In this podcast, I interview Tamas Ozwald, my first storytelling teacher, about his story in the craft and how he uses food to create atmosphere in his shows. Based in Tasmania, I first met Tamas when I discovered that storytelling was a way of being in the world. He welcomed me and encouraged my first steps into the art of storytelling and is a wise voice of reason as I find my own storyteller voice and values.

Jesse's ambition to be a professional storyteller began when he read 'The Alchemist' at the age of 14, and connected with the idea that the world helps those who follow their dreams. He completed courses in story medicine and therapeutic storytelling, worked as an education assistant at Princess Margaret Hospital and a production assistant for Theatre d'Espirit, helping children aged 12 to 16 put on plays. He has done a residency at a School in Jakarta where he helped to enliven their English program through storytelling, had a story filmed by the Education Department for their Distance Education Program and performed at countless Festivals and Children's Parties. He is currently the treasurer of the Storytelling Guild of Australia (WA) Inc.For more information about Jesse and his work, head to Wind Wanderer® Storytelling | Schools, Parties, Events

Nicola-Jane le Breton works as a Community Story Weaver with Befriend Inc. She rediscovered the art of traditional storytelling during a visit to Orkney in 2018. This led her to create a unique nine-month storyteller development course with Silvia Lehmann in Denmark, Western Australia. Her quest for deeper training took her to Emerson College, UK, in 2020, where she immersed herself in a 3-month program, Storytelling Beyond Words. As co-founder of The Possibility Fellowship, Nicola's work is fuelled by her personal experiences of mental health challenges and social isolation. Through her storytelling, she not only connects communities in Perth and beyond but also inspires others to find their voice and reminds us that in sharing our stories, we discover we're not alone. Today Nicola shares her version of ‘The Last Storyteller’ from Morocco, with thanks to Roi Gal-Or, who first told her this story during her studies at Emerson. You can learn more about Nicola-Jane at https://storyweavers.net.au/ To learn more about Befriend: https://befriend.org.au/

I met Anabelle during a mentorship during 2023 with FEAST (Federation of Asian Storytellers). We were both mentees and worked together to put the final show together. You can find our final performance at: https://youtu.be/twI7_YJEcwM?si=O1N9-rYw-z0DBG2G Anabelle Castaño is a bilingual storyteller, archaeologist, and museum educator from Buenos Aires, Argentina, who loves to interweave her three professions building bridges between material and immaterial culture through traditional stories from all continents. You can find out more about her work (in English and Spanish) by visiting her website: www.anacas.com.ar

Kiran had a career in social work and early childhood education before discovering storytelling as a profession in Singapore 25 years ago. She hasn't stopped since and has travelled to many lands (India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Iran) to perform and offer workshops. She was the founder president of the Storytelling Association, Singapore in 2006 and when she moved to Australia in 2008, continued to be an active member of the Australian Storytelling Guild, NSW. She is the current vice president. Kiran loves telling folktales from around the world and especially Asian folktales that call to her. When not storytelling, Kiran enjoys bush walks and gardening as well as finding ways to cook up all her produce in her home in the Blue Mountains. You can find out more about her at her website: https://www.kiranstoryteller.com/

In our first interview, we chat with experienced international storyteller Jo Henwood about how she got into storytelling and what she thinks is at the heart of storytelling. Jo Is a storyteller based in Sydney, Australia and is the co-founder of the Australian Fairy Tale Society.

You can find more about me at:www.alyssacurtayne.comor via FB/Insta/TikTok or YouTube at alyssacurtaynestories