Society for Storytelling

Storyteller Directory: Janet Dowling

< Previous storyteller Next storyteller >

Name: Janet Dowling

Location: London and South East England

County: London

Telephone: 07834 194215

Email: JanetTells@gmail.com

Website: www.JanetTellsStories.co.uk

Storyteller- giving performances, workshops, training, commissions, oral history, consultations.  Focuses on Celebrating Diversity, developing Emotional Literacy , Oral literacy and the written word through working with traditional tales and theraputic storytelling. Plus Seasonal Customs and Telling History. Works with both mainstream and special needs audiences of adults, children and families, including PMLD, and intergenerational projects

I tell stories in schools, libraries, museums, festivals, art centres! I can tell to a theme- or I offer a selection of stories on Celebrating Diversity which are stories from across the world that focus on the need to respect each other. I run workshops to train adults and children how to tell stories, and how to learn stories to tell.

I can come into a museum or classroom for a day, or over several weeks as a residency. My most popular programme is “The Storyteller’s Apprentice” which is a mix of telling tales from different cultures, traditions and history, and training participants to tell stories and make their own up, leading them to a performance. I can do this without the written word- using storyboards, memory tricks, and visualisations.

I have experience of using storytelling with children with profound and multiple learning disabilites to promote their development, and of children who had experienced traumatic injury and brain injury to help them develop their emotional literacy to help them with their experiences.

I tell seasonal stories of the year, and do talks (and re-enactments) on English Traditional Customs.

I am keen on Oral History and encourage children and adults to find the stories of their families, and the communities in which they live, and where possible bring together children and older people from the same communities to share stories.

I also give talks and lectures on storytelling, traditional tales and women, folklore, English customs, and mental health in children’s literature.