The Teller and the Tale

Due to time restrictions, my interviews have to be edited to a little less than 30 minutes for broadcast on Blues and Roots Radio. However, I've cleaned up the audio file and shared the original unedited version of my interview with Scottish storyteller Eileen Budd. It comes in at about 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Storyteller, author, and artist Eileen Budd was raised in Perthshire in a family that treasured the art of oral storytelling. Eileen learned this art from her parents and grandparents and has gone on to become a much sought-after storyteller in schools, museums, and other public venues. She's a "story archaeologist" who uncovers the stories behind historical objects and customs. Eileen is also the author of Ossian Warrior Poet (Wide Open Sea publishers) a reworking of the poet's material for a twenty-first-century generation.

One of my early interviews, done while I was living in Forres, Scotland, with local storyteller and poet Margot Henderson.

Margot is a Scots Irish poet, storyteller, songwriter and community artist. I see my work as celebrating our connection to nature, place, community and heritage. I write and devise performance pieces for festivals, conferences and cultural events, including Is This It and Tae Absent Friends. I have produced a number of poetry collections and CDs of poems, songs and stories.

As well as creating my own work, I lead workshops for people of all ages and abilities, cultures and ethnicities in a wide range of settings, including schools, museums galleries, prisons, hospitals, homeless shelters, theatres, festivals, fields, forests, beaches and conferences. (from https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/authors/margot-henderson)

Paula Cowie is a storyteller and environmental activist. At the time of this recording (2015), Paula was the Development Manager for the Sustainable Communities Initiative and an Outdoor Facilitator for Wolf Ways, an initiative that offers children activities based in nature. She continues to work as a storyteller telling tales that integrate her passion for environmental education.

In this episode, I feature songs/stories from a unique CD featuring the villagers of the Scottish hamlets of Carlops and Nine Mile Burn, nestled against the Pentland Hills south of Edinburgh. 

In this short episode, Intuitive Story Coach and host of the Teller and the Tale, Michael Williams reflects on the importance of incorporating the body into your storytelling.

In this episode, host Michael Williams meets Scottish guitarist and composer Tom Richardson. He invites Tom to tell the story behind his new album "Beatrice by the Spey". Consisting of 15 guitar instrumentals, Tom draws on Scottish folk traditions of fiddle and bagpipe music. Yet he also exhibits his love of bluegrass and jazz genres. "Beatrice by the Spey" is a brilliant album from an eclectic and talented performer and composer; it is also a musical project rooted in Tom's response to being locked down during the COVID pandemic. Judging from this album, there's no doubt we'll be hearing from Tom again in the near future. A brilliant star in the constellation of Scottish folk music.

A few years ago, British storyteller Claire Obermark transplanted herself in Arizona, U.S.A. but it didn't take her long to establish herself there as the seasoned storyteller that she is. Join me as I enter into conversation with Claire about her past, her life in Scotland and her new life in Arizona as well as listen to her share one of her favourite stories. And, by the way, if you ever in Sedona, you have an invitation to join her at a local storytelling club and share a story or two.