Malvern Festival of Ideas 2024: Telling Tales

Telling Tales

1-3 March 2024

A weekend of themed talks, conversations, discussion and activities

Inspiring innovation, creativity, and critical thinking

Welcome Welcome to the Malvern Festival of Ideas, a weekend of themed talks, conversations, discussions and related activities that takes place in the town of Malvern in Worcestershire.

The title for 2024 is Telling Tales which explores the power of storytelling, both in the narratives themselves but also in the ideas they convey and is approached by presenters and performers from their own perspectives in a variety of different ways. Complemented by a set of activities for young people and community stalls, we hope the programme not only educates you but inspires you to action.

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Telling Tales

Stories have the remarkable ability to introduce, explore, and propagate ideas in a compelling and impactful way. We hear from individuals who have a powerful personal story to tell as well as storytellers who explore thoughtprovoking themes that tackle societal issues and examine the human condition.

There are three types of session:

Malvern St James Girls’ School.

• Main Stage: Talks, Conversations, Discussions, taking place in the York Hall

We have a Progressive Payment system:

• Family events: a programme aimed at a younger/family audience including art, storytelling and debating.

• Standard - the price that enables us to recover costs; • Patron - an enhanced price that supports our discounted ticket;

• Exploring the Theme - sessions at • Discount - a subsidised ticket. midday that take place in parallel and look You choose the ticket price suitable for at one of the themes arising during the you.

Festival in different ways.

In addition, all individual sessions have a See pages 8-9 for the Festival ‘At A Glance’ limited number of Free tickets available guide. for low-income attendees and students.

There are individual tickets for each There is also an option to make a donation session. There is also a Weekend Ticket by purchasing a Donation - Pay What and a Day Ticket for Saturday and Sunday You Decide ticket. which gives access to all sessions at Venues Malvern St James Girls’ School, 15 Avenue Rd, Malvern WR14 3BA Malvern Cube, Albert Rd N, Great Malvern, WR14 2YF Contact and booking details Website:www.malvernfestivalofideas.org.uk Facebook: @malvernfestivalofideas Twitter: @MalvernFI Instagram: @malvernfi Email: info@malvernfestivalofideas.org.uk Telephone: 01684 565708

Disclaimer The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed

by Festival speakers are solely those of the speakers, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Festival organisers, the Festival suppliers or the Festival sponsors. All speakers are invited in good faith as appropriate contributors to chosen topics for lawful free speech and for questioning by the public.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this brochure is correct at the time of going to press. Any changes will be notified via the Festival website.

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Onjali Raúf

Telling My Story 4

Telling Tales

Rehan Jamil ©

Friday 1st March 2024 11.00 - 12.00 and 2.00 - 3.00PM Malvern Cube, Albert Rd N, Great Malvern, WR14 2YF Best-selling author and activist, Onjali Raúf, tells her story and answers questions from children.

Onjali Q. Raúf is the multi-award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Boy at the Back of the Class, as well as a women's and refugee human rights activist. Malvern Festival of Ideas is delighted to present our fantastic introductory event for school-age children as

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part of our 2024 theme, Telling Tales.

Onjali Raúf tells her story and answers questions from primary school children about her life as an author and aid worker both in the UK and overseas.

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Chris Packham

Earth: Over 4 Billion Years in the Making

Telling Tales

Friday 1st March 2024 7.30 - 9.00Pm Malvern St James Girls’ School Naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author, Chris Packham tells the story of how Earth’s most incredible creations – life and intelligence – are set to have the same lasting impact on Earth’s story as any meteorite or earthquake.

Suitable for: 12 years and up

Extraordinarily creative and prolific, Chris Packham has led a remarkable life. He’s gained recognition as a naturalist, television presenter, writer, photographer, conservationist, campaigner and filmmaker.

was ‘Astonishing… brilliantly written’, ‘… a flickering vat of life itself. A brilliant and remarkable book.’ ‘It’s bold and beautiful, both raw and lyrical, and a rather special book.’

Earlier in 2016 Chris’s fact-packed picture book, Amazing Animal Journeys, was published, telling the story of the annual migration of animals around the world, from butterflies to whales. The book is illustrated by Jason Cockroft, the Harry Potter cover artist. With many books published, his first photography book, 100 Things That Caught My Eye, (2014) depicted an eclectic collection of his photographs accompanied by his thoughts and insights In May 2016 Chris’s autobiography, Fingers as he captured each shot. in the Sparkle Jar: A Memoir, was released His recent books include Chris Packham’s to critical acclaim, reaching number 1 in Birdwatching Guide: From Beginner to The Sunday Times Bestsellers in just 2 Birder (2024), Superhero Animals (2024) and weeks. It was featured as a Radio 4 ‘Book with Andrew Cohen Earth: Over 4 Billion of the Week, read by Chris. Critics said it Years in the Making (2023).

