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Guelph storyteller to tell more tales at Civic Museum

Brad Woods will be a featured guest for Tales from the Hill, a free event, at the Civic Museum presented by the Guelph Guild of Storytellers
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Veteran storyteller, Brad Woods from Guelph.

Everyone loves a good story.

Stories can entertain, send a message, help you understand who you are and where you come from.

“We are always telling stories. It’s what makes us human,” says veteran storyteller, Brad Woods from Guelph.

The art of storytelling plays a big role in many cultures, worldwide.

“Whether it’s Indigenous, Celtic or Jewish story telling, there are so many cultures that really embrace it, and not just to tell stories, but to hopefully connect communities,” Woods said.

Woods has told stories at festivals, theatres, conferences, prisons, churches, and pubs all over North America and the UK. He tells traditional tales, literary classics, and personal stories.

He has featured in a variety of broadcasts and publications including CBC Radio 1 and the Globe and Mail, and is the recipient of the 2016 Alice Kane Award for Storytelling.

On Thursday at 7 p.m. Woods will be a featured guest at Tales from the Hill, a free event, at the Civic Museum presented by the Guelph Guild of Storytellers.

Woods will also tell tales at the Village by the Arboretum on April 14 before heading west to share stories at the University of Alberta medical school.

A storyteller for over 25 years, Woods hopes families will come out and listen.

“For me, it’s not about being famous or making a living from this,” Woods said.

“I do it because I love it, I love telling stories. I love being in a room and having people say, I could do that, I have a story too.”

Woods says a night out to hear some stories is a great opportunity to just put the phone away.

“Spend an hour listening. These days, we are overwhelmed with technology. We’re so wired in. Sometimes we just have to stop, and take a breath,” Woods said.

“Personally, for me, storytelling offers me that, a very deep breath. Someone once told me that it is great to see a real person doing a real thing.”

Whether it’s around a coffee table, at a pub, or in front of a huge crowd, Woods relishes getting up in front of people, and telling stories.

“This is an outlet for me, something other than work,” he said.

When not telling stories, Woods teaches care and treatment programs for children.

“I work two jobs, but only one of them pays the bills. I grew up in Oakville, and moved to Toronto in my late teens. My wife and I moved to Guelph when we had our third child,” Woods said.

Now, with three adult children, Woods looks forward to sharing family stories.

“My oldest son got married during the pandemic. So, it was the classic COVID-19 wedding where only 10 of us were able to be there. I’ve just realized recently that I have a good story from that day,” Woods said.

“Sometimes it takes a year or so for things to come to light. It might be something you talk about as a family or to your friends and then you suddenly realize that’s actually a really great story. And then you think about it, and craft it even more.”

For Woods, storytelling stemmed from a love of listening.

“My mom is a great reader. And thinking back to family gatherings, everyone has a favourite uncle, aunty, or granny who always told the best stories,” Woods said.

And Woods just loved to listen.

“Then as I grew up, I found a love for talking. I’m the youngest of three boys. My middle brother is an extremely talented artist, and my oldest brother was a great athlete. So, I had to figure out something else,” Woods said.

“So, I just got really loud.”

The gift of storytelling still produces surprises for Woods.

“One of the highest compliments I’ve ever been paid is when someone say oh! I didn’t realize you were already telling a story. A minute or two in, and they just realize,” Woods said.

“It’s not like theatre where you begin at a set point. I prefer to just casually break into it. I’ve shared a few stories about my dad. After he passed away, I had this urgency to tell stories about him, and I have a bunch!”

It’s been years since Woods told his first story, but the jitters can still set in.

“Sometimes I’ll have a story idea, and I think, I don’t know if I should. I still experience that. But I feel so strongly about story telling, that I realize that at some point, I just have to say, it’s worth it,” Woods said.

“I’m going to tell the story and the more I do it, the more I believe in it.”

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