Storytellers share winter's tales

Fancy a story?

Cath Little explains the appeal of storytelling and reasons for the enduring popularity of traditional tales.

“When you listen to a story, you make the pictures; it’s a really sociable but quite magical thing because it connects people just sitting and listening. Everyone’s listening to the same story but everyone’s going up, taking different pictures and [it’s] setting off different images in people’s heads. We’re all together in the same space and sharing the story. A lot of these old stories have just been passed on; they’ve lasted because people love them.”

Tales for the Turning Year takes place on 6 November at Chapter Arts Centre, Canton. The storytelling starts at 8pm, with £3 entry.

The Cardiff Storytelling Circle was founded 10 years ago and consists of a number of local storytellers, some professional and others who simply enjoy sharing and hearing stories. The Circle meets on the first Sunday of every month, with the next meeting on 4 December. Both listeners and tellers are invited to attend the meetings, also held at Chapter.

Cardiff Storytelling Circle tell traditional tales
of winter and magic

Tales for the Turning Year will distract from the gloom of the Welsh weather (photo: MB)

For anyone dreading the return of winter’s cold grasp, a new storytelling showcase at Chapter Arts Centre might transform that sense of reluctance into wonder.

Hosted by the Cardiff Storytelling Circle, Tales for the Turning Year takes place on 6 November and features a variety of traditional and original tales on the theme of winter and a celebration of what it means as a season.

Professional storyteller and Circle member, Cath Little, explained that the showcase focuses on thinking about the dark and the coming of winter, as well as remembering ancestors who celebrated this time of year.

People are brought together as they conjure their own mental images of the story’s events. As Cath says, “It’s quite magical listening to someone tell stories.”