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Mabel here. It's always a pleasure to tell to adults after telling to children. It allows me to feel the stress and pressure.

There were 6 of us this year. Anamika, Suren, Earn Meng, Helen, Verena and myself.

To get all six busy people to come together for face to face rehearsals was difficult. But my fellow tellers were accomodating and sensitive to the needs of the others - very professional indeed. The feedback given were invaluable. They were a pleasure to work with.

Thank you all for the commitment to put on a great performance.

Till next year, keep telling.

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The 398.2 Storytelling Festival gives me an opportunity to dig deep into the choice of story. It must and should resonate with the theme. A challenging and delightful project. Fellow storytellers were generous in offering pointers and sharing ideas. There is always something new to learn and the community bonding just keep on jelling.

I get to learn and grow as a storyteller.

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I liked the community spirit that 398.2 Storytelling Festival infused into us and our libraries.

The helpful library staff aided in making storytelling enjoyable and part of learning.

Building community one story at a time!

Binding us one story at a time!

Broadening minds one story at a time!

Thank you!

With gratitude and appreciation to one and all who made it a whole!

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This was my second time attending the 398.2 Storytelling Festival, and I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be part of such an inspiring event. I feel blessed to have worked alongside so many storytellers who are passionate, committed, and wonderfully creative. There was so much I could learn from all of you.

I was also deeply touched by the many volunteers working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the festival’s success—your efforts made a big difference.

The audience, too, was remarkable—attentive, responsive, and fully engaged with the stories. I especially loved how Gao Meng used song and music to bring the witch’s tale to life and captivate the audience. I also enjoyed watching how Swee Yean connected with the children by sharing rice cakes, which made the storytelling experience even more engaging and memorable.

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During the Chinese Story Performance on September 20th, we received tremendous support from many volunteers in the association. They helped us organize the parents and the children, ensuring the smooth execution of our event. I am truly grateful for our strong team and every volunteer who offered their assistance. Thank you all!

I realize there is so much behind-the-scenes work to be done: constantly organizing, continuously collecting all materials, repeatedly sorting through them, and frequently sending out notifications. It’s truly a lot. Thank you very much.

I look forward to having more opportunities to show stories next year. This year, I missed a performance due to illness. I hope next year I can present the best performance in my best condition and develop more innovative story themes and performance styles. let's work hard together!

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There is one story you practice, one you tell and one you should have told😀 That’s exactly what happened with me. But as they say, all’s well that ends well. With lots of laughter with all the friends, fellow storytellers and volunteers, all in all a good end to it all. Thank you everyone who made it possible. Swee Yean, Kala ,Mabel ,Diep and Mindy and entire audience who applauded my story. ❤️

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i am more confident after telling a story for the first time. i am grateful to have wonderful mentors, krupa & karen, who guided me in finetuning my craft and engagin the audience with my story.

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It was a pleasure meeting all fellow storytellers during this festival. We had a great time mentoring Sakthi, Sundari, Subha and Fathima. Each had their own strengths. Was very happy to perform a traditional storytelling Villupattu with them.

Thank you Krupa and David for the practice session and feedbacks.

its festival not only the kids but also storytellers look for to. Great effort by the organising team. Well done .

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Though I had provided the base storyline, I never had the chance to watch the kids' practice or rehearsals. So, their stage performance truly astonished me it was beautifully connected with the audience, drawing big laughs from both adults and children across the hall.

Some remarkable highlights worth mentioning:

Excellent timing in dialogue delivery

Smooth transitions and use of props between scenes

Clear and simple narration and dialogues free from any "Tanglish"

All credit goes to the mentor, Krupa you truly deserve more applause and appreciation in future shows.

During the play, Kani and I were discussing how this story was explained to me by my grandmother( 35 yrs back ) , now travelled overseas and is being lived and relived by the next generation. A truly special moment.

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I thoroughly enjoyed rehearsing with my fellow participants Rani and David. Working with David was especially meaningful, as he is my mentor’s son. Throughout practice, he impressed me with his openness to feedback, his awareness of time, and the natural stage presence he carried.

