Oral Storytelling and Historical Narratives

What is the course about?

Sometimes we need to think outside the box in order to write more honestly and authentically. We will delve into age-old community traditions of Afro-Caribbean storytelling. We will learn from contemporary Black British storytellers and the roots of their historical narratives to help develop our own storytelling techniques, and we will share stories that could reconnect us with our own personal histories.

Your tutors are:

A.S. Francis is a Historian of Black British History and completing her PhD research on women’s involvements in Britain’s Black radical organisations during the 1960s-1980s, and the development of a Black women’s movement. Her book, Gerlin Bean: Mother of the Movement, presents the longstanding and far-reaching activism of community activist and pioneering Black Feminist Gerlin Bean (in the college library in April 2024). Francis is also a consultant to the Young Historians Project, member of the History Matters collective and co-founder and editor in chief of the History Matters Journal. Francis is also a passionate teacher, and has taught in various capacities, including at the University of Chichester and the National Portraint Gallery.

Maame Blue is a Ghanaian-Londoner and author of the novel Bad Love, which won the 2021 Betty Trask award and was shortlisted for the Betty Trask Prize. She has been a scriptwriter on a Venezuelan telenovela remixed for African audiences, and her short stories have appeared in Not Quite Right For Us (Flipped Eye Publishing), New Australian Fiction 2020 (Kill Your Darlings), and Joyful, Joyful (Pan Macmillan). Maame was awarded the 2022 Society of Authors Travelling Scholarship and was a 2022 POCC Artist-in-Residence. Maame contributes regularly to Writers Mosaic and has written pieces for Refinery29, Black Ballad and Society of Authors Magazine. She is a Faber Academy Creative Writing Tutor and runs creative writing workshops for organisations including Arvon, Spread the Word and Writing New South Wales.

This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.

What will we cover?

- Grounding storytelling as community tradition using historical examples and Afro-Caribbean spoken word poetry.
- Looking at oral history and recovering marginalised stories using Black podcasts.
- Using the senses to unlock memories and using music to recall and create stories.
- Creating fictional narratives using intergenerational and familial history through records and historical fiction novels.
- Researching historical context, societal expectations and time periods to help build character arcs in fictional stories.
- Oral Storytelling Workshopping.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

- Create your own narratives and stories that can be told orally
- Approach researching your own historical stories in a clear and meaningful way
- Question and expand your understanding of storytelling to develop your other creative writing
- Understand how historical context can inspire your character arcs and fictional narrative planning
- Feel more comfortable sharing work with your peers, and giving and receiving constructive feedback.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

- This is an intermediate course for students with some experience of writing fiction (e.g., attending an introductory 'Ways into creative writing' course) and have an interest in historical narratives. You should be an enthusiastic reader and have a good grasp of written and spoken English and willing to share your own ideas and work with your tutor and peers.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

This is a practical class and the emphasis is on students' stories, produced at home and in the classroom. There will be exercises, homework, group discussion, and sharing of ideas - always in a supportive atmosphere. You will learn to give and receive constructive criticism so that students can begin to learn from each other. Contemporary texts, media and historical recordings will be analysed and the group will discuss what they reveal about the art of oral storytelling and historical narratives. You will be expected to read and produce creative work outside of class.

This course will involve some workshopping. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit.

City Lit endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in courses at City Lit.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

None - must have a working internet connection and something to write with.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

HBH92 Black British Communities from the 1700s to the 21st century
HAH78 Slavery, enslavement & the Caribbean
HWH336 Write a short story in a weekend
HWH354 The 60 minute writer.