Tina Bilbe is a librarian from Reading who has a lifelong interest in storytelling. When she was made redundant a few years ago, she found that there was much more to storytelling than reading from a book to children. She is now secretary of the Society for Storytelling, an organisation of 500 committed people promoting the art of oral narrative. When we suggest a picture of her reading from a book to illustrate this article, a frown flashes briefly across her face. "That's exactly what storytelling is not." There are plenty of books of traditional tales from around the world, as Tina looks after a collection of books for the society that stretches along every available wall and requires the employment of the Dewey Decimal system. Tina's own involvement in the storytelling community came about a few years ago. "When I saw an evening class advertised, I thought there'd be flannel boards, finger puppets and all that sort of thing that people think storytelling is, but it was about not learning a story word for word but image by image, and then retelling it in your own words." Now she helps run the Society for Storytelling, whose members work in schools, at festivals and almost anywhere else you can think of both professionally and just for the love of it. As an example of the kind of effect good storytelling can have on an audience, she tells how some members work in prisons with often illiterate inmates to produce a story book for their children - a story they have written, designed, illustrated and read aloud onto tape. The idea is that these families will stay together until the inmate gets out, making him less likely to reoffend. However, telling stories not just for children. Tina's passion for relating tales is evident when she recounts one of Scheherezade's tales from 1001 Arabian Nights, involving a wife seducing four men and hiding them in a chest of drawers. Just as often, however, stories are a way for the teller to relate something that has happened to them or raise questions. Storytelling is the oldest narrative tradition, and it is only in modern times that it has been surpassed in popularity by more obviously representative media. Tina explains why this is so. "A large number of people don't have access to good storytellers. If you're in the West Midlands near the Storytelling Cafe, then yes, but if you're in Reading, no. Look at how much storytelling has been going on on BBC Radio, though, on Radio Four." Since its birth in 1992, the Society for Storytelling has grown considerably, forming partnerships and organising events around the country. Tina was at the inaugural gathering in Birmingham and is essential to the society, as she is a more able organiser than a lot of the members. "It's one of the great teaching tools. If you look at the major religions, they've all got parables and stories that explain why the laws of the world are as they are. Jesus is notable for telling stories. There's the Jewish tradition, Hindu myths...". If you're interested in going to see a good storyteller or want to develop your own skills, have a look at the Society's website on the right-hand side of this page and explore the links. | 