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I thoroughly enjoyed rehearsing with my fellow participants Rani and David. Working with David was especially meaningful, as he is my mentor’s son. Throughout practice, he impressed me with his openness to feedback, his awareness of time, and the natural stage presence he carried.

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What stood out most was how attentive he was to our storytelling. He not only listened closely but also offered thoughtful prompts that pushed me to reconsider and refine my own story. For such a young man, his ability to support others while working on his own performance was remarkable.

On the day of the performance, I was beaming with pride. Seeing David’s growth and generosity of spirit remains my favourite memory of our session.

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At this year’s 398.2 Festival, I mentored the Tamil Mother Tongue session — a challenge since, though Tamil is my mother tongue, I am less fluent in its colloquial storytelling style. I worked with four young tellers, two debutants and two with festival experience but new to performing in Tamil. Together we adapted a folktale of a white elephant, passed down through Arudra’s family, into a version simple for the children yet rich with humour.

Over six rehearsals, supported by committed parents, the children grew in confidence, diction, and comic timing. On the day, from the youngest at seven to the oldest at twelve, they delivered a flawless, spirited performance. It was exhausting, exciting, and deeply rewarding. I was proud to see them shine and grateful to help pass on this art form to the next generation.

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One of the kids who came for the story had seen me online on zoom and she recognized me and was so happy to see me in person. I was so happy. I had one of my students attending today. I had fans in the audience and I was thrilled.Thank you SAS, thank you 398.2… it’s now become my favorite time of the year. Cheers to the festival ❤️. Thank you once again Lisa and Norah for all the support. Thank you Mindy and Juriah for suggesting to put the lyrics of my rhyme on the slide. I saw parents singing with me. Love to all.

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Storytelling Session at Tampines Library - Mindy 

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Storytelling Session at Tampines Library - Mindy 

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It was not just me telling a story but creating a community. There’s something magical about people sitting on a floor together and listening to a story together. I really appreciate the space, the support from NLB, SAS and our audience for joining me in making this story come alive. It really helped that I tried this story out a few times to see what worked and I do feel there’s room for improvement. However, I look forward to telling this story many more times and involving the audience more. It really helps to choose a story you love and play with it.

I would like to continue to engage the community as a storyteller and make the experience fun and meaningful for them.

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398.2 Tamil Storytelling session @ Senkang NLB by Suren

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398.2 Tamil Storytelling session @ Senkang NLB by Suren

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It was all beautiful to start with, reading the story to Krupa, getting her feedback, especially her mastery in the Tamil Language. The rehearsal was a good and a must for the teller to know their space, even when things could change on that day.

My story, The Legend of Sister’s Island, was also an introduction to the many islands around Singapore. The audience had not heard of tat island. A few parents appreciated the story as they are new migrants and were astonished that the islands have legends attached to them.

The audience appreciated all the telling . The volunteers, thank you for the support. A memorable afternoon. Thank you. 🤩

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The 398.2 Storytelling Festival is very special to me. It’s a chance to reconnect with my storytelling tribe. I use the time to dive into creative exploration and relish the opportunity to challenge myself to match the themes. Another benefit is that I grow my collection of tellable tales. What makes the festival even more special for me are the team rehearsal sessions. Regardless of how long one has been storytelling, there’s real value in sharing space with generous peers who offer honest feedback and thoughtful insights. It is this sharing that helps all of us to polish our stories so that they and we can shine. This time round, it was a joy to work with Deepti and Johleen. The story I had chosen seemed to be long and a little complex because it came from a culture that our audience may not be familiar with. Deepti and Johleen listened so thoughtfully and quickly pointed out parts that might be tricky for younger kids to follow. With their feedback, I was able to cut out the clutter, explain complicated parts, and make the story even more enjoyable.

What started off as a bit of a complicated tale turned into something much clearer and more fun to tell and we enjoyed ourselves along the way

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The 398.2 Storytelling Festival is a highlight of my year.
I look forward every year to this wonderful chance to stay connected to my vibrant storytelling community in Singapore and to stretch creatively by exploring new tales that I may never have thought of. I enjoy working on fresh stories and using the process to grow my repertoire.

