Postponed- Jacqueline Harris: How and why we share stories

The main topic of discussion is how and why we tell stories in the context of the oral storytelling tradition, particularly in relation to a creative storytelling practice, and the relevance of folktales and supernatural memorates for a contemporary audience. Specific issues include the nature of transmission, what the old time Ceilidh tradition (house visits) can tell us about ownership and the relationships between story, people and place, and how these considerations have influenced the storytelling show, “Where We Land”, rooted in the Isle of Arran landscape and stories. In questioning the nature of transmission, the theories of Susan Greenwood, David Hufford, Brian Sturm and Tim Ingold are explored and applied to a storytelling practice. A study of original accounts of old time ceilidhs (house visits) explores who tells the stories and how they are perceived, the landscapes within which the stories are located, and how these elements can affect…