Maria is a Storyteller and Author. Winner of Outstanding Female Storyteller of Great Britain in 2013 (British Awards for Storytelling Excellence) she is renowned for her compelling, vibrant performances.
She has a vast knowledge of traditional stories past down by her Irish father and grandmother which she brings to life with her lucid, engaging style. “In Maria’s hands a story is a living, breathing thing. Mesmerising.” – Frank Cottrell Boyce.
Maria has worked as an editor, community writer and Arts Development Officer. She was the Chair of the international literary prize (Lichfield Prize) along with Dame Beryl Bainbridge.
She is a fiction writer and recently published “Silver in the Quarter” alongside comedian Stewart Lee’s “In the Ape’s Shadow” – Home town Tales, Birmingham published by Orion.
Maria loves working with community groups, helping people make the most of their writing talent. She is currently Lead Tutor for Spark Young Writers which is a creative writing group for children and young people in the West Midlands and is supported by Writing West Midlands, Arts Council England, Creative Europe Programme and Read On. Maria is also a Room 204 writer run by Writing West Midlands
Maria has performed twice so far in the story circle
Maria Whatton
If you would like to support this teller, please make a donation
Please show your appreciation of Maria’s work by supporting her with a donation, every contribution however large or small goes directly to Maria.
Maria Whatton
If you would like to support this teller, please make a donation
Our Festival Performers
"Now that the world is standing still, people are asking for stories" Achira.
Justine de Mierre
A passionate, energetic and inventive storyteller who delights in connecting playfully
Gerry Donlon
aka Bards Aloud. Stories comic, and stories quirky
Trevor Millum
a writer of… poetry for children and adults, short stories, a novel, books of local interest, education resources.
Deeptha Vivenkanand
India based storyteller who loves to tell stories about stories, strong women, and political satire.
Fabio Lisboa
Storytelling Trainer who has performed/taught in Brazil, Canada and the United Arab Emirates.
Bob Kanegis
A fortunate day spent on the trail with a park ranger who combined, poetry, puppets and folktales showed Bob the possibilities of the Storyteller's Way.
Irene Lofthouse
Irene uses words to inspire all ages, regularly appearing at arts/literature festivals and children's events; she's regularly booked by schools, museums, libraries, theatres, community groups, NHS, charities and more to facilitate bespoke sessions.
Maria Papanikolaou
The last 10 years I combine storytelling with educational programs for children, in Museums, Cultural Centers, Schools, Art places, etc. I love working with children. I have also published two books, a Greek Myth and a tale of my own.
Raine Geoghegan
Raine Geoghegan, MA, poet and prose writer of Romany, Irish and Welsh descent will share tales of the English Gypsies, Romanichals through poetry, monologue and song.
Antonio Rocha
Antonio has received several awards and grants, including the once in a lifetime Circle of Excellence Award. This award was presented to him in 2015 by the National Storytelling Network for his exceptional commitment and exemplary contributions to the art of storytelling.
Dawn Ellis
Dawn’s parents calmed her down with Grimm stories at bedtime and they stayed with her. She has been performing, one way and another, ever since.
Jan Williams
Her most popular books are An amazing storytelling cat and Essex folk stories for children.
Csenge Virág Zalka
She published several folktale collections, including Tales of Superhuman Powers: 55 traditional stories from around the world (McFarland, 2013), and Dancing on Blades: Rare and exquisite folktales from the Carpathian Mountains (Parkhurst Brothers, 2018)
Zouhair Khaznaoui
Zouhair has been sharing the magic of Hikayat since 2017 in the Clock Storytelling programme.
Theresa Kelleher
Theresa was born within the sound of Bow Bells to Irish parents. Out on the streets she was known as the ‘little Irish girl’, at home admonished for her cockney accent.
David Heathfield
He runs Creative and Engaging Storytelling for Teachers courses onlinehttps://davidheathfieldblog.wordpress.com/teacher-training/ and has worked online as a storyteller and storytelling teacher trainer internationally with the British Council, IATEFL and the Hands Up Project .