The team rehearsal sessions are one of my favourite parts — they provide space for refining the story, and for meaningful time spent with each other. No matter how many stories one has told, it’s valuable to be part of a circle of honest, engaged listeners.

For this session, it was a real pleasure and great fun working with Anamika and Kausar. I appreciated their refreshing clarity — offering direct, often frank :-) feedback. This feedback helped me transform a long, meandering tale into a version that was crisp, engaging, and suitable for younger listeners. Their support helped me sharpen an important storytelling skill: editing for impact without losing heart or nuance.

I also had fun experimenting with rhyme and rhythm this time — a new element for me, and one that added another layer of play to the process.

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Go to the + sign under the date. Click on it and please (1) write your name and (2) what you have benefited from the performance opportunity (it could be related to the process and your journey, the team, rehearsals, venue, librarians, support before and during performance) (3) how will you like to move forward as a storyteller after this experience.

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The 398.2 Storytelling Festival holds a very special place in my heart.
Each year, I truly look forward to the opportunity to stay connected and share stories online through this festival — it’s an experience I deeply value and enjoy. I particularly love discovering new stories that fit the themes and using the process to expand my repertoire.

The three rehearsal sessions we share as a team are always powerful and enriching. No matter how experienced one may be, there is something incredibly grounding about being heard by attentive and supportive listeners.

For this particular story, I was especially grateful to have Deepti and Jia Min as my teammates. Their thoughtful listening helped me rework the story — originally quite violent — into something more suitable for younger ears. Through our rehearsals, where the stories shifted and evolved each time we told them, it was both fun and fascinating to watch the final performance take shape.

Their presence and feedback made the entire process smoother and enjoyable.

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Jia Min here. Gained an idea of the fun that I can have with digging chants, sounds of heavy doors opening and closing, hypotheticals like "did he go xxx? Did he go yyy? No! He went zzz!", the Zoom costumes and backgrounds too. And how to cut the superfluous parts of a story which can get repetitive. And I learnt about the story of Ali Baba which I frankly never heard before! Wild! How I'd like to grow: I wish I can be as helpful as Deepti and Priti were to me in terms of giving feedback :) I realised I just sorta listen but have no ideas how to improve their stories. And thanks Deepti and Priti for all the suggestions!

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My 3rd year with 398.2 Festival. I truly enjoyed our session together. Laughter during our practices. Learning from each other during our prep meets. I was so not prepared and my storymates/daymates/partners gave me confidence for me to move on forward and helped me improved.

Learned a lot from Swee Yean and also Lavanya, thank you both.

I feel that we have the flowy flow for that day and everything was just spot on.

My 7yo really loved both your stories. I had to ask him to hold on until I finish telling my story.

The review sessions with Kiran and Louisa really helped me put the story into better perspective. Thank you both.

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This is my 3rd year with 398.2 Festival and every year was an exciting journey for me. Learning everyday with kind, passionate and like minded comrades who share generously and helped me grow as a storyteller. The support I receive throughout the journey, has been tremendous and I am so grateful for my 'daymates', partners, storymates, (i have no idea what to call them formally hahaha). Thank you Deepti and Priti.

Spending time to practice with each other not only helped me improve my skills but also created valuable friendship that I cherish.

Looking forward to the opportunity to tell in person.

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It was such an honor to tell my story with two experienced and professional storytellers Anamika and Priti. Loved the way that our stories all came together so beautifully. The children following our stories with all the actions and songs was wonderful. Though it was on Zoom, we could feel the energy of the kids. Thank you Mindy and Anamika for taking our screenshots and making it so memorable. Thanks to Lisa and Olive from NLB for being wonderful co-hosts. Thank you everyone and thank you SAS for being a part of this journey ❤️

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I felt that our two inclusive sessions were truly enjoyable and meaningful.

