally acclaimed storyteller and performer Dominic Kelly to join us this month. Dominic brings a fabulous mix of personal tales, Swedish folktales and wonder tales and along with a few contributions from friends of A Bit Crack we are looking forward to another evening of escaping into stories. Dominic earns his living as a storyteller and was due to be our guest teller this month at the…