As a books blogger I am sometimes waylaid by quirky books that seize my attention and my imagination. One of these is a slim little book entitled A Long Run in Short Shorts by Mary Medlicott. It is a collection of 40 stories culled from the author’s own experiences as a professional storyteller. I had not heard of this particular job – though it sounds a very ancient one - so contacted Mary Medlicott to ask her more about it.
She tells me that she has been telling stories, sometimes of her own life, sometimes concerning the lives of others, for over 30 years. At that time a frustrated writer living in Brixton, she noticed an advertisement for storytellers in a scheme run by Lambeth librarians. She applied and was accepted. The scheme involved orally telling stories to young people and reading stories to under-5s. “I loved it from the very first minute and soon knew I wanted to develop the work”.