Last year, Karen, Wei Teng, and I had already told this story with great success, and I thought, “Great, let’s just repeat it!” But no—Swee Yean made sure we learned and grew from this second performance too.

With Roger’s invaluable feedback during rehearsal, the story came alive on another level. I got so excited as it became more fun, with characters showing stronger personalities and the plot carrying deeper meaning.

I deeply appreciate Wei Teng for taking the initiative to work out rehearsal dates amidst our busy schedules, and for warmly opening her home for our final rehearsal. I love how open she always is, how trusting of the process, and how much love she pours into the children. She worked hard on the script too, asking thoughtful questions to ensure smooth transitions. I also really enjoyed the beautiful story she created.

With Karen, I often feel like a child in awe, watching her artistry whenever she steps into character. Her talent, experience, and storytelling skills shine so clearly. I’ve always enjoyed working with her—this must be the 3rd or 4th time already!

And with Swee Yean, I’m always thankful for the opportunities she offers and the way she manages everything and everyone with much care and thought. Beyond that, her love for the children truly touches my heart. She is so considerate with all parties involved, and she made sure we did even better this round—even with the same story. To me, she is such a role model: meticulous in her work, yet overflowing with joy and love. I truly aspire to be like her in those ways.

During the storytelling itself, the children were so responsive to our story. They participated joyfully, and many became emotional alongside Sunda the pangolin. It was moving to witness how deeply they connected.

There was also a child with special needs at the beginning who moved quickly around and explored all my instruments. She didn’t want to let go when I told her they weren’t for exploring, and her mom seemed quite stressed and embarrassed by the situation. I felt a little bad for the mom, thinking about how difficult it truly must be for her. I felt sad too, noticing that they left before we got to say goodbye—I’m not even sure at what point, perhaps even before the show ended. I did try to make her feel welcome by including her in some of the activities, but it still made me reflect on how I can do better.

Moving forward, I’d like to be more inclusive of such profiles—by providing toys and fidget items before the show, making sure the instruments are covered and out of sight, and perhaps setting aside some sound makers that children can safely fiddle with. I hope with small adjustments, we can make the experience more welcoming for every child and parent.

This has been such a great learning experience—and working with the most amazing people has truly been the most rewarding!

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There were so many magical moments before and during my storytelling performance with Karen and Jane that I didn't know where to start.

First of all, learning a new skill of transforming a picture book story to a theatre script is in itself a wonderful wonderful skill I picked up along the way, having had to amend parts of the script. I never thought I will be doing that one day so it is almost surreal that this happened.

Secondly, being able to work with a wonderful team with Karen, Jane and Swee Yean for a second year was the icing on the cake. We had a certain chemistry established and this went one notch higher in this second year of collaboration.

From Karen, I learnt the importance of considering the details of how one moves on stage, especially when partnering other storytellers and where the entire set-up can be very dynamic. It is only when details are thought through that I feel I can be organic with myself and other storytellers on stage on the actual day! This is especially useful for me as I am more used to telling stories solo. I love how she gently modelled this for me!

From Jane, I learnt how to inject playfulness into every possible moment on stage. I love the various suggestions she proposed! It comes so naturally to her and I felt by osmosis, i possibly became more playful than I naturally was after the few weeks of rehearsal. I also enjoyed learning from her how to use music and sounds to establish moods, to transit from scenes to scenes and to move audience.

From Jane and Karen, I felt the turning point in my grasp of Sunda the character was when they suggested me to move from Sunda coming from a place of defensiveness/haughtiness to him coming from a place of worries and anxieties instead. It made me realise that was how I envisage Sunda to be when I wrote the story but somehow that was lost when I move Sunda to the stage. I thank them for reminding me of his core.

From Swee Yean, I learnt how we take note of every single individual in the audience. In the midst of my sweat (underneath the pangolin suit), I was left further breathless when Swee Yean bothered to remember small moments matter as she led me to a boy (likely with autism) so that he can have a special one-on-one moment with the pangolin where he can give a high-five to -- this was a boy who almost had a meltdown at the start of the session due to his anxieties. This one-on-one time with the pangolin helped reminded him that he was brave enough to offer the insect to the pangolin to be eaten up and it was such a joy to hear him affirm himself after the high-five "I was so brave!".

