Storytellers &
Speakers

ABBI PATRIX (FRANCE) is Artistic Director of Compagnie du Cercle and co-director of Le Maison du Conte (The House of Stories). He is an acclaimed storyteller who uses the spoken word in multi-disciplinary performances and is also co-founder of FEST (Federation for European Storytelling). For the past twenty-five years Abbi has been dedicated to the art of storytelling in all forms and runs Le Labo (The Lab), a space for research and creation that mentors storytellers.

BEATRIZ MONTERO (SPAIN) , author of “The Secrets of Storytelling”, C CS Publishing, Madrid, 2010, is Philologist, Writer, Storyteller and Coordinator in charge of the International Storytelling Network / Red Internacional de Cuentacuentos (RIC). She has participated in major Storytelling Festivals in Spain, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Mexico, Argentina, Costa Rica and Holland. She has taught storytelling workshops at the Popular Rivas-Vaciamadrid University, writing workshop of Madrid, Ensayo 100 School of Theatre, public libraries and research teachers’ centres. She has told stories in hundreds of theatres, such as the Abbey Theatre in Madrid, Solís Theatre in Montevideo, Bellas Artes Theatre in Mexico City, and the SESC Theatre in Rio de Janeiro, among many others. She has published children’s novels and has adult stories in various anthologies.

BOBBY NORFOLK (USA) is a 3-time Emmy Award winner and a recipient of a Parents’ Choice honour as one of the most dynamic story-educators in the U.S. He was once a National Park Service Ranger, presenting historical and interpretive programmes for school-groups and the community. From his positions as Park ranger to TV host, recording artist to author, Bobby tells stories that promote character, education, cultural diversity and self-esteem.

ENRIQUE PAEZ (SPAIN) has a Master in Literature, and PhD Literary Theory postgraduate (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain). Currently, he lives exclusively for writing, and coordinates the International Storytelling Network (Red Internacional de Cuentacuentos). He won the National Narrative Lazarillo Prize in 1991 for the romance Give Me the Ring Back. Afterwards he published Abdel, Chamaleon Club, A kidnapping So Film Like, Renata and Magician Pinton, The Olympics of Animals and many more. His books have been translated into nine languages all over the world. Besides being a writer, he has worked as Editor and Professor of Language, Literature and Creative Writing in Madrid and New York, at Primary, Secondary and University levels.

GIDEON ARULMANI (INDIA), a clinical psychologist with a doctoral degree in counselling from the University of Portsmouth (UK), is the Founder and Managing Trustee of The Promise Foundation, Bangalore, India. His specialisation is on developing counselling techniques that are culture resonant. His research has been presented at international conferences, scientific journals, book chapters and newspapers. Much before this, he has been interested in drama and storytelling. He has worked as a photographer-script writer and wrote his first drama, a musical called “I Want to be Free,” when he was 17. He uses the parable as a key element in his approach to counselling. He is presently working on two novels in the historical fiction genre. Mowyla (Move On with your life) is a company he has informally started that searches for unseen stories in nature to create handmade jewellery.

KAMINI RAMACHANDRAN (SINGAPORE) is the Co-Founder of MoonShadow Stories; a storytelling partnership that has been instrumental in reviving the oral tradition in Singapore especially for adult audiences. She has conducted numerous workshops for parents, children, teachers and the corporate sector. She also trains and mentors upcoming storytellers. She has performed at The Arts House, The Substation, in museums, schools, inside a giant inflatable nylon fish, at restaurants and cafes, libraries, shopping malls, and many more places! She is a founder member of the Storytelling Association (Singapore) and is currently serving her fourth term as its President. Recently, Kamini represented Malaysia and Singapore at the Scottish International Storytelling Festival 2010 and has conducted storytelling and counselling workshops in Bangalore and Shillong in India.

KIRAN SHAH (AUSTRALIA) tells stories to anyone, anywhere. She trained in social work and early childhood education before discovering storytelling as a profession. She co-founded the Asian Storytelling Network with Sheila Wee in 2000 and helped bring about the revival of oral storytelling in Singapore with a focus on Asian folktales through innumerable workshops and performances. Since 2003, she has performed and given workshops in Australia, Jakarta, Skye, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Kiran was the founder President of the Storytelling Association (Singapore) in 2006. Kiran moved to Australia in 2008 and now enjoys two contrasting life styles as she shuttles between her two homes.