As a broadcaster he is a presenter of BBC’s BAFTA Award-winning Springwatch and Winterwatch series. He presents notable natural history series such as Earth (2023), Nature’s Weirdest Events, World’s Weirdest Events, World’s Sneakiest Animals, Cats v Dogs, The Burrowers, Inside the Animal Mind, Operation Iceberg and Secrets of our Living Planet.

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Saturday - At a glance

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Telling Tales

SUnday - At a glance

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Máiría Cahill Rough Beast: My Story and the Reality of Sinn Féin

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Telling Tales

Saturday 2nd March 2024 9.30 - 10.30am Malvern St James Girls’ School Máiría Cahill recounts the harrowing story of her life and of what she went through at the hands of what is now Ireland's largest and richest party.

Máiría’s story brings to life a world of paramilitary secrecy and parallel laws, but above all it is the story of one young woman's defiance of the power wielded by ex-gunmen inspiring fear and silence, and their influence over elected politicians.

18+ only - mature themes Máiría Cahill is a former Irish politician.

She was born in West Belfast into a prominent republican extended family.

Her great-uncle Joe Cahill was one of the founders and chief of staff of the Provisional IRA in the 1970s.

Máiría was elected National Secretary of Ógra Shinn Féin and worked for Sinn Féin between 1998 and 2001.

She joined the Irish Labour Party in 2015 and was a Senator from November 2015 to April 2016. Cahill was an SDLP councillor from July 2018 to April 2019.

Máiría has received a James Larkin Thirst for Justice award from the Irish Labour Party and a Special Recognition Award in The Irish Tatler's Woman of the Year Awards. Since becoming a public figure, she has written as a political commentator for The Sunday Independent, The Belfast Telegraph, The Spectator, and Fortnight Magazine. She also regularly appears as a commentator on radio, frequently on the BBC Nolan Show.

In January 2010 Cahill went public in an interview that, between 1997 and 1998, when she was aged 16, she had been raped by an IRA member and forced into an IRA internal "investigation" at the age of 18. Then followed meetings with Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams from 2000 - 2006.

In May 2014, after a 4-year court process the cases collapsed and Not Guilty verdicts returned when Cahill withdrew support for the prosecution after a series of failures she contended they made.

In October 2014, Cahill waived anonymity on the award-winning BBC documentary "A Woman Alone with the IRA", and a political furore ensued. Cahill's case was debated in Westminster, The Dail and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

In 2015, Sir Keir Starmer conducted a report which found that Cahill had been failed by the Public Prosecution Service.

She received a public apology from the DPP and in 2018, from the Chief Constable.

"Rough Beast is shocking, important and unputdownable." Roddy Doyle malvernfestivalofideas.org.uk

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Kehinde Andrews

The Psychosis of Whiteness 12

Telling Tales

Saturday 2nd March 2024 11.00 - 12.00 Malvern St James Girls’ School An all-encompassing, insightful and wry look at living in a racist world, by Kehinde Andrews, a leading black British voice in the academy and in the media.

Kehinde Andrews presents a critical exploration of race, identity, and power dynamics within Western societies, particularly focusing on the concept of whiteness and its impact on individuals and societies.

Suitable for 12 years and up Take a step through the looking glass to a strange land, one where Piers Morgan is a voice worth listening to about race, where white people buy self-help books to help them cope with their whiteness, where Boris Johnson and Donald Trump are seen by the majority of the population as 'the right (white) man for the job'. Perhaps you know it. All the inhabitants seem to be afflicted by serious delusions, like that racism doesn't exist and if it does it can be cured with a one-hour inclusion seminar, and bizarre collective hallucinations, like the widely held idea that Britain's only role in slavery was to abolish it.

But there is a serious side too. Black and brown people suffer from a greater number of mental health difficulties, caused in no small part by living in a racist society. But being Black and brown has itself been pathologised by the young field of psychology. Society cannot face up to the racism at its heart and in its history, so the delusions, irrationalities and hallucinations it conjures up to avoid doing so can only best be described as a psychosis, and the costs are being borne by the sons and daughters of that racist

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history.

Kehinde Andrews is your piercing, wry and not a little funny guide back to sanity, unpicking the absurd and outrageous lies society tells to keep up the status quo and The Psychosis of Whiteness is your lifeboat out of this topsy turvy world.

Kehinde Andrews is a British academic and author specialising in Black Studies.

He is Professor of Black Studies in the School of Social Sciences at Birmingham City University led the establishment of the first Black Studies programme in Europe. He is founder of the Harambee Organisation of Black Unity, and co-chair of the UK Black Studies Association.

His books include The New Age of Empire: How Racism Still Rules the world (2021) Back to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for the 21st Century (2018) and Resisting Racism: Race, Inequality and the Black Supplementary School Movement (2013). His recent book, The Psychosis of Whiteness: Surviving the Insanity of a Racist World, is described as ‘a rational takedown of the myths that uphold white supremacy, and systems and people that promote it across our society’.