Most of all, this performance reminded me why I love to write/tell stories for children. When a girl with no hands and with scaly skin all over her (ironically, like Sunda the pangolin) came up, at the end of the performance, to touch my pangolin's claws and stroke my 'scaly skin' and asked to take a photo together, I teared because I knew then that during the 45min, she has allowed Karen, Jane and I to enter her world. That is when I know my story and our performance had connected with her. That is so so precious to me. :)

Moving on, i would love to:

1. Learn how to better turn and transform my picture book stories into oral telling scripts.

2. How to use music (eg. ukulele strumming patterns) to establish moods during change of scenes/transitions.

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It was wonderful having being assigned a mentor for my virgin solo oral telling performance! I wasn't expecting that and to have that was such a privilege and a luxury. I was assigned Kala as a mentor and couldn't have asked for more! Other than being given very useful feedback which allowed me to think through various perspectives more, she was also very encouraging and reminded the ultimate purpose of my performance -- that I should enjoy it! I almost forgot such a core fact in the midst of the anxieties and stress from preparing for it all!

Additionally, I was grateful for my other partner storytellers for the session - Millie and Celine. Both are very encouraging and helpful and are so supportive in their own ways. I also learnt from Millie how putting in efforts to prepare props could really make a difference and I learnt from Celine how to respond fast and in an engaging manner when there are changes amongst the audience (the teacher brought out big groups of children to the toilet and I love the way she handled the waiting time).

Being able to volunteer and observe other storytellers at work also allowed me to learn more.

Moving forward, I would love to learn tips on how to handle transitions better (eg. from 1 storyteller to the next storyteller). For instance, if I am the 2nd storyteller, how can i ease the audience into my story better after the first storyteller has completed? And if i am the 3rd storyteller, how can i handle audience fatigue from sitting down too long and listening to 2 stories before my turn?

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Lavanya Menon

“kindness matters “ was an apt title for our team as we were 3 Storytellers each from different parts of the world, Singapore, Malaysia, India, and a guest storyteller from Indonesia. Each of us shared such different stories and styles, which gave me fresh insights and opportunities to learn. I am grateful to the organisers, the tech support team for ensuring everything ran smoothly during the online live event. Thank you Swee Yen for engaging with my story, it really helped me overcome my nervousness. And thanks to Johleen to have shared what her 7 year old drew as I narrated my story.The preview sessions and rehearsals, were equally meaningful, I truly valued the encouragement, feedback, and sense of community, 398.2 festival created. Thanks to Sheela Wee and Anamika for helping with the preview and sharing valuable feedbacks, absolutely kind of each and everyone. Entire process was well orchestrated .

This experience has helped me grow and has inspired me to continue developing as a storyteller.

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I enjoyed the process of looking for a story and then rehearsing with my team once a month before the real day. During rehearsals, we looked at one another's performance from the eyes of a audience + storyteller - we need both - How it feels and what ways to deepen the feeling. Thank you Johleen and Lavanya for being my team mates. I really enjoyed watching my fellow tellers refine their stories after each round of feedback. With every tweak, the stories became tighter in structure, more visually engaging, and enriched with participatory elements that drew the audience in. It was inspiring to see how small adjustments transformed the storytelling into something truly alive and captivating.

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Being part of 398.2 is alwayd an honour and a privilege. It can be very scary because of the public nature of it, but then it also allows creativity soar. I was blessed to work with amazing and very generous stoytellers who very willingly gave feedback to improve my stories. Thank you! Till next year!!

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It has been an amazing journey since I am part of the SAS. Each year I eagerly wait for 398.2 event. However, gets butterflies before the practise session and actual performance day😀. The support provided by mentors during the journey is amazing. Each one of you are so supportive. Special thanks to Priti for your patience and accommodating my last minute changes in practise sessions. Each one of you are a superstar. It has been a wonderful journey so far.

