MICHAEL WILLIAMS
storyteller,
coach and education consultant
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STORYTELLING
Michael
began using story professionally while an adolescent care worker in the
70s. Today, he is a registered storyteller with the Scottish
Storytelling Centre as
well as a registered teacher with the General Teaching Council of
Scotland.
His singing and storytelling have taken him into schools, village halls, churches, community centres, hospitals, residential care centres, libraries, living rooms, and around campfires.
He’s sung and told tales for children at numerous parties, summer fetes, libraries, community centres and classrooms in Canada and Scotland; he's hosted a Teddy Bears’ storytelling picnic for toddlers; and recorded a CD entitled Sing-a-long Songs for the Young-at-Heart.
Michael is an experienced workshop facilitator offering storytelling and creative writing workshops for adolescents and adults as well as CPD workshops for teachers and others who work with children and young people. If you or your organisation is interested in a storytelling or storyskills training/workshop, please contact Michael.
Michael has also been appointed as the Editor of the 'Therapeutic Storytelling' section of the new All Things Healing website (www.allthingshealing.com). Here you'll find articles, personal reflections, stories, videos and resources relevant to the power of story and storytelling. If you have an idea or a contribution you'd like to share, contact Michael or go to the All Things Healing website to submit your contribution.
NEWS!!
April - June 2011
Spring has sprung and stories are a-growin'. Michael is collaborating with yoga and holistic therapist Sue Powell for a series of workshops featuring storytelling and yoga. Entitled 'Mythical Yoga', this series will invite participants to explore the 5 classical elements: earth, water, air, fire and spirit. Check out Michael's itinerary to register or seek further information.
In June, Michael will return to the National Museum of Scotland to share stories and the Museum's 'mystery collection' with wee ones from local nurseries and primary schools. Later in the month, he will engage groups of teenagers at the Scottish Parliament. His mission is to encourage young people to share their vision and story for Scotland's future. And, in recognition of Fathers' Day, he's co-facilitating a workshop with storytellers Tim Porteous and James Spence which will help fathers discover their 'inner storyteller' and share tales with their children.
January - March 2011
The New Year sees Michael welcoming a new group in his story coaching programme and continuing to see individual clients for one-to-one story coaching.
Michael also dons a tam to play the part of Souter Johnnie in storyteller Tim Porteous' dramatic re-telling of Robbie Burns' 'Tam O' Shanter' to be performed at the Gothenberg Tavern in Prestonpans on Sunday January 23rd at 3pm. Tickets £5 at the door.
In February, Michael will co-facilitate a workshop in London, perform at a fundraising and memorial event in Perthshire, a family storytelling event at a library in Edinburgh and take part in a discussion of Storytelling and Business Leadership.
Looking ahead to March: Michael offers a day-workshop entitled 'Old Story/New Story' for the Edinburgh International Middle Easter Spirituality and Peace Festival (Quaker Meeting House, Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, see www.mesp.org.uk).
September - December 2010
Michael continues his training with American storyteller Doug Lipman and attends a Clown Workshop in Edinburgh. At beginning of October he is commissioned by the Scottish Storytelling Centre to write and perform a series of stories to commemorate the 'Eastern Routes' theme of the International Storytelling Festival in Edinburgh. 'Travelling East: a spiritual journey in words and music' is performed at the Centre on October 31st.
November sees Michael expand his coaching to a second group plus begin his one-to-one coaching with adult storytellers. He also offered a 'Healing Words' storytelling workshop at the Hawksgrove Centre for Inner Studies near Dundee. The theme was 'Knots' and was attended by a number of therapists and artists. In December he will travel to Prince Edward Island to offer a series of storytelling workshops and perform his 'Travelling East' story show. While there Michael has also been invited to create a series of courses for the University of Prince Edward Island's Centre for Conflict Resolution which will involve storytelling.
July - August 2010
Michael will take up appointment as the Storyteller-in-Residence at MUSEartspace in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. This post has been funded, in part, by the Scottish Arts Council and Unipaz-UK. He'll also be performing a house concert in Ottawa on Saturday August 28th.
June 2010
Michael is offering another 'Healing Words' workshop (with psychotherapist Martin Williams) at The Mews, 13 Inverleith Place Lane, Edinburgh on Saturday June 12th from 10 till 1pm. Download a flyer with more information.
Michael has been pleased to contribute to the organising of the first 'Stories for Health' Symposium to be held in Glasgow from 13 June till 19 June. More info at www.storiesforhealth.org.
March 2010
Scottish Arts Council
- Michael
is thrilled to announce that the Scottish
Arts Council
has offered him a Professional Development Grant to help him attend the
annual Conference of Canadian Storytellers in Newfoundland in July
2010. Michael has been invited to speak on a panel on the topic of
'Storytelling and Peace and Conflict Resolution'. The grant will also
allow him to spend 8 weeks in various parts of Canada, offering
performances, workshops, training and coaching.