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Serlina Boyd 14

Cocoa Magazines: Giving black children a voice Telling Tales

Saturday 2nd March 2024 12.15 - 1.15Pm Malvern St James Girls’ School Serlina Boyd was inspired by her 6 years old daughter to launch Cocoa Girl, the UK’s first magazine to celebrate Black girls. It received universal acclaim during the first lockdown of 2020, and Serlina made many television and radio appearances. Cocoa Boy magazine launched shortly afterwards. Serlina believes strongly in giving Black children a voice, by educating them about Black culture and Black role models in a fun and engaging way. Now she plans to launch the UK’s first Black journalism school.

Suitable for all ages Serlina is the founder of Cocoa, the UK’s first black children’s magazines (Cocoa Girl and Cocoa Boy). These magazines were driven by her desire to build her 6-yearold daughter’s confidence after she experienced bullying at school because of the colour of her skin. Publishing Cocoa Girl has been an empowering journey for her family and especially her daughter (who is also the editor). In 4 weeks, the magazine grew a readership of over 10,000 children! The overwhelming positive feedback and demand for the magazines confirms the crucial need to build a strong community for young black girls and boys who are often misrepresented by mainstream media.

know that they don’t have to change their appearance to feel beautiful and she intends to use the Cocoa platform to celebrate her culture while making black role models more visible. Serlina’s magazines are filled with inspiring and empowering content for young Black children aged 7-14 years and are intended to support carers and parents too.

As a qualified childcare provider and having worked in the publishing industry for 18 years, launching Cocoa Publishing has given Serlina the opportunity to combine her passion for children and media. She is proud that Cocoa Publishing is tackling the deep-rooted problem of underrepresentation of black people in Serlina wants black children everywhere to the media.

Serlina is always looking for inspiring black role models to collaborate with (both children and adults), distributors and potential investors as we position for Cocoa’s global expansion. If you would like to work with her, please get in touch: hello@thecocoadream.com malvernfestivalofideas.org.uk

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Ben Garrod

Extinction – Nature’s nightmare or best thing ever??

Telling Tales

Saturday 2nd March 2024 2.00 - 3.00pm Malvern St James Girls’ School For as long as there have been species, there has been extinction. What causes it?

Why do some species go extinct and what can we do to save endangered species?

Join Prof Ben Garrod as he explores how extinction is one of the most complex, interesting and evolving topics. Writing about the most devastating mass extinctions to have affected the planet and life on it, Ben explores what happened to the world’s first superpredator, why one of the most successful animals of all time went extinct, and how the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex was killed by a huge asteroid.

Suitable for all ages Professor Ben Garrod is a presenter, author, and speaker, with extensive expertise in great ape conservation and evolutionary biology. He’s been working on the frontline of conservation for over two decades, across Africa, Asia and the Arctic, and has seen first-hand the impact of climate change on a range of species and ecosystems.

Ben has also presented on Baby Chimp Rescue; Red Ape: Saving the Orangutans; Winter’s Weirdest Events and The Day the Dinosaurs Died alongside Professor Alice Roberts (BBC Two). For BBC Four he copresented Hyper Evolution: Rise of the Robots in addition to his own awardwinning six-part series Secrets of Bones and Secrets of Skin.

Ben spent several years in East Africa heading up a high-profile chimpanzee conservation project for the renowned scientist Dr Jane Goodall. He also worked in Southeast Asia leading the education programme for an international orangutan conservation charity; he has researched animal artefacts from Imperial Chinese tombs; studied marine life in Madagascar and the introduction of monkeys across the Caribbean.

Ben is a prolific author. 2023 saw the release of his latest series Ultimate Dinosaurs. This follows the success of Extinct, an eight-part series of books for young readers which explore the mass extinctions that shape life on earth. In 2019, Ben released The Chimpanzee and Me which reflects Ben's life-long love of chimps. In 2018, Ben released six books in the series So You Think You Know About Dinosaurs?

Notable TV credits include Attenborough Ben is the Professor of Evolutionary and the Giant Dinosaur and Attenborough Biology and Science Engagement at the and the Mammoth Graveyard with Sir David University of East Anglia, in Norwich.

Attenborough (BBC One).

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Yasmin Alibhai-Brown Humans, not Numbers: Knowing the Stories of Migrants and Asylum Seekers 18

Telling Tales

Saturday 2nd March 2024 3.30 - 4.30pm Malvern St James Girls’ School Journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown explores the personal narratives of migrants and asylum seekers, transcending statistics.

She advocates for empathy, dispels stereotypes, and urges a compassionate understanding of the shared humanity within the global migration discourse.

Suitable for 12 years and up

In this compelling talk, Yasmin AlibhaiBrown delves into the human side of migration and asylum seeking, shifting the focus from statistics to stories. Beyond the numerical data and political discourse, she explores the rich and diverse narratives of individuals who have embarked on journeys in search of safety, opportunity, and a better life. By emphasizing the importance of understanding the unique

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experiences, challenges, and triumphs of migrants and asylum seekers, she aims to foster empathy, break down stereotypes, and inspire a more compassionate and informed global perspective. Join her as she humanizes the conversation, urging society to see beyond the numbers and recognize the shared humanity that connects us all.