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Alice Bianchi-Clark and Edward Lysander Clark

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Alice Bianchi-Clark and Edward Lysander Clark

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Each year the rules for participation in the 398.2 storytelling festival are clearer and clearer and that welcome transparency helps to gauge the level of commitment required to participate in this event and are a helpful reminder that collaboration is key to any festival’s success.

Thank you to all the organisers, Swee for slotting Edward and I in together; Anamika for giving Edward a little more time when he almost pulled out due to conflicting commitments; to our online support team for all the pictures and for spotlighting us; to the librarians for their warm introductions; to our partner, Shalni, and to Kiran, Edward’s mentor, for their feedback on our stories.

With dramatic flair, Edward had a 38.8 degree temperature the day before the show and was literally rolling on the bed groaning instead of practising, but thankfully, he woke up with a spring in his step on the day of the show and remembered all his lines.

What we learned - always trust the process: even if you make mistakes along the way and have an awful session or two before the show, if you commit to a regular practise, your hard work will shine through. Arrange your props well before the show! we’re still looking for the bar of chocolate we purchased for the show that has mysteriously disappeared.

We feel grateful to have been included in this year’s line up and, if an online program should go ahead for next year’s festival, we have brainstormed stories already. Personally, I enjoy coaching kids and would be happy to mentor and empower kids other than my own in telling stories. Edward welcomes the improvisation and participation elements that make storytelling so different to acting.

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The audience was a gift to us, as storytellers. Both adults and children were mesmerized and participated in our stories. I could see the magic our stories brought to them. Working with Sheila and Helen was such a treasure to me. Great story buddies to have who give you very good advice on getting a story to work perfectly well.

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I thoroughly enjoyed the sessions as both a listener and a teller. I was pleasantly surprised at the kids' reactions to my story. They were very engaged and supportive. I practice my story twice with Celine and Shalni. That really helps with fluency and my confidence on stage. I appreciate the chance to talk to the kids and get to know them before the sessions began.

Looking forward, I'd like to learn to tell stories with different kinds of props or special techniques (e.g: tell stories with music, singing ...). I want to be more creative and versatile.

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I practiced for the sessions with Mabel and Kiran. It went off smoothly in the first session itself, and we decided on the flow of the stories. As I was telling this story for the first time, I was grateful for the feedback from both of them. Thanks to Mabel for practicing the 2nd time. It also made me realise we don't always need to tell a new story, something from our old stories would be ok to work on differently, a different angle. I'm excited to try to revisit my old stories for next year.

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It was a breeze working with Mabel and Anamika. We had 1 Zoom meeting, discussed our stories, decided on the order and even how we should introduce each other.

The venue was a little difficult to locate but once I got there, all went very smoothly. Wonderful support from the volunteers especially for my story- thank you Kala and Madhuri. NLB staff were very helpful handled the tech bits well (managing the headsets and powerpoint slides etc).

So happy to finally do an in-person performance after doing online sessions for the past few years.

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I am so grateful for this opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and practice my public speaking skills :)

Despite their busy schedule, the teachers I had along the way, were so kind to make time for online and in-person practice. They advised me on how to make my story more engaging and even borrowed me their props for me to use.

Building up to the actual performance, I felt nervous and unsure that I would be able to do well. I am so glad that the storytelling community was welcoming and extremely supportive throughout the entire process, making it easier and allowing me to gain confidence when standing in front of the audience. Even during my performance, the storytelling community engaged with my story which also encouraged the audience to be more lively and also calmed my nerves.

Overall, I am so happy that I participated in this year's storytelling fest! I want to thank the community and I can't wait to tell stories again! Thank You!!

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Michelle here ! My fellow storytellers and Sheila were versatile and forgiving when I couldn’t make the final practice together .

The support , encouragement and efforts by everyone during the lead up to the festival was really motivating and inspiring.

What I appreciate is how our stories evolve and take shape with the practices and feedback from fellow story tellers who are so enthusiastic about wanting to help grow and encourage each other. Lots to learn still and it’s a commitment to the craft of storytelling .

