Club Nights

Heads and Tales Cafe meet at 7.30 at the Elm Tree in Ringwood on the third Thursday of every month

Our current format
usually features a headline teller who tells for two forty-minute sessions, with a break of around twenty minutes between them for refreshment and comfort.

The third session of the evening, after the second break, is open for stories from the floor, but we have  to finish by ten o'clock, so shorter ones are better. We welcome new tellers, but our regulars are always ready to fill the time.

Headline tellers will often be drawn from among our regular tellers, but Guest Tellers from elsewhere in the country are also invited.

Epic in an Evening: Once a year,  we collaborate and seven or eight of us tell a whole sequence of stories that form one large narrative. We have told Gilgamesh, and Loki, and  Hercules and Tristan and Isold [Gottfried von Strassburg's version] and this coming year, in February 2020, our subject will be The Arabian Nights.

Storytelling is a very varied art form and embraces many styles and formats. However, stories at Heads and Tales will generally be told and not read.

Props and musical instruments are occasionally used and songs often feature within the stories.

Our regular group of storytellers vary greatly in their styles, so evenings have plenty of variety.

What is storytelling like? Why not come along to the Elm Tree, get some beer, wine, coffee, or even tea, aand some scrumptious food, and sit back and listen, or even tell!.. Oh, and laugh at the appropriate moments!

Fancy having a go at storytelling? Come along and mention it to the night's organiser and they will arrange things. But it's best if you can let us know in advance, so we can make space for you in the first half of the evening. Remember, stories have to be told, not read aloud.

The evenings are not suitable for children! However, there are lots of local storytelling events for family audiences, contact us if you want details! headsandtalescafe@gmail.com