What is storytelling?

When people gather round a table, when they share what they know of life through tales of heroes and villains, of action and transformation - that's storytelling. Whether they tell of their own lives, or myths that have inspired for thousands of years, or new urban tales  - that's storytelling.

Storytelling is essential for life.

That's why Jo tells stories - because history and fairy tales  and all the other stories express
fundamental truths, emotion, and joy in life.  And Jo brings those stories to life, with drama, passion, and humour.
hi Jo can you come again I love your story's they are the best story's I ever seen in my life.  I loved the first story and then the second story and then the third story 
Thank you so much 

from charlotte

Who is the audience?

Picture
Adults
Families
School children           Gifted and Talented
Preschoolers
People With Disabilities        Seniors
Tertiary students - librarianship, tour guiding, heritage, education
Special interest groups in - Libraries
Museums        Heritage sites
Historical Societies           Gardens and outdoor sites

What sort of stories?

Historical
Fairy Tales
Ghost Stories
Epics
Myths  Legends  Folktales
Mysteries Romance Literary Stories

What performances and projects has Jo done?

International performances in
  • Vancouver  Tellers 2025
  • Lycian Way (Turkey) 2022
  • 1001 Nights (Toronto) 2017
  • St John’s Storytelling Festival (Newfoundland) 2017
  • Faro Storytelling festival (Portugal) 2015
  • New Delhi (India) four schools, one library 2014
  • Edinburgh Cafe Voices
  • Hafnafjordur Story Slam, Ballyeamon 2012
  • Gothenburg (Sweden) Storytelling Café
  • Stavanger (Norway)
  • UK Storytelling circles: Much Wenlock, Frome, and Cardiff 2011.

Heritage sites
  • Lake Macquarie cemetery tours: Wallsend, Belmonst 2024 -
  • Tall Ships, Small Ships Australian National Maritime Museum 2023
  • Roman Festival Australian National Maritime Museum 2017
  • Lullaby of White Horses Elizabeth Farm, History Week 2005  
  • Tale Tour of the Rocks History Week 2006

Festivals
  • Gulari River Arts Festival (Forbes) 2026
  • Eden Whale Festival 2023
  • Mary Poppins Festival (Maryborough, Queensland) 2023
  • Warm Cider Festival June 2018, 2019
  • Rookwood Open Day 2014
  • Centennial Park Open Day 2009
  • Kitchen Garden, Festival of the Olive, Out of the Woodwork, Eryldene
  • National Folk Festival 2002, 2004, 2005
  • Gulgong, Patonga, St Albans, National Celtic, Majors Creek, Jamberoo
  • Cativ8 Peace May 2014
  • Sydney Children’s Festival 2010
  • Norman Lindsay Festival of Children’s Literature

Conference performances
  • Australian Fairy Tale conference 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026;
  • Sydney International Storytelling conference 2014, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2025
  • FEAST (Federations of Asian Storytellers) 2023
  • Keeping It Real conference Albury 2016;
  • IBBY India conference 2014;
  • Asia-Oceanic Regional IBBY Congress Bali 2013;
  • International Museum Theatre Alliance conference Canberra 2005

Stories in the Garden (9 schools) community garden concert for Prosper (charity).  Winner of Zest “Out of the Box” award 2016.

National Trust: Tales and Tunes program 2007

Plus many schools, preschools, libraries,  School Holiday Activities, and Seniors groups.

Salonline webseries

If the brilliant and scandalous women (D’Aulnoy, Murat, and De La Force) who created the fairy tale genre in the French Salons of the late 17th century had their Salon conversations and storytelling via Zoom, this webseries might be the result.  https://australianfairytalesociety.org/activities/webseries/ 

Jo Henwood, Alyssa Curtayne, and Eliane Morel created this original webseries from August 2021 to September 2022 for the Australian Fairy Tale Society and it can now be viewed on the AFTS YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRFSRNXQ9_FVVbW54l5m-uiG78bSr6eBz 

Storyteller in Residence

 A Storyteller in Residence can stimulate new creative energies in your community:
  • performing stories for different audiences
  • leading workshops in storytelling, creative writing, tour guiding,  museum education and museum theatre
  • collaborating with existing community creatives and communicators to see the built and intangible heritage from a fresh perspective in order to create your own cultural tourism products
  • inspiring audiences to appreciate, create, and explore the world around them.

Jo has been invited to contribute as a Storyteller in Residence (STIR!) at
  • Plunge Festival in the Clarence Valley: school performances, art and writing workshops 2015
  • Albury Keeping It Real conference: performances and Professional Development workshops 2016
  • Hillston: school, pre school, and seniors performances 2019
  • Forbes Gulari River Arts Festival: preschool and festival performances, school creative writing workshops, adult storytelling workshops August 2026

What is Jo working on now?