Most of the group really live and breathe it .

I hope to one day make space for the breadth and depth that this craft requires so as to be able to share stories of healing and hope through human experiences

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What an enjoyable session it was! Kudos to Millie for arranging that rehearsal a week before, for us to meet the library staff, test the mics, get ourselves familiar with the the place. Many thanks to mentor Anamika for her guidance and tips on stagecraft. I look forward to more storytelling sessions in the future!

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My fellow storytellers were Kiran and Anamika. It was easy working with them as they are committed to their craft and wanted the best for the audience. I was pleasantly surprised that this year there were many volunteers helping to set up, register and usher.

Our partner , NLB also did a great job in bringing in the audience.

I hope that this festival will continue yearly for it brings so much joy to the listeners and tellers alike. And I hope to be a part of it for as long as I can.

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Jia Min here. I benefitted from the rehearsals, the phototaking was SO CUTE, and just seeing other storytellers do their thing. I wrote a little reflection on my blog and I'm going to copy paste it here!

Things I learnt from the other storytellers at the 398.2 festival so far

- The songs you make up don't have to be about the heart of the story. It can be a song to walk down to the river ("up the hill and down the hill and up the hill and down the hill, all the way home", it can be a song that has a concept you want to explain THROUGH the story (e.g. Count On Me), it can be a song just to get the kids warmed up (e.g. Incy Wincy Spider).

- How to get engagement with the audience besides asking lots of questions? If it's repeated, it can be a rhythm with which all the characters knock the door, or how the characters cross the bridge, or the door bell ("tingaling tingaling!") or door creak ("eek"). It can be a sound that an animal makes and you invite the children to join along each time.

- Introducing a story keeps all the kids in the same mood throughout. The transitions are not so strange and they can get a sense of what's going to appear next. It can be about the origin of the story (e.g. all the stories came from the same collection), it can be about the country the story came from.

- How to do characterisation: I forgot that I could show it. I was stressed about describing it and making a really deep character but actually all you need is ONE VERY DISTINGUISHABLE trait. E.g. how a talkative character talks and talks and talks and talks, or how one is always nibbling and nibbling. And there's of course the pitch/pace of the character.

- When there's fatigue from too many children answering a question, you can ask a question that all can participate in, such as "Did they wish for lots of money?" (NO!!!!/ YES!!!), "Did they wish for lots of food?", etc. instead of "What did they wish for?"

- Show not tell is really important. I can't believe I didn't specifically think of how to show, not tell, earlier. Like I had a character who had to drink lots of milk; I could have shown how he needs to pee a lot, instead of what I did which was to make a one line joke about it.

- How to manage the kids? One way is to say "listening ears", or "can you put your listening ears on?"

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What I really loved! Was working with Xin Yi and seeing her shine as a storyteller after a couple of coaching sessions. It is so good to have young people involved. I would be very happy to help coach more young people in future.

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I enjoyed working with Helen and Louisa. With their experience we were able to to put together the programme very quickly and help each other to fine-tune our stories.

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A story from Japan about the kind little boy from the magical peach. During the storytelling, the children gestured ( eg. rowing the boat) and broke into hilarious laugther at the Oni. In the end, Momotaro's kindness and bravery shone like a diamond.

The team support was.great; we had met on zoom and got to rehearse at the venue. The librarians, Lisa and Sadiah facilitated the event - mics and projectors working well. The children and their teachers were lovely!

l was glad and felt much rewarded for the effort that l had invested, working on this story.

This inspires me, to be an even better storyteller:) . It was fun!

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My fellow storytellers were Sheila and Louisa, two very experienced storytellers. I enjoyed working with them. During our practice on Zoom, I appreciated the feedback given by Sheila and Louisa to tighten my story. On the day of our performance it was wonderful to see so many children with their parents. The children and even the parents were very responsive and participated actively in the interactive parts of our stories. We decided not to use mics and fortunately we were loud enough to be heard.