A Body of Words: Foundation to Storytelling Course

A 20 week Online course:
Connect With The Folklore Of Your Ancestors. Tell stories with Authenticity & Love.
Course led by: Jan Blake
20 weekly Wednesday calls + 4x30 min bonus 1-to-one coaching sessions with Jan.Dates: Weds Sept 4 2023- Weds January 29 2024
Times: 19:00-21:30 BSTCost: £2000
Subsidised cost, limited to 3 spaces: £1800
There are 16 spaces available on this course.
Payment: Please scroll down to the bottom for details.

Why I created this course

We live in challenging times. It appears that the values, which we hold dear such as community cohesion, respect for self & others, putting LOVE at the centre of our lives, holding space for our elders, honouring of our mother, Nature, are slowly being eroded away by a lack of human connection.
What is the remedy?Perhaps there is no remedy, aside from remembering who we are & what our purpose is. Perhaps we need to jog our memory.I believe that Story IS memory. Story is connection to self, to nature & to each other and to those we came from. To tell stories is to flex the muscle of our memory. Stories can help us to re-member each other & ourselves.There are embedded wisdoms well trodden pathways, and artisanal skills in stories. There are child rearing tips and marriage guidance, there is conflict resolution and restorative justice in these narratives, all of which bring us closer to what we were, which informs what we are & what we could become

Are you a budding storyteller?

This Course Could Be For You If:
You love stories! You love hearing stories, you love reading stories.
You have found yourself sitting in wonder, as you watch a storyteller at work.Perhaps your family are from a migrant community and the only way your family could make ‘home’ feel real, in a strange land, was by telling stories & singing songs from home- You want to use storytelling to connect with the traditional folklore of your ancestors.- You have a plethora of tales which you grew up with and now you want to share them in a public arena.- You feel you have a calling to storytelling, but don’t know how to begin.- You want to be a professional storyteller- This 20 week, online, Foundation to Storytelling Course will help you bring the songs & stories you love, the memories they generate, and the storytelling skills you witnessed, to the forefront of your mind.

Thinking about signing up? please consider this:

A Foundation to Storytelling is NOT going to be a good fit for you if…
- You are already a professional storyteller.
- You believe that you should be able to tell stories from anyone’s culture regardless of sovereignty or historical cultural appropriation.
- You believe that storytellers are naturally wise and you want to share your wisdom with the world through stories.
- You expect to ‘get it right’ straight away.
- You just want to be seen & talk about yourself.
- You are only interested in hearing what a great storyteller you already are.
- You want to learn about brand storytelling.
- You don’t see any value in traditional folklore and only want to work with your own written texts.A Body of Words Foundation to Storytelling Course isn't about tips & tricks. This course is about deepening your relationship with yourself, with the stories you choose to tell and the audiences you tell them to.
At the end of 20 weeks you will have created your first 45minute storytelling performance for an audience of your choice..To sign up, or for more information please sign up on the link below.
A non-refundable deposit of £900 is payable by May 31st. Full Payment by August 18th
All participants will receive free membership to The Akua Storytelling Project,
an online Storytelling Community.

Jan Blake is a storyteller, consultant, mentor & plenary speaker who has been performing world-wide since 1986. Born in Manchester, UK to Jamaican parents, Jan specialises in folktales and myths from
The Caribbean, West Africa, North Africa, and The Arab regions.In 2021 she launched her own online storytelling school, The Akua Storytelling Project.
The school is devoted to developing a new generation of international storytellers.

Testimonials

"This has been one of the best experiences of my creative life. You are not onlv an amazing storyteller but you have guided us on a journey on which the priceless knowledge, advice and tips you shared have enriched and nourished me beyond expectations. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to yours." Myrle Roach"Full respect and and admiration for my fellow storytellers and incredible mentor Jan Blake, as we come to the end of a 20-week odyssey. If you want to move more deeply into your storytelling, go to Jan!" Rich Skrein.

Thanks for stopping by!