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Peter Chand

Tales from the Motherland

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Telling Tales

Saturday 2nd March 2024 5.00 - 6.00pm Malvern St James Girls’ School Storyteller Peter Chand presents a heady collection of some of his favourite traditional stories, some of which he has collected from India, translated, and shares now with us in his own unique and skilful style.

Expect a mouth-watering blend of evocative, dark, and thoughtful tales from the Indian sub-continent, as relevant today as they have ever been. Tales selected by one Europe’s most in-demand performers, trainers and story activists.

Suitable for 15 years and up From Southall to Singapore, Dublin to Delhi, Tyneside to Toronto, and many a place in between; Peter Chand has enthralled audiences both near and far with his skilfully told tales.

He is one of Europe’s most renowned storytellers and is in constant demand for his powerful, evocative and moving stories from the Indian subcontinent.

He has also helped countless Storytellers, Public Speakers, Teachers and Corporate employees to gain confidence in storytelling techniques through his dynamic training workshops.

Peter regularly visits his family in the Punjab, India and collects traditional stories and translates them into English.

Alongside this specialism he also has an ever-growing repertoire of world stories which he shares in schools, festivals, libraries, theatres, and cultural events across Britain and further afield.

Born and bred in Wolverhampton England, Peter has told his stories from South Wales to Singapore, Tennessee to Toronto, Amsterdam to Athens- and many a place in between. He looks forward to welcoming you to Tales from the Motherland.

Peter has recently been honoured for his storytelling work by being chosen as one of the 100 Masters in England, an award which celebrates creativity and excellence within the many towns and cities which make up the Black Country region.

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Randall Wright

Confessions of a documentary filmmaker 22

Telling Tales

Saturday 2nd March 2024 7.30 - 9.00pm Malvern St James Girls’ School Award winning documentary filmmaker Randall Wright explores the problem of trying to tell the truth and a good story at the same time.

Suitable for 12 years and up

In an illustrated talk that draws on over thirty years making films, Randall looks critically at documentary with its claims to have a tap root into actuality and asks, with digital manipulation, AI and celebrity domination how much that claim is undermined and how documentarists can still justify their claim to reflect reality.

Randall Wright has made more than 50 television and cinema films made in sub-

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Saharan Africa, in France and the occupied territories, Summer in the Forest, about a pioneer community of people with intellectual disability and biographical films of major cultural figures such as Maggi Hambling, Picasso, Lucian Freud, Doris Lessing, David Hockney, John Le Carre and recently subject, synth pop star Gary Numan.

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In addition to the sessions taking

exploring story of our planet, to

place on the main stage, we have a

debating sessions and sessions by

programme for a young people/

young people themselves. There is

family audience - from storytelling by something for all age groups. renowned storytellers, to artwork

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Details on the following pages.

Telling Tales

Sean McKenna

Saturday 2nd March 2024 10.00 - 11.00am Malvern St James Girls’ School Open Competition – Telling Our Stories Young people in our times live in a world suffused with quick sound bites and fleeting trends. But what is their deeper story?

How often is this something that they can fully express?

This session is a space for these stories to be told.

We asked young people in Malvern to submit the talks they would like to give. Each speaker has therefore been chosen from a broad field of excellent applicants.

We invite you to come and listen to their stories.

Saturday 2nd March 2024 11.00 - 12.00 Malvern St James Girls’ School Crash Debating Public speaking often features highly on lists of phobias. Likewise, the ‘debate’ which takes place in the public sphere so often seems to descend into ‘shouting

matches’. But here at the Festival of Ideas, we do things properly.

In this session, you are invited to learn the fundamentals of how to shape an argument and present it to an audience.

This session is aimed at students in KS3 and KS4 (11-16 years). Audience participation is expected.

Sessions led by English and drama teacher, and Malvern Festival of Ideas Education Programme Coordinator, Sean McKenna.

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Will Hughes

Saturday 2nd March 2024 10.00- 11.00am Malvern St James Girls’ School Illustrating a story Writer and illustrator, Will Hughes shows how you can create your own illustrated story in this workshop suitable for all ages.

The workshop will be about how you can come up with a story using pictures instead of words. How just a couple of drawings can start to tell a tale and how we can say so much about a place or a character without any text at all.

Suitable for all ages

Will Hughes is an illustrator and cartoonist from Malvern in Worcestershire. He studied at Hereford College of Art and the University of Edinburgh where he got a degree in Illustration. He mainly works in ink and watercolour because he likes how that lends itself to quick and lively illustrations with hopefully some character and humour. He has

had seven published books, including one that he wrote and illustrated ‘What Not To Give An Ogre For His Birthday’. This was published by Little Door Books and, as you might imagine, tells the story of two children trying to find a present for an ogre who is particularly hard to buy for. Other books he has illustrated include the ‘Uncle Pete’ series written by Dave C Flanagan and ‘Peetje and Flieflo and de VerdWaalde

Superstinker’ written by Mathilde Stein and published in the Netherlands by Lemniscaat.

