About the session
Man, woman, life, love: stories from Africa, the Caribbean, and beyond
Listen to Jan Blake tell tales of lovers, shape-shifters, the wise and the foolish. She will transport you to faraway places, wrapping you in the rhythm of her words and transfixing you with the power of her stories, before bringing you safely home. These tales will bring a tear to your eye, a smile to your lips and put a spring in your step.
About the speaker
Jan Blake is one of the leading storytellers and has been performing worldwide for over twenty-five years. Specialising in stories from Africa and the Caribbean, she has a well-earned reputation for dynamic and generous storytelling. Highlights include being resident storyteller at Hay Festival, curating Shakespeare's Stories, with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and being the recipient of the Thuringe Marchen Preis, awarded to those who have devoted their lives to storytelling. Her epic telling of The Old Woman, the Buffalo, and the Lion of Manding about the Malian hero king Sundiata Keita recently won a British Award for Storytelling Excellence. In 2015, her partner clients included the British Museum, the Royal Opera House, the British Library and Bulgari.