Carl is a professional storyteller based in the Swansea valley, who loves using the wide, open spaces of NPT to inspire him and influence his tales.
As a child, Carl was always passionate about the natural world, and soon discovered his passion for storytelling one Halloween, when he was given the task of telling ghost stories by his employer at the time.
What he particularly loves about storytelling is its power to bring communities together and unite complete strangers in the shared experience of a great story.
In his own words:
“The stories I tell are myths, legends and folktales. Nowadays we read stories, but the stories I tell were born in the mouth. When you’re working with stories in this way, you’re working with images. I like to compare storytelling to when you’ve just returned from a holiday, and you’re recounting all your activities to your friends or colleagues – I guarantee you’re picturing those memories in your head, and you’re describing those images. That’s what storytelling is all about.
“The thing I love about being based in Neath Port Talbot is that it gives me everything I could possibly need. It’s easy to get to towns and villages, but also to waterfalls and mountainsides. When I’m working through my stories, I need to speak them aloud, and what better place to do that than in the glorious mountains around us?
“A lot of the stories I share are deeply rooted in the wild places of Wales; in the forests, the rivers, the mountains, the sea – and Neath Port Talbot gives me access to all of that.
“You never know what you’re going to stumble across in this area when you’re exploring, thanks to the rich history that surrounds us, and that’s one of the things I love about Neath Port Talbot.
“The treasure of this area is the fact that it’s a wonderful blend of nature, industry, urbanisation and history, which creates the place we call home today.”