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Telling Tales

Peter Chand

Saturday 2nd March 2024 11.00 - 12.00 Malvern St James Girls’ School Family Stories Lively interactive tales from around the world, including drumming percussion and call and response In this session Peter will share some of the fantastic world stories he has collected over twenty years as a Storyteller and bring them to life in his own unique, lively and engaging way.

Audience participation most certainly welcomed!

This session is aimed at younger children (KS1/KS2 - 5-11 years)

Saturday 2nd March 2024 3.30- 4.30pm Malvern St James Girls’ School Puzzling Tales for Teens

mind-benders and sparkling interactive

stories from one of Europe’s renowned storytellers.

This session is aimed at older children (KS3/KS4 - 11-15 years approx.)

Join Storyteller Peter Chand as he shares

some of his favourite stories and riddles from around the world. Conundrums,

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Rosemary Webb

Saturday 2nd March 2024 12.15 - 1.15pm Malvern St James Girls’ School Council of the World’s Animals In the dock is the human race. Come and choose an animal to witness for or against our species. Are humans guilty of destroying your habitat? Are they hunting your species to extinction?

An interactive session for children who want to make a difference in the world.

Suitable for all ages, but targeted at KS2 (7-11 years) Rosemary is a teacher working with a wide range of age-groups. She has run Humpty Dumpty Toddler Group for over 30 years; she runs the Transformers group in Malvern for ‘Children who want to make a difference in the world’; and she also leads courses in primary schools in Malvern and the surrounding area as part of the Malvern Quaker programme on Active Peace Education. She has been involved with the Festival since its inception. She likes the diversity of the programme and loves meeting people from different cultures and walks of life.

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Telling Tales

Art To Imagine

Saturday 2nd March 2024 2.00- 3.30pm Malvern St James Girls’ School Art to Imagine a Better Future Join Malvern Art to Imagine in creating stories and art to imagine a better future – where humanity has done everything it can by 2035 to solve the climate and nature crisis. What would life be like in 2035? Let’s imagine that future!

Come with us on a journey to the future. We will step into our imaginations and travel to 2035. Everything we see, hear, feel, experience will tell us how much better the future can be. A more positive future awaits us and our imaginations are the only limit. When we come back to 2024, we will write stories and create art to showcase our vision for the future.

Art materials will be provided – just bring

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your imaginations and see where they take you.

This session will be led by Cathy Groves, a teacher with a passion for the natural world.

The session is aimed at children ages 7-12 (KS2 & KS3) along with their parents, younger and older siblings are welcome to join the family.

All children to be accompanied by an adult.

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Michael Harvey

Stories of Welsh Myths 30

Telling Tales

Saturday 2nd March 2024 11.00 - 12.00 and 3.30 - 4.30pm Malvern St James Girls’ School Join storyteller Michael Harvey for an introduction to Welsh myths from the Mabinogion with the opportunity for group and individual poetry writing. For examples of poetry created in similar sessions go to yrawen.wordpress.com Two sessions: 11.00 - 12.00: aimed at KS3/KS4 (11-15 years approx.)

3.30 - 4.30pm: aimed at KS1/KS2 (5-11 years) Suitable for all ages Michael’s repertoire is based in Wales and the other Celtic countries but he can’t resist a good story, wherever it’s from.

Michael loves the immediacy of storytelling and the recognition by people of all ages and backgrounds that these stories are for them and about them, no Michael works in community settings, in matter how strange or magical they may schools, in theatres, festivals, libraries, village halls, pubs, museums and galleries. seem. He is committed to pushing what He sometimes works solo and sometimes storytelling can do on stage and he has been commissioned to create pieces for a in collaboration with other artists and number of leading festivals and theatres. production companies. Michael trains In 2011 Michael won a Major Creative storytellers and those who want to become storytellers and he trains teachers Wales Award which led him on to a series of storytelling adventures which you can to use storytelling as a powerful tool for find more about on his website. literacy and second language acquisition.

Covid has brought its challenges, of His work is rooted in Wales but he finds course, so he moved his training online himself working throughout the UK and and he has led courses for beginners, frequently in festivals abroad and in collaboration with other European artists. improvers and professionals as well as one-to-one coaching and mentoring. He He collaborates with other performers from a variety of disciplines and countries now has CDs, recordings and books available on his online shop. His book Pig to create new groundbreaking work for a range of audiences. Most of his work is in Boy, based on Welsh mythology, is aimed at a young adult audience and is available either Welsh or English, although he has occasionally told in French and Portuguese in bookshops and online. as well.

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Mark Hutchinson

Saturday 2nd March 2024 12.15 - 1.15pm Malvern St James Girls’ School The MindTravels Experience Mark Hutchinson presents a mental health awareness journey of spoken word with improvised piano and a challenging yet uplifting narrative.