Edinburgh International Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace Festival - Michael was honoured to be invited to offer two 'Healing Words: Storytelling as a Pathway to Peace' workshops at the Festival and to be the guest storyteller at the 'after-Festival' dinner at Suzie's Diner in Edinburgh where he shared stories about his work in the Holy Land with the Healing Words Storytellers. He also facilitated the sharing of 'golden moment' stories from the audience.
February 2010
Michael has just returned from Canada where he offered storytelling workshops and coaching sessions. In Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island he facilitated workshops for the Lovely Witches Club members: one for beginners as well as a workshop on the therapeutic or healing aspects of storytelling. He also offered a coaching session to more seasoned storytellers and gave an interview on storytelling as a healing art for CBC Radio.
Michael then travelled on to Hamilton, Ontario where he offered another workshop for beginners; despite a blizzard, a brave few made it out to the Skydragon Centre to learn more about storytelling.
Michael has been invited to return to Prince Edward Island in the summer to offer more workshops and coaching, including a training session for members of the Centre for Conflict Resolution Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island. He's also been invited to help facilitate a planned storytelling festival in the town of Souris.
NEWS!!
Stories for Health are thrilled to announce Scotland’s first Symposium for Storytelling as a Healing Art, at the Kelvin Conference Centre, Glasgow.
A week-long residential course for storytellers, teachers, health and care professionals, communities and friends.
From the 13 to19 of June 2010 we will share ideas and practice on Storytelling as a Healing Art as well as enjoy networking with people who work in a variety of fields. It is available to anyone with an interest in working in this unique way or who would like to know and experience more to enhance their way of working and practice.
This inspired week will host 6 week-long professional storytelling practitioners’ workshops, led by national and international facilitators who are pioneers in their field including; Claire McNicol, Colwyn Trevarthen, Eric Maddern, Liz Weir, Nancy Mellon, Ruth Kirkpatrick, Sef Townsend and Tony Haddad, as well as a host of other workshops delivered by the cream of Scotland and the UK’s storytelling talent. The rest of the programme will be an exciting mix of workshops, sharing sessions, lectures/talks and ceilidhs inspired by Scotland’s cultural traditions; including singing, dancing and storytelling.
For more information, go to http://www.storiesforhealth.org
January 2010
Michael begins a new storytelling coaching group with four storytellers in Edinburgh. In addition to learning and improving their techniques and repertoires, participants are also learning more about storytelling as a means for nourishing emotional literacy in children and young people.
If you are interested in joining a coaching group, contact Michael at iamthestoryteller@gmail.com.
Fall 2009
Stories to Live By: Storytelling as Emotional Literacy Workshop, 26 October 2009, Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh. Resource Pack (Michael Williams): click on files below. If you have any questions about the resources, contact Michael using his email address.
You can also click on the link here and go to the Scottish Storytelling website and download Michael's 'Young Person and Storytelling' pack as well as other useful resources from other storytellers.
Resource Pack Files
Storytelling as Emotional Literacy - short PowerPoint presentation
Warm Fuzzy Tale by Claude Steiner (1969)
Needs Assessment Report on Child and Adolescent Mental Health, NHS Final Report 2003
Emotional Literacy Workshop Bibliography
Some Stories
Spring 2009
Michael will be joining 10 other storytellers from the UK and abroad at Emerson College's School of Storytelling for a 6-week training in advanced storytelling and peacemaking. Entitled 'Healing Words: A Pathway to Peace', Williams and the others will be coached in their storytelling and community building and reconciliation work in advance of their trip to Israel and Palestine to work with groups there. They'll also be helping to organise and perform at the 'Healing Words' festival in Galilee where they'll join Arab, Jewish, Christian, Bedouin, Druze and other storytellers to share stories and songs for peace.
MORE NEWS!!
Michael has just completed his first storytelling CD entitled 'How Bear Lost His Tale and other stories'. It contains 6 stories including two of his own, 'Cora and the Troll-Bear' (his re-working of the Persephone myth) and his own humorous take on the traditional tale of the title story.
To book Michael Williams for your next event, contact the Scottish Storytelling Centre or contact him directly using the e-mail or telephone info below.
Interested in storytelling coaching? Click here to learn more.
Check out the latest storytelling and film project I worked on with film-maker Tomas Sheridan and a group of young people at the 'Legend and Life of the Inuit' workshop, Filmhouse, Edinburgh Scotland, 26 October 2008. It's called 'Big Kaminik' and is based on a traditional Inuit tale which I learned from storyteller Sylvia Troon.