Publications on storytelling
The Magic Pisspot: Swedish folk tales
(Per Gustavsson, trans. Richard Martin, 2017)
Details of the book and how to order
Below is a list of articles or webpages I have written, many relating to using storytelling in education
Activity Teaching Packs: multi-lesson projects based on a storytelling video
Articles and interviews on storytelling or stories
Articles on teaching teenage and adult learners
Articles on teaching young learners
Environmental storytelling – download a compilation of resources
Storytelling as a Means for Communication and Change
(a resource of environmentally-themed folk tales for a workshop in Ethiopia)
Articles and interviews on storytelling or stories
- Old Rinkrank – an interpretation of the Grimms’ fairytale
- A beginner’s tale of organisation and art: How I became a storyteller – pub. Facts & Fiction (Feb. 2004)
- A review of In Arabian Nights: In search of Morocco through its stories and storytelling by Tahir Shah – pub. Facts & Fiction (summer 2013)
- A two-hour interview on Radio Darmstadt, together with teller and harper Peter Wucherpfennig (in German)
- A report on the 24th Ljungby International Storytelling Festival, 2013 – pub. Facts & Fiction (autumn 2013)
Articles on teaching teenage and adult learners
- El profesor de inglés como narrador: la narración como una actividad cotidiana en el aula
Here is an English version: English teacher as storyteller: storytelling as an everyday classroom activity
- “Close your books and I’ll tell you a tale” – storytelling in bi-lingual religion teaching
- Handbook of Teaching Ideas – to accompany the tales on the audio cassette The Wife’s Letter and other Tales
- Storytelling cards – something every teacher needs in their schoolbag
- Sixty Seconds Non-Stop Talking – a versatile activity to start a class, generate vocabulary, reinforce grammar or even spontaneously develop an entire lesson
- Kate Crackernuts – storytelling to practise free writing in an intermediate langauge class (includes an example of a written test)
- Storytelling in the Classroom: Discussing Mr Fox (pub. Humanising Language Teaching, July 2002)
- Ein Storyteller erzählt um die Welt und auch an der EKS
A teacher’s report about my visit to her school in Bergheim, December 2014
- Language Checklist – download this aid for students’ free writing (pdf)
Articles on teaching young learners
- Old Woman and her Pig – published in Primary English (Oldenbourg Verlag, June 2006)
- The Magic Mitten – published in Primary English (Oldenbourg Verlag, Jan. 2005)
- Telling A Christmas Carol – – published in Primary English (Oldenbourg Verlag, Nov. 2004)
- Telling The Frightened Mouse as a participation story – published in Primary English (Oldenbourg Verlag, Jan. 2003)
- Finding stories on the internet – published in Primary English (Oldenbourg Verlag, March 2005)
Articles written by others
- The Web of Silence: Storytelling’s Power to Hypnotize
Fran Stalling’s article is not only a deep exploration of many aspects of the storytelling experience, including the storytelling trance, it also offers great insight into the art itself
- Storytelling: A Non-literate Approach to Teaching Reading
Tim Jennings describes his experience teaching extremely difficult, illiterate teenagers in New York in the 1970s. Everyone who works in a classroom should read this
- Telling Is Listening: Ursula K. Le Guin on the Magic of Real Human Conversation
Interesting article on communication
- “The Golden Arm”: Collecting and Performing the Folktale
Tim Jennings’ article shows how a master storteller handles the most difficult aspect of this classic tale
- The Laos Experience: English storytelling workshop
Jessica Porscha’s (2017) blog of working in Sikud, Laos
- Tales to wonder at: Ein Workshop beim Storyteller Richard Martin
An article in German from Der Fremdsprachliche Unterricht Englisch (2013) on attending one of my teacher-training workshops
- A socio-linguistic analysis of a performance
This is an academic article by Susan McCullough of my telling of The Blacksmith and the Devil
- Activities, ideas, suggestions, etc.
Ideas from others which I have collected over the years
Unless otherwise specified on the relevant page, all articles and written texts on this website are © Richard Martin.
Go here for tales to watch
Go here for a list of all tales included on this site
Go here to receive an e-mail notification when new tales are added
Permission to tell outlines my views on copyright
For those who are teachers: Telling stories in the classroom: basing language teaching on storytelling