JOANNA LAURIE

STORYTELLER & CREATOR OF ‘MAD ABOURT MORRIS’

Like so many of us, I have always had a love for stories, but my favourite moments were as a child being told stories by my grandparents. I never realised storytelling was a ‘thing’, until I was a student in the Steiner teaching training where storytelling is the foundation for teaching and relating the curriculum- whether it be English or mathematics. So, I tracked down the only storyteller I had heard of Simon Oats. I tactfully moved to Warburton to be just ‘down the road’ and Simon became my mentor and friend. Together with other storytellers, we hosted a monthly storytelling evening ‘Ladders to the Moon’ in a funky bar in Melbourne -where experienced storytellers and new storytellers could have a go. Later I travelled to the U.K to complete a three-month intensive storytelling training at Emerson College in West Sussex. Over the next 4 1/2 years I did other storytelling courses and having returned to Australia just as COVID hit, it has been lovely to be back home and offering storytelling to Australian audiences young and wisened!