Living stories is the theme of this year’s Scottish International Storytelling Festival, from October 26 to November 4, and the aim is to share tales that are alive in our communities. Stories of childhood and growing up, love stories and adventures are just some of those you will be able to hear during the 10-day event. International storytellers, including native American Gayle Ross, will be spinning tales across Edinburgh, West, Mid and East Lothian, Fife and the Borders. And National Tell-A-Story Day next Friday will include 34 events across the whole of Scotland.

As part of the festival’s outreach programme, 8,000 children from Edinburgh and the Lothians will be involved in about 80 half-day sessions with storytellers, including Claire Mulholland and Judy Robertson. But festival director Joanna Bremner emphasises that if your school is missing out, she has a directory of storytellers covering the whole of Scotland, from Shetland to the Borders, who are available throughout the year.

Euan McVicar and Ms Mulholland will be holding sessions at Edinburgh Castle on six days in October and November for 360 P5-P7 pupils. The morning storytellings will incorporate figures from the castle’s history and discussions on fact and fiction. In the afternoons, the children will visit parts of the castle and dramatise the stories. These sessions, which will emphasise the importance of viewpoint, will be led by the castle’s education officer, Joan Parr.

The castle programme reflects the findings of the Storymakers Pilot Project, which ran over nine months and looked at the role of stories in children’s lives. Ms Mulholland and Ms Robertson recently published a 70 page report on their research, conducted in Edinburgh, Lanark, Gigha, Argyll, Dundee, East Lothian and Aberdeen. Ms Mulholland says: “We looked at the good practice already happening, like workshops and storytelling sessions in libraries and schools, and we interviewed adults working with young people and the children.”

The aim was to pinpoint the skills that are needed to draw out children’s storytelling abilities. They found that effective storytellers were conscious of how they use their voice, inclusive language and eye contact, how they deal with interruptions and that they treat children as peers.

Ms Mulholland says: “What came out loud and clear was that there wasn’t enough storytelling in schools.”

The report recommends consultation with teachers to integrate storytelling into the curriculum. Already storyteller Senga Munro, a former teacher, has been working in primary schools, telling stories to inform creative writing. After the story the group look at different aspects of it, such as developing a character through speech and its deeper meanings.

The report suggests that information and communications technology can motivate teenagers in particular, and e-mail can connect children who otherwise would not exchange stories.

For information on the festival or the Storymakers Pilot Project contact Jill Bush or Joanna Bremner at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh, tel 0131 557 5724556 9579. For details of National Tell-A-Story Day, October 26, and festival events see www.storytellingcentre.org.uk

Edinburgh Castle education officer Joan Parr, tel 0131 220 5971