Suitable for all ages

In this deeply reflective process of mental health awareness bordering mindfulness, Mark Hutchinson holds you through challenges such as anxiety and letting go encouraging different ways of holding the stories we tell ourselves. This is an immersive experience with meditative interludes, oodles of compassion and ultimately calm and hope.

Mark offers The MindTravels experience from years of individual mental health support to individuals, as well as his own trauma driven experiences.

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Telling Tales

Ruth Davey

Saturday 2nd March 2024 12.15- 13.15pm Malvern St James Girls’ School Slow down. See your story differently Experience how slowing down, taking notice and being creative helps you reframe your story of NOW and reimagine and create a healthier and more hopeful story for the FUTURE.

In this interactive talk, you will learn how weaving together photography, mindfulness, imagination, and nature connection leads to both inner and outer change.

Ruth shares creative ways to help you slow down and to ‘see, be and do differently’. You will experience simple practices that help you see from different perspectives, reframe how you feel in the moment, connect more compassionately with yourself and others, and create new stories of heart and hope.

When used regularly, these evidencebased practices help you, your community or workplace to improve

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mental health and wellbeing; to flourish and thrive in as regenerative way that benefit the planet too.

Bring your phone, camera or other device and an open mind!

No creative or photography experience is necessary.

Ruth is a professional commissioned photographer, the author of book The Art of Applewood and a Fellow of the RSA. She has practised mindfulness for 15+ years, is a social justice activist, loves road trips and enjoys times of solitude in nature.

She feels blessed to have built Look Again (Mindful Photography) based on values that are so important to her.

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Danielle Hindley My battle for justice 34

Telling Tales

Sunday 3rd March 2024 9.30 - 10.30am Malvern St James Girls’ School Danielle Hindley is a businesswoman and a mother, who found herself targeted by a national newspaper. Danielle tells the story of how an inaccurate and damaging article severely impacted her business and personal life. In conversation with HackedOff journalist Alice Watkins.

Suitable for 18+ only - mature themes

Danielle Hindley is a beautician, who lives in the former mining village of Kippax, near Leeds. In her 20s, she went through a disastrous marriage that left her single, broke and with a baby, but she worked her way back, building up a nice little business in her home while raising her son.

By late 2017, ‘Dolly’s Nails, Hair and Beauty’ had a strong client base, five-star reviews and rising profits. Hindley was content with life and her son was doing well at school.

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It’s a story that might easily feature in an article about women who suffer calamity and then, by hard work and force of character, turn their lives around. But, when the press came knocking on Hindley’s door two years ago, it was not to acknowledge her self-reliance. Instead, a national Sunday newspaper published a libellous attack on her that ruined her business and her health, as well as the health and wellbeing of her son.

Danielle tells her story in conversation with HackedOff’s Senior Campaigns Officer Alice Watkins.

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Marina Cantacuzino Exploring the power of ‘restorative narratives’ to transform lives 36

Telling Tales

Sunday 3rd March 2024 11.00 - 12.00 Malvern St James Girls’ School Marina Cantacuzino, founder of The Forgiveness Project, shares stories of people whose life has been shattered by violence, tragedy and injustice and who are learning to forgive, reconcile and move on. Marina’s unique and radical work is a study in compassion, underpinned by her belief in the possibility of change.

Suitable for: 15 years and up As a freelance journalist Marina wrote stories between 1990-2004 about ordinary people’s struggles and triumphs: the challenges they faced with their relationships, their health, and their work.

As a result, she became acutely aware that far more effective than reporting on the views of experts and analysts, was being able to share the authentic voices of people who had lived through difficult experiences. Consequently, when she founded The Forgiveness Project in 2004, she set out to tell the real stories of people whose response to being harmed was not a call for revenge but rather a quest for

restoration and healing.

The stories reflect the complex, intriguing and deeply personal nature of forgiveness, occupying a space of inquiry and authenticity rather than dogma or the need to fix.

In this session, Marina talks about the role of storytelling in the Forgiveness Project.

At the heart of The Forgiveness Project is an understanding that restorative narratives have the power to transform lives; not only supporting people to deal with issues in their own lives, but also building a climate of resilience, hope and empathy.

Marina is the author of several books. Her most recent book Forgiveness: An Exploration was published in 2022 by Simon and Schuster. Other books include Forgiveness Is Really Strange, coauthored with psychologist, Dr Masi Noor, (Singing Dragon, 2018); The Forgiveness Project: Stories for a Vengeful Age (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2015); Till Break of Day: Meeting the challenge of HIV and AIDS at London Lighthouse (Heinemann, 1992). She also created The F Word Podcast, and has hosted Forgiveness: Stories from the Frontline for BBC Radio 4. malvernfestivalofideas.org.uk

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Trevor and Pam Birtle

Personal Pioneering for Vulnerable Families

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Telling Tales

Sunday 3rd March 2024 12.15 - 1.15pm Malvern St James Girls’ School Trevor and Pam will share their inspirational, personal journey which led to establishing a charity aiming to keep together some of our most vulnerable families and the extraordinary outcomes attained using their effective and innovative approach.

