09/12/2024
OUR FRIENDS over GLOUCESTER WAY have SOMETHING TO SAY !!!
Fire Springs and Friends storytelling and spoken word update
Fire Springs and Friends
Happy Christmas!
A round up of storytelling, spoken word and some music events just in time for Christmas! It's a hectic time of the year, so why not take time out to listen and share stories, poetry and music to get into the festive spirit! I've also popped in a couple of folkloric exhibitions to go around - you'll need to be quick to catch the one in Stroud - and why not combine it with Kirsty's festive talk or Fiona's festive tales if you can? Kirsty was heavily involved in the exhibition in Museum & Art Swindon - and you can hear her and Dorset-based storyteller Martin Maudsley telling as part of the exhibition, and find her stories online on the song and story map. Chantelle also has a staring role, leading the wassail at the Richard Jefferies Museum in a film made especially for the exhibition - and you can go to next wassail at the museum, too! And - excitingly and astonishingly - the Bath Storytelling Circle, now Tales and Ales and run by David for many years, but it was founded back in December 1999 by Anthony, and then picked up by Kevan when Anthony and Kirsty went to live in Greece! Anthony and David were there at the beginning, and Kevan and Kirsty first went in January 2000. Goodness, how the time does run! Come along and celebrate with a tale, a song or a poem!
Remember - Chantelle and Kirsty are on Insta if you'd like to find out more about what we're up to! In the meantime events will also be updated on twitter (and on BlueSky, too, .bsky.social) and and the Fire Springs and Gloucestershire Storytelling pages.
LOCAL EVENTS, LIVE AND ONLINE
EXHIBITION: UN/COMMON PEOPLE
Until Sat 8 March 25
Museum & Art Swindon
10.30am - 4.30pm. Discover the stories that weave together Wessex folk culture. Un/Common People is a major exhibition that celebrates the vibrant folk art and seasonal customs of Wessex, both past and present. It redefines the traditional meaning of the term ‘commoner’ by showcasing the extraordinary creativity of folk art, folk song and folk tales.
FOUR TWISTED TALES
Until Sun 15 Dec
Museum in the Park, Stroud
10 or 11am - 4.30pm. Jim Pilston and Hannah Dyson are two local artists that have a mutual love of folklore and fairy tales. We are fortunate that our local area is rich with strange stories and bizarre folktales that spark the imagination. In this collaborative exhibition they have explored legends that exist on our very doorstep, some real, some imagined...
CHRISTMAS GHOSTS
Tues 10 Dec
Thornbury Local History Society
7.30pm. We've told supernatural tales at midwinter for a very long time. Kirsty Hartsiotis draws on midwinter tales from all around Gloucestershire in this talk. You may well come away with a shiver running down your spine and with stories to share around your fireside this Christmas!
MISTLETOE, WRENS & MUMMERS
Fri 13 Dec
Museum in the Park, Stroud
10.30am. Ever wondered where our Christmas traditions come from? Or how people celebrated Christmas in the past? Join folklorist, storyteller and writer Kirsty Hartsiotis in a hunt for Britain's quirkiest Christmas traditions, and discover the secrets of some of the things we take for granted at Christmastide.
GHOST TALES AT CHRISTMAS
Fri 13 Dec
Lydiard Park, Swindon
6pm SOLD OUT! & 8pm. Prepare to step into the shadows this December as we revive a chilling tradition that goes back thousands of years. In the atmospheric setting of Lydiard house, surrounded by traditional Christmas cheer, you’ll hear spine-tingling ghost stories by Alex Crump about some of the spirits that have been reported at Lydiard over the centuries.
CHRISTMAS GHOST STORIES
Sat 14 Dec
Folk of Gloucester
7.30pm. The Folk of Gloucester presents Nick Brunger’s ghost stories: guaranteed to send a chill down your spines in time for Christmas. Enjoy a veritable feast of festive frighteners, carefully selected to thrill and enthral. Creepy castles, mournful mansions, snowbound landscapes and ghastly ghouls about in this evening of yuletide yarns.
