Roots & Storytelling

We are born into stories. Some are written into us and become ours to carry, chosen or not; others come into existence the moment we find a new language for them. How does the very act of storytelling help us find a place from which to speak about the most complex parts of our heritage, identities and journeys as humans alongside others?

In this celebration of storytelling and imagination, master storyteller Mara Menzies chairs a conversation between poet and translator André Naffis-Sahely and storyteller Niall Moorjani. A joyful exploration of how stories live in and of us all - how they lay our foundations and pasts, but are also the stuff of our present, embodied selves, the many forms they can take if we allow them too, and how they transform the world.

Our speakers:

André Naffis-Sahely is the author of two collections of poetry, The Promised Land: Poems from Itinerant Life (Penguin UK, 2017) and High Desert (Bloodaxe Books, 2022), as well as the editor of The Heart of a Stranger: An Anthology of Exile Literature (Pushkin Press, 2020). He is a Lecturer at the University of California, Davis in the US and the editor of Poetry London in the UK.

Niall Moorjani is a mixed Scots-Indian non-binary writer, director and storyteller who creates for both adults and children. Their work is focused on the liminal, the fantastical, historical and whimsical. They have written and performed shows for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2018 and 2019), Scottish International Storytelling Festival (2020 and 2021) Fringe of Colour Film Festival (2020 and 2021), Hay on Wye Literature Festival (2019), Newham Word Festival (2020/21) and The Whitechapel Arts Showcase (2021). They have been published by Historic Environment Scotland, the Scottish BPOC Writers Network (March 2022 release) and their book of short stories is due for a autumn release with Fenn and Pickering 2022. Their work has been called “a genius reinvention of the form” and “nothing short of magicians” They also have an MA in public history from Birkbeck Collage. Niall is the founder and host of the community storytelling night ‘Tales at the Tavern’ and a member of the Queered Storytelling Collective and Scottish BPOC Writer’s Network. Most recently their 0-3s show and solo directorial debut ‘Grow’ finished a three month run at Discover Children’s Story Centre with a huge amount of success.