Last night I debuted on stage at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in front of a sell-out crowd as part of the Once Upon a Universe project. Performing in front of a large audience, obscured by lighting, was nerve-racking, exhilarating and ultimately a whole lot of fun. I was proud to have been a part of the event, which was organized by Josh Coppersmith-Heaven, and to have shared the stage with the band Sink, guest reader Nick, and a couple of the other writers and scientists from the project, Norman Gray and Helen Sedgwick.
I have told informally at storytelling cafes and I have done many small group sessions with children and adults, but this was my first time actually stepping out onto a stage. I started to get nervous as people poured in, filling the seats of the Netherbow Theatre, but I kept reminding myself that all I had to do was to get out of the way of the story. As soon as it was my turn, I stood up, my nervousness fell away and all that was left was the telling.
I told the story “The Giant QUOFs and the Expansion on of the Universe”, which I developed last April at the Galloway Astronomy Centre. Josh organized that weekend, bringing together eight cosmologists and writers to collaborate in developing creation stories based on the latest scientific findings.
More information about our adventures in the strange world of cosmology, along with the stories themselves, can be found on the website: onceuponauniverse.com.
The project was funded by The Science and Technology Facilities Council.
Restorying the Earth 
Hi Alette, what a great night it was – it’s a good thing to have writer’s cramp after a book-signing! I just wanted to thank you so much for inviting me along to the book launch & bringing Golem to my attention. I’m pretty sure it’ll inspire a new generation of storytellers.
I finally got around to blogging about the launch – pics and links – but it doesn’t do justice to the warmth of the evening. Great fun.
J.