STORYTELLING WITH FIONA EADIE
Sun 15 Dec
Museum in the Park, Stroud
3pm. Join Fiona Eadie for tales of enchantment and wonder, a perfect way to brighten up a Winter's afternoon.
For adults, and for children aged 7+.
STORY SLAM
Sun 15 Dec
Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol
2pm. One of Bristol's most beloved community events, Story Slam is the place to hear and share true stories live on stage. All stories are told by volunteers from the audience. Simply come along on the day and put your name in the hat for a chance to tell a story, or just come along and enjoy listening to everyone else's.
TALES & ALES
Mon 16 Dec
The Raven, Bath
8pm. Join Master of Ceremonies David Metcalfe to share stories, songs, poems and comedy at this month 25th Anniversary ales and Ales with the Bath Storytelling Circle. Yes, *25 years* of the Bath Circle! There'll be a range of founders, regulars and newcomers, from folk tellers to contemporary poets - and maybe you? It's all free - but do avail yourself of the Raven's fine ales!
AN ARTS AND CRAFTS CHRISTMAS
Tues 17 Dec
Bisley Local History Group
7.30pm. Gloucestershire was at the heart of the Arts and Crafts Movement, with many artists, architects and craftspeople settling in the area for life. Discover with Kirsty Hartsiotis how they spent their Christmases, the carols they sang, and the art they produced as personal gifts for each other - as well as exploring Christmas-based art we can all visit in our churches.
CHRISTMAS GHOSTS
Weds 18 Dec
Arts Society Devizes
11.50am. We've told supernatural tales at midwinter for a very long time. Kirsty Hartsiotis draws on midwinter tales from all around Wiltshire in this talk. You may well come away with a shiver running down your spine and with stories to share around your fireside this Christmas!
THE WONDER NIGHT CAFE
Weds 18 Dec
Star Anise Café, Stroud
7.30pm. A monthly night of stories, cake and conversation with storyteller Hannah Moore. Come and listen to myths and wondertales for the dark season in the cosy comfort of Star Anise Cafe in Stroud, this month's theme is Light and Fire and Hannah is partnered by Amy Cox. Tickets include a free hot drink!
THE FOUR REASONS
Thurs 19 Dec
The Theatre Shop, Clevedon
7.30pm. Somerset Storyfest will be bringing four evenings full of seasonal promise, exploring, celebrating and revealing the potency and secrets that lie within the spring and autumn equinoxes, the midsummer and midwinter solstices. Spearheaded by storyteller Michael Loader and poet Isabel White each evening will bring a host of wordsmiths, musicians and singer/ song writers
SWINDON FOLK CLUB
Fri 20 Dec
The Hop Inn, Swindon
7.45pm. This month it's over to you!
We'll have an evening of floor spots so bring along your voices and instruments to share songs and tunes.
We'll be upstairs at The Hop Inn with doors from 7:45pm for an approximate 8pm start.
Entry is £5 (under-18s are free)
SUNDAY AFTERNOON STORIES
Sun 22 Dec
Ruskin Mill, Nailsworth
2.30pm. Enchanting stories, enthralling tales and elaborate lies. Join Fiona Eadie and friends, including Kelvin Hall, Kirsty Hartsiotis & Anthony Nanson for the traditional Christmas story fest around the fire at Ruskin Mill. Come and enjoy the wonder, wit, mystery and magic of stories from all over the world. Just turn up, no need to book.
WASSAIL 2025
Sun 5 Oct
Richard Jefferies Museum, Swindon
7.30pm. It's that time of year again to make sure the apple trees wake up so they can start getting on with the job of growing good fruit for the following harvest! This year the Museum and Swindon Folk Club will have the fabulous Devizes Jubilee Morris returning to join in with the fun! Bring your pots and pans to make noise!