Suitable for: 15 years and up

The philosophy and premises that you start with directly affects the quality of the outcomes achieved when trying to keep together vulnerable families on the edge of care. Pam and Trevor will describe their personal journey that led them to establish Parent and Child Together North East, an innovative supported housing charity in Darlington. Trevor and Pam literally invested everything they had to establish a residential facility that works from an expectation that the majority of families, given the right support, can stay together and thrive. The results achieved are extraordinary and point to a radically

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different approach to meeting the needs of families in some of the most challenging and difficult circumstances.

Trevor is the Chair of Trustees for Parent and Child Together North East and has formerly been both an Industrial Chemist and a Psychotherapist Pam is now integrally involved in guiding the strategy at Parent and Child Together North East. She is still a registered Social Worker. She recently retired as the CEO of Cornerstone UK, a Christian Adoption and Fostering Service.

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Kate Evans

Threads from the refugee crisis 40

Telling Tales

Sunday 3rd March 2024 2.00 - 3.00pm Malvern St James Girls’ School 850,000 people fled to Europe last year.

Many thousands died in the Mediterranean Sea. A few thousand washed up Calais. Combining the techniques of eyewitness reportage with comic-book storytelling, Kate Evans tells their story, which is shocking, angering and heartbreaking.

Suitable for: 12 years and up In the French port town of Calais, the historic home of the lace industry, a city within a city has arisen. This new town, known as the Jungle, is the home of thousands of refugees, mainly from the Middle East and Africa, all hoping, somehow, to get to the UK. Into this squalid shantytown of shipping containers and tents, full of rats and trash and devoid of toilets and safety, the artist Kate Evans brought a sketchbook and an open mind.

Combining the techniques of eyewitness reportage with the medium of comic-book storytelling, Evans has produced her unforgettable book, Threads, filled with poignant images by turns shocking, angering, wry, and heartbreaking. Weaving into the story hostile comments about the

malvernfestivalofideas.org.uk

migrants from nativist politicians and Internet trolls, Threads addresses one of the most pressing issues of modern times making a compelling case, through intimate evidence, for compassionate treatment of refugees and the free movement of peoples. Kate's creativity and passion as an artist, activist, and mother shine through.

As well as the graphic novel Threads, Kate has recently completed a comic "choose your misadventure" guide to the UK asylum system called Escape to Safelandia.

The two different publications provide perspectives on many aspects of the national and international migration crisis.

In this session, Kate will give an illustrated talk on these two graphic novels.

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Abdullah Tamo and Liz Johnson

Songs and Stories Seeking Asylum 42

Telling Tales

Sunday 3rd March 2024 3.30 - 4.30pm Malvern St James Girls’ School Abdullah Tamo and Liz Johnson will be in conversation about Abdullah’s experiences resettling in Malvern having left his wartorn home in Syria and living in an Iraqi refugee camp for six years. Wael Abdulkarem will accompany Abdullah with a selection of beautiful Kurdish songs.

Suitable for: All ages Having left his war-torn home in Syria and lived in an Iraqi refugee camp for six years, Abdullah met saz-player Wael, who will accompany him on the beautiful longnecked Arabic lute with a selection of beautiful Kurdish songs, supported by Tim Cook (drum).

encompasses exquisite miniatures to expansive and multi-dimensional works and she is passionate about bringing composing and creativity to all.

One of Johnson’s award-winning compositions When A Child Is A Witness – a Requiem for Refugees (2022) was Liz will also be sharing some of the stories composed in response to the destruction and artwork created by a group of young of the city of Aleppo in Syria to raise people seeking refuge during their time awareness of the plight of those seeking living in emergency housing in refuge, bringing communities and art Worcestershire as recent arrivals to the forms together in a celebration of those UK. The group has published a new book who seek – and offer – sanctuary. Blurring for children called ‘We Wait Together’ the divide between performer and raising awareness of the plight of refugees audience, this multifaceted work was around the world. awarded the @IvorsAcademy Ivor Novello Award (Community & Participation) 2022.

The session will be geared to 11+ but The most recent performance with the younger children could attend. title Colwall Requiem for Peace was Liz Dilnot Johnson has lived in Malvern performed in Colwall in July 2023 with since 2009. Her composing career began Abdullah and Wael performing alongside in 1998 when she gave up the day job as a local singers, children’s choir, children Primary class teacher in Birmingham to from Ukraine and performers from Africa study composition at the Birmingham and the Middle East with lived experience Conservatoire. Since then, she has of seeking refuge. established herself as a creator of music In 2023 Liz took over leading the that crosses divides and brings people community choir Malvern Cube Sings. This together. As composer-in-residence with Ex Cathedra her music is regularly toured group welcomes everyone whatever their level of experience and everything is around the UK and is featured on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM with performances learnt by ear to share in the joy of singing together. all over the world. Her music

malvernfestivalofideas.org.uk

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Mark Hutchinson

Sunday 3rd March 2024 12.15 - 1.15pm Malvern St James Girls’ School What happens when the Earth raises an invoice?

