TALKING TALES

The latest in a series of posts about story telling events that have stolen my heart.

Don’t let me forget to mention the badge.

Talking Tales is family.

You know what families are like? There are different personalities and voices. A spectrum of ages and viewpoints. There is encouragement and warmth. There is acceptance and belief and the nurturing, safe, environment where you can be yourself.

There are laughs, so many laughs. There is whooping and applause. And there are the quiet, meaningful moments too. The wistful looks into the distance and the nods that say, ’I get that.’

Talking Tales is run by Stokes Croft Writers in Bristol – a writing group I’m very proud to be a part of. The event reflects its environment – it’s open minded, entertaining and has the energy of one of the most creative districts in a very creative city. The venue, Left Bank, is pretty cool too – where else can you tell your story in front of a mural of Nina Simone.

Badges now? Not yet.

There have been some polished jewels and some rougher diamonds over the last 4 years. Some stories, some flash fiction, some poetry, some raw emotion, some props and some comic tales to make you smile and weep. It’s a curated night, providing a balanced mix and lots of variety on the set-list.

One of the best things is that Talking Tales has given lots of writers their performance debut. Some of those have been terrified in advance, then exhilarated and have gone on to become firm audience favourites and confident performers. That’s beautiful to see.

As beautiful as a Talking Tales badge? Be patient, you’ll see.

Talking Tales has taken Banksy to the Bath Fringe Festival and has its own YouTube channel too. Stokes Croft Writers are now looking to offer a platform for more diverse stories from community groups alongside our more established writers and performers – we want Talking Tales to reflect the rich and wonderful communities in Bristol. So, expect the form, voice and tone to keep changing and expect to hear some tales that might not find a home elsewhere.

OK, OK…about the badge!

Each Talking Tales has a Finish The Lines competition, where audience members write the ending in the hope of winning a (priceless, better than Blue Peter, sell your soul to the devil to get your hands on one) Talking Tales badge. It’s like an Olympic medal – only better and without the flags.

I am hosting Talking Tales #22 on Tuesday 9th April and I’ve love to see you there. There will be stories, there will be friendly faces so come along and extend the family tree.

Talking Tales runs on the second Tuesday of alternate months.

Future dates in 2019 are: Tuesdays 11th June, 13th August, 8th October and 10th December.

Social Media links are: Facebook (SCW Presents: Talking Tales) Twitter (@SCWriting) YouTube (Talking Tales)

Stokes Croft Writers can be contacted at stokescroftwriters@gmail.com