Story Giants of Eden launch ‘Let the Giants Live’ book in Penrith

A book of special stories is to be launched on 26th November at Penrith Library.

The book is called ‘Let the Giants Live’ and it presents some of our local folklore in a fresh and lively way. ‘Let the Giants Live’ is a high quality picture book designed to appeal to all ages and the content is drawn from traditional tales rooted in the local landscape of Penrith and surrounding places.

The book is a legacy of ‘The Story Giants of Eden’ an oral storytelling project that took place this year in 18 local schools. .

The launch will take place 26th November 2011 at Penrith Library where there will be an opportunity to meet the author Jacqueline Harris and illustrator Jessica Mills.   Free activities are on offer to explore the stories. For ages 5-8 they will take place from 10.30 to 11.15 and for 9-12 year olds they will be from 11.30 until 12.15. There will also be an exhibition of photographs from the project and books available.

It takes courage to leave behind the written word and create an oral storytelling performance. That is exactly what eighteen groups of school children did in Penrith on May Day 2011 to a large and appreciative audience. The book is designed as a legacy to help keep the stories alive and to celebrate the achievements of the project

‘Let the Giants Live’ has been written by Jacqueline Harris. Jacqueline is a writer, storyteller and workshop leader. She writes stories for children and young adults, creates narrative dramas for schools, galleries and museums and runs her own workshops on writing, story and storymaking. Jacqueline commented that “the aim was to remain faithful to the original tales and their locale, whilst incorporating aspects of the children’s versions.” At the same time, Jacqueline has woven her own creativity into the narrative to realise yet another new and fresh retelling. In this way the stories have grown and evolved in the manner of storytelling through the ages.

Some of the stories come from Viking and Arthurian legends. Many of them are associated the rich landscape of the Eden Valley; from the ghostly frolics of Peg Sleddle at Crackenthorpe Hall to the fairy fold just beyond the outskirts of Penrith and the two quarrelling Trowgill giants, Guy and Garlic. Other stories come from past customs or some of our more notorious predecessors.

The book has been dramatically illustrated by Jessica Mills. Jessica Mills is a recent fashion design graduate and has returned to live in the Eden Valley to work as a community artist and start the journey towards creating her own Fashion Label. Jessica commented “the places that we have uncovered in this project, some right next to main roads and towns, still have energy as if they haven’t been touched in years and most people don’t know they exist. It is exciting to imagine the people that walked there, the events that took place and the inception of the stories that have lasted there over many years.”

The Story Giants of Eden project was a joint initiative of Penrith Action for Community Transition and Cumbria County Council, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. It was devised and managed by Dawn Hurton and involved eighteen school groups in 17 schools and their communities in and around the market town of Penrith, Cumbria between September 2010 and November 2011. The book will be available locally for £12.99 or online for £13.99 including P&P. There is also a DVD of images from the project for £3.50 including P&P. More information, including a video about the project can be found at www.penrithact.org.uk