How are ecology and empathy changing economics? In this callto-action, Mark Hutchinson is inviting us all to encourage the raising of invoices on behalf of our Earth.

Suitable for 12 years and up

Hear the story of how world economics is changed almost overnight when we raise invoices on behalf of our Earth. With insight into the deep connectedness of all on this planet, ecology and empathy reemerge as core elements of what it is to be human as individuals and collectively in the world. It’s not a story for dreamers, it’s a story to wake up to.

driven the direction of world development towards the brink of the precipice.

Mark offers this talk as leader of Wheel of the Year Earth Spirit gatherings as a Unitarian minister, as owner of a niche recycling business reusing industrial packaging and as a lifetime sceptic of the economics of the individual that has

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Telling Tales

Liz Dilnot Johnson

Sunday 3rd March 2024 12.15 - 1.15pm Malvern St James Girls’ School Songs of Hope Liz Johnson leads this creative singing workshop on the theme of hope. Come and learn songs and compose lyrics for a brand-new song for performance in the final session of the day.

No previous experience needed, just enthusiasm!

In this creative singing workshop, we will sing and harmonise together on the theme of hope. Liz will teach songs from the Colwall Requiem for Peace and during the workshop we will compose lyrics for a brand-new song for performance in the final session of the day - with the expert help of drummer Tim Cook, Kurdish Syrian singer Abdullah Tamo and saz player Wael Abdulkarem.

malvernfestivalofideas.org.uk

No previous experience needed, just enthusiasm!

The session will start with some physical and vocal warm-ups. Word sheets will be provided. No need to read music.

What you will need: just bring yourself, and a bottle of water if you like.

The workshop will be geared to 11+ but younger children could attend.

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Malvern Green Space

Sunday 3rd March 2024 12.15 - 1.15pm Malvern St James Girls’ School Feeding bellies not Bins . . . The story of how we saved food from going to waste Come and hear the story of how Malvern Green Space saves food from going to waste with their Community Lunches and other food projects.

Malvern Green Space will tell stories of several food projects which it has been involved in. The stories will come from Organisers, Volunteers

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and Diners and include some Poetry.

There will be fact sheets for the audience to read out and a short quiz and display board showing their journey.

Telling Tales

Sunday 3rd March 2024 2.00 - 3.00pm Malvern CUBE We are super excited to announce that @DragQueenStoryHourUK will be joining us for the Malvern Festival of Ideas. Aida H Dee, The Storytime Drag Queen, will be reading you their own published fabulous stories in an exciting storytime show, just for us!

Suitable for: All ages Aida H Dee is a multi-award-winning ADHD, neurodivergent, queer hero of literature, theatre, and children’s entertainment. They are a patron of Autistic Inclusive Meets London, a professional author, a five star award winning Edinburgh Fringe show, has been featured on Forbes Magazine for being an activist for neurodivergence, Winner of the Outstanding Contributors to LGBT+ Life 2023 award by the LGBT Brit Awards, chosen by PinkNews as The Local Leader

malvernfestivalofideas.org.uk

Of The Year in 2022, has been nominated Top 3 LGBTQ Champions Of The Year 2023 by the UK Pride Awards, and won the Somewhere For Us Edinburgh Fringe Festival Award 2023.

Aida is the first drag artist in Europe to read stories to children in a nursery. Aida is also the first in the UK and Channel Islands to read stories in a library! (Bristol Central Library, 2017).

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Malvern Festival of Ideas is part of the charity EngageMalvern (registered charity no.

1175088), with the objects of community capacity building and the advancement of education for the public benefit in Malvern and surrounding areas. engagemalvern.org.uk

The Elmley Foundation is a grant-making charity founded by the late Countess Beauchamp, widow of Viscount Elmley, the 8th and last Earl Beauchamp of

Madresfield Court, near Malvern.

Over many generations, Madresfield Court established a tradition of support for all forms of the arts, crafts and design. Now that charitable sources have come to replace the personal enthusiasm and commitment shown by many family benefactors of the past, The Elmley Foundation perpetuates Madresfield's considerable encouragement to the cultural life of Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

The Foundation's Trustees are therefore particularly delighted to support the Malvern Festival of Ideas.

Guided tours of Madresfield Court take place between April and June and are for individuals or for groups. hut

must be booked in advance. To book contact The Estate Office. Madresfield Malvern, Worcestershire WR13 5AH tours@madresfieldestate.co.uk or www.madresfieldestate.co.uk or (01684) 573614.

The Elmley Foundation Lid. Registered Charity 1004043 Registered Company 1959978 Trustees: Diana Johnson, Sally Luton, Hugh Carslake Director John de la Cour

Visit our website:

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Telling Tales