Family event, all children must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets admit one adult and one child. Additional child tickets can be purchased.

Ditchling-based storyteller and writer Joanna Gilar will be joined by acclaimed storyteller Xanthe Gresham-Knight (author of Sussex Folk Tales for Children) and the magical story weaver Marion Leeper for a StoryCommons day celebrating the legendary shapeshifting hares of Britain.

Inspired by the witch hare legend of Ditchling Common, we’ll share witch hare tales from across the country. Xanthe will bring the Sussex story of the Duddleswell wise woman, Marion will tell an Irish tale of magic and trickery, and Joanna will recount the tale of Melangell, the wild princess who created a refuge for hunted hares.

Following a morning of enchanted storytelling, participants will have the chance to share stories of their own. The afternoon will feature a witch hare crafting session, using collage techniques and a variety of materials to capture impressions from the stories.

StoryCommons sessions are designed to “rewild” storytelling. The Witch Hare Project celebrates shapeshifting legends across the UK, creating spaces described as “story medicine,” “nourishing and rich,” and “magical connections to imagination, creativity, and inspiration.”

Dr. Joanna Gilar, founder of StoryCommons, promotes inclusive community through storytelling and lectures at the University of Roehampton. She holds a PhD in fairy tales and ecocriticism, co-edited The World Treasury of Fairy Tales and Folklore, and has performed widely, including for the Chichester Centre for Fairy Tales and Queer Spirit Festival.

Xanthe Gresham-Knight is an international storyteller and author of Goddesses and Heroines, known for shows celebrating the feminine divine. Formerly a lecturer at the University of East London, she has been a resident storyteller at Harvard, The Blanton Museum, and is director of GuestHouse storytellers.

Marion Leeper, a storyteller for nearly 20 years, specializes in nature-based and sensory storytelling. She has organised three Epic Weekends and currently leads the East Anglian Storytelling Festival, with a focus on myth, legend, and inclusive community stories.