LILLI RODRIGUES-PANG (AUSTRALIA) is a bilingual storyteller, telling in mainly Spanish and English. However, in storytelling, she uses many other languages including Swahili, Ashanti and Japanese to add spice to her stories. She has a BA of Economics (ANU), BA Arts (ANU) and a Masters in Teaching English as a Second Language (UOW). After a decade of working as an economist in El Salvador, Kenya and Australia, she starts to change her focus, after being impacted by her brother’s mental illness. Lilli comes to SISF with 15 years experience of working and performing as a storyteller and importantly, 40 years of intense and grateful listening. She has worked (is working) on a number long-term projects with youth-at- risk, multicultural youth and refugee teenagers, Lilli supports upcoming storytellers, runs story circles and maintains an impressive performance list in Australia.

RANDEL MCGEE (USA) is an internationally recognised performer, teacher and artist. His comedy ventriloquist act of Randel McGee & Groark has been popular around the U.S.A. and Asia for over 30 years. Randel McGee & Groark is a unique puppet/ventriloquist act that has entertained children and adults all across the United States and Asia (Japan, Korea, Manila, and Singapore). They have been featured performers at puppetry, ventriloquism, and storytelling festivals, schools, conventions, libraries, and special events. McGee is also a popular workshop and in-service teacher on how to use storytelling and puppetry in classroom and library settings.

ROGER JENKINS (SINGAPORE) arrived in Singapore as a drama teacher at UWC in 1978, although his formal career as a storyteller only began in 1998 with a series of teacher-training workshops commissioned by the Ministry of Education. Drawing on his theatrical and comedic background Roger has developed his presence as a storyteller to include international appearances in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Perth, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and Bahrain Spring of Culture Festival as well numerous workshops and performances in schools and for the community. He received the Friend of the Deaf Award (1990) for services to the hearing-impaired community.

Rosemarie Somaiah (SINGAPORE) runs Asian Storytelling Network. A popular local storyteller, she has performed in South Africa, Scotland, England, Hungary, China, India and within ASEAN. Her folktales have been in anthologies published internationally. She represented Singapore in the APCEIU-SEAMEO project 'Telling Tales from Southeast Asia and Korea'. Her book 'Indian Children’s Favourite Stories’ is used in curriculum in several countries. An active volunteer, passionate about working with the community, Rosemarie leads the Storyteller's Circle of the Society for Reading and Literacy, is on the Executive Committee of the Storytelling Association (Singapore), the Steering Committee of Read! Singapore, and is a member of the Singapore Drama Educators Association.

RUTH KIRKPATRICK (SCOTLAND) has worked in Social Work for the past 24 years and has training in Geatalt counselling. She now runs Stories Allways where she successfully delivers training and develops innovative ways to use Storytelling with children and families who have particular emotional and social needs. As an experienced and inspiring trainer Ruth contributes to programmes at Strathclyde University, Emerson College and the Scottish Storytelling Centre. She has presented at conferences, taught and performed at festivals all over, including India, Iceland and recently Singapore.

SHEILA WEE (SINGAPORE) has been a professional storyteller since 1999 and has been described as a Godmother of Singapore storytelling. She co-founded Singapore’s first storytelling circle and its first professional storytelling company. She is currently Vice-President of the Storytelling Association (Singapore). As well as performing and teaching extensively in Singapore, Sheila also works internationally. She has performed and conducted numerous workshops and courses in Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the UK. Her repertoire includes Singaporean myths and legends, Asian and Western folktales and lively participation and prop stories.

SHERRY NORFOLK (USA) is an award-winning internationally acclaimed storyteller and teaching artist. Co-author of Literacy Development in the Storytelling Classroom, The Storytelling Classroom: Applications across the Curriculum, and Social Studies in the Storytelling Classroom (Parkhurst Brothers Publishing, forthcoming 2012), she is a leading authority on integrating learning through storytelling. She also co-authored The Moral of the Story: Folktales for Character Development and six picture books. Sherry received the National Storytelling Network Oracle Award for Distinguished National Service, and serves as Adjunct Professor in the Integrated Arts in Learning programme at Lesley University and at East Tennessee State University.