The House of the West Wind: College of Storytelling presents a course taught by Dr Simon Heywood.
Into the Labyrinth: An Introduction to the Manasseh Cycle.
This short course offers a detailed, practical overview of the whole of the Manasseh Cycle, the first of the twelve cycles of Shonaleigh’s Drut’syla storytelling tradition ever to be fully recorded and documented, informed by Simon’s latest research.
We will look at the first full transcripts and texts of key stories in the cycle and engage in creative work modelled on the ‘Drash’, the methods of imaginative expression and interpretation of the Drut’sylas.
We will also explore ways in which the stories of the cycle can spark your own creativity, and provide an open, structured and supportive environment in which to create and explore new work of your own inspired and informed by these extraordinary stories.
You will come away with a deeper familiarity with Drut’syla storytelling and, hopefully, new tools to apply to your creative process and new stories and artistic work of your own to continue to develop and share.
There will be an interactive element to this course: please bring with you a wonder-tale or legend of your own choice which you are interested in exploring.
Dr Simon Heywood is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Derby University, author of ‘The Legend of Vortigern’ and ‘South Yorkshire Folktales’ with Damien Barker.
He has toured nationally and internationally as a storyteller, and is currently engaged in original research on modern and historical Jewish storytelling and oral tradition.
Sessions will run on Zoom on Wednesday evenings 7.30pm-9.30pm UK time (GMT), from the 6th to the 27th of November. They will be recorded so you can catch up if you are unable to make one of the classes. Expect around 45 mins of lecture, followed by discussions, sharing and interactive work with Drash exercises.