Adrian Beckingham
AUTHOR

Adrian Beckingham

Children's Audiobooks | Literature & Fiction
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Hello and welcome to my page! Don't forget to check out the images and videos. CONTACT ME DIRECT: Drop a line to inspire@themanfromstorymountain.org.uk UPDATE JANUARY 2021 One interesting thing about only updating this author page entry briefly each January, is looking back over previous years. I think everyone on the planet will agree that January 2021 looks very different to previous new years - the covid lockdowns made sure of that, Perhaps my beautiful painted storytelling tipi knew, for it was ripped in high winds at my last festival in my 2019 circuit of gigs. After over 20 years together, this enormous sacred canvas which has graced decades of Glastonbury Festivals (and so very many other events) as my home and stage went into a long hibernation just ahead of the rest of the festival world. My role as a Storyteller did not stop however, firstly I had my four afternoons a week in London primary schools as a storytelling club leader - working mainly with 4 to 7 year old children. These continued throughout much of lockdown, so I suddenly found a new label for myself - 'key worker'. I never thought storytelling could bring me into danger or be an at-risk profession from a safety point of view, but mixing with up to 80 children a week one can feel vulnerable when a pandemic is in full surge. Still, the stories have always been a medicine - they will protect me and share inspiration with others. I am glad that so many children and adults alike find their needs satisfied with the stories that I bring. Lockdown saw me grow my best veggie patch in years, and turn my hand to finding new ways in which to engage with my audiences - namely through learning how to tell stories via something I had never heard of (Zoom) - my shows quickly gathered audiences exceeding 10k, and all my expectations! I also have embarked on a steep learning curve to produce audiobooks plus some new e-books too. The new audo storybooks which I have produced in 2020 and the beginning of 2021 include 'The Diamond Ship', 'The King Of The Things', 'War Pigeons: WP& Me' and 'Princess Brides & The Giants Of Albion'. The new ebooks are forming part of a new series called 'Ancient Fireside Tales: Folk Tales For Grown-Ups' and so far include a British legend 'Princess Brides & The Giants Of Albion' followed by a Viking saga 'The Sun at Worlds' End'. These ancient tales are stories that have been passed down across firesides for many generations, and explore humanity in times of peril and ways to best thrive. UPDATE JANUARY 2020 Wowza, 2019 was a busy year for me! For a start I offered to help write on a London magazine and in a whirlwind was suddenly their Editor-In-Chief! With an estimated readership of about 10,000 people, Home News is a great platform for me to reach out to people about mental health, well being, how to green their lifestyles, save them some pennies and so on. See the latest front cover here: https://www.hexagon.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Oct-19-front-cover.jpg Glastonbury Festival was on again, and as ever they hired me as their Master Storyteller in the Tipi Field, a gig I have now held for over 25 tears. https://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/ I also did a few smaller festivals as a storyteller, my clear favourite being the wonderful Whirl-Y-Fayre, to which I went for the first time. Sadly my beautiful tipi which has shared my travels for so long as my storytelling stage gave up some of her ghost in high winds and was badly ripped. Efforts are underway to fix her, known fondly by all who know her as 'The Grandmother' because of her age. I am not yet ready to lose this old friend! https://www.whirl-y-fayre.co.uk/ I now work four mornings a week at my Home News editor desk, up to 2.30pm, then leap on public transport to run after school Adventure and Storytelling Clubs in my regular slots at London schools. Of course how can I run Adventure Club without living some adventures of my own, so 2019 saw me on my usual bout of travel, some of which can be seen in my recent photos uploaded here. I still have Fridays and weekends free for other writing and storytelling opportunities, so why not contact me at inspire@themanfromstorymountain.org.uk if you have an event you would like to discuss. UPDATE JANUARY 2019 This school term I am busy four afternoons a week running Storytelling Clubs in different London primary schools, so this will take some of my focus away from arranging more live shows for the public. So far my only public appearances for 2019 are the best ones - Glastonbury Festival and The Big Green Gathering, both of whom have been hiring me consistently for over two decades! If you would like me to come as a storyteller to an event near you - birthdays, festivals, fayres, school and library visits - then contact me on inspire@themanfromstorymountain.org.uk UPDATE 24 NOV 2018 November 2018 has been a very busy month. My YA paperback and e-book 'War Pigeons:WP & Me' were launched on #ArmisticeDay100. With barely a moment to breath between school author visits, just days later my popular children's Christmas story 'GobDrop&SnowShine' launched as an #audiobook following it's 4 year success as a paperback. Under my aka Rocky Mulberry I have also in November published two e-version sample stories from my upcoming Street Fiction anthology. The anthology has neared completion in recent months, though these tales were first scribbled during my time travelling as a hobo in my teens and early 20s. Often jotted onto scraps of paper while sleeping in parks, I release them individually now as StreetFictionBites. THE WARNING ON THE LABEL SHOULD MAKE IT CLEAR THE STREET FICTION STORIES ARE EXCLUSIVELY FOR ADULT READERS. Happy listening and happy reading! MORE ABOUT MY ROOTS Beginning back in the year 1996, as 'The Man From Story Mountain' I have visited over 1,500 primary schools as a storyteller. I also regularly tour festivals and other community groups such as libraries and mental health well being centres. Alongside literacy work to empower others into the magic of the written or spoken word, I also use at times complimentary artforms such as multi-cultural dance, art, music, and exhibitions. Glastonbury Festival is one of my long term clients - as Europe's largest festival they are for some a hard nut to crack but have hired me as a Master Storyteller every year since 1993. My other clients have included the British Museum, the Commonwealth Institute, Her Majesty's Prison Service, National Trust, English Heritage, and venues as diverse as Hellboy Fight Club. I like bringing the excitement of stories both to the already converted, and those for whom literacy, books and reading all seem a huge turn off. I've always been a bit of a word swat. I won my first national writing award (Probus Club) at the age of 10. At 20 I topped my university in the study of English Literature. By my early 20s I was a National Coordinator of Greenpeace Australia's Membership Response Unit. I inherited a team of less than a dozen but due to the success of our campaigns, our ranks swelled till my unit had 180 workers. I helped co-ordinate campaigns such as successfully turning back Japanese whaling fleets, transforming ineffective city recycling, and halting the woodchipping of old growth forests. I worked for 7 years as Storyteller/Writer in Residence for the mental health charity South Somerset Mind. Thank you to all those participants who came like clockwork, week in week out, across all that time. You will testify the power of story to heal wounds and soothe anguish. Even allowing some to move to full recovery. I have been chairman of a charity called The Siddhartha Foundation, which we set up to provide a residential school for over 100 children, mostly Tibetan orphans, in Kathmandu, Nepal. I am available for talks, storytelling performances and workshops so do be in touch! inspire@themanfromstorymountain.org.uk
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