January Artist of the Month – Pomme

Our January ‘Artist of the Month’ is storyteller Sally ‘Pomme’ Clayton.

About Pomme

Sally Pomme Clayton (likes to be called by her nick name Pomme!) is a pioneering storyteller and writer who has been creating performances, books and plays for more than 35 years. She has played a pivotal role in the storytelling revival in the UK and beyond. She creates magical work for schools, libraries, museums, theatres, gardens, galleries, festivals and broadcast. Her storytelling performances are enchanting, combining dynamic spoken word, musical sounds and rip-roaring stories. 'Sally Pomme Clayton is a gifted storyteller who can bring the wonder of the most powerful stories from the past to life for audiences of any ages.' The Guardian. She has recently appeared at: The British Museum; Festivals in Sweden, Leipzig and Dresden; Cheltenham Literature Festival; The Story Museum Oxford; The Museum of Comedy; Exeter Lit Works; The Royal Opera House; Chelsea Physic Garden; The British Library. She has written 16 children's books with Fraces Lincoln, Orchard Books, Kingfisher and Scholastic Books. Here most recent are: 'The King with Dirty Feet' (Otter-Barry Books 2021/2018) winner of The Oxford Book Award best picture book 2019; 'The Phoenix of Persia' (Tiny Owl Books 2019) nominated for the Greenaway Award 2020 and the UKLA award. In 2023 she published her first book for adults 'The Mighty Goddess – world myths' (The History Press 2023). Her book 'Tales told in tents – stories from Central Asia' is still part of the National Curriculum. She runs a very popular weekly creative writing club in a London primary school.

What a visit from Pomme entails

Sally Pomme is a highly experienced storyteller who has been working in schools for many years.

Pomme does not read from the book, her stories come to life and ignite the imagination! She moves around the stage, uses gestures, voices, and unusual musical sounds to take the listener into another world, captivating and enchanting audiences. Her performances include joining in such as repeating gestures and words, clapping a rhythm, call and response, and learning words in a new language. Sessions always end with time for questions and chat. Pomme can respond to your theme or link to your project or curriculum, drawing on her huge repertoire of stories from around the world and stories from her many books. She has experience of working with groups who have limited English and her vivid and dynamic style enables understanding and enjoyment.

You can read more about Pomme and her school visits he r e

Interview with Pomme

What makes a good storyteller?

Being able to transmit the images of the story to the imagination of the listener, as vividly as if the listener is watching a film. And hoping that the listener asks you 'is this true?'

What was your first experience of hearing stories?

My Grandfather told me and my sister stories when we were growing up about the Fairy Queen and her Major Domo who solved all her problems! I loved his stories so much that I started imitating him from a young age, getting my sister and cousins to sit round in a circle and telling them my own epic 'Wolfie and Pig Loo! ' (I must publish this story!)

It’s national storytelling week later this month – why is this week so important and what can schools do to celebrate?

Tell stories! Listen to stories. Share stories. This week is specifically about the art of STORYTELLING - not story reading (and there does seem to be confusion about this!) So bring a storyteller into your school to inspire everyone to put down the book and TELL!

You have performed in many locations; did any have a particular magic feel?

Oh so many places! Telling Egyptian myths to kids in their sleeping bags in the Egyptian Gallery at The British Museum; in a wild and magical private garden on Hartland Point in Devon; beside the vast blue waters of Lake Issy Kul in Kyrgyzstan; in a smoky café in Anchorage, Alaska.

How do tales help preserve and explore other cultures?

Fairytales and myths are something we all share, but each culture and language makes them their own. So the tale ends up containing snippets of history, geography, food, costumes weather... of the people who tell it. Traditional stories keep these precious things alive and allow them to be shared with all. But at the same time they contain images that we all recognize and that belong to us all, such as loosing a shoe or a boy with a swans wing... so traditional stories link us all together and travel across borders and languages.

What has been your most memorable moment from visiting a school?

Telling stories in a school is something I love to do. But those moments where a class is captivated by the story, immersed in it, laughing, joining in, listening intently and deeply and then asking questions at the end – are my most memorable.

You have written quite a few books. How does the process for written and oral storytelling differ?

Often my books are based on stories that have been honed and shaped by live performances and audiences responses of laughter and listening. But in a live performance the body does so much of the storytelling, through gestures and movement, voices, rhythm, sounds, pauses...etc! So in a written story these aspects have to find new expression through words. Its an engrossing process, and I really enjoy thinking about language, sentences, and the structural shapes of a story. Choosing the right word can be very absorbing.

Where do find your inspiration?

Traditional fairytales and myths have always been my inspiration. I feel that I will never get to the end of being fascinated by a story such as Sleeping Beauty and its multiple versions and meanings. But also other art forms inspire me and give me ideas – watching dance and theatre, listening to music, looking at paintings or installations, discovering how other artists think about and make their work.

What impact do you hope to leave with the young people after you have been in their school? It is wonderful if a group uses my visit for their own creative work – it might be their own storytelling or performance, it might be drawing or writing their own story. It really is a privilege to be able to inspire children.

A lot of your stories feature ancient cultures. Do you have a period of history you find most interesting?

Oh all of them! I have done deep research on ancient Greece – my partner is Greek – and brought out a couple of books based on Greek myths too. I have performed stories at The British Museum for more than 20 years, and I especially love the myths from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. But right now I have been researching and performing the myths that emerged from the links between the Vikings and ancient Britons and how these myths still exist in the names and stories of rocks and hills in our landscape in the UK today.

How do you develop the confidence to perform to such large audiences?

I think this takes time and experience. You need to work on your voice and be able to project and not loose a word. You also need to work on your physical presence and how you move in space and what you do with your body on the stage, all these things help draw a large audience together and immerse them in the story.

What is it like when you get to involved in one of the British Museum’s sleepovers?

Its very special. The families arrive with sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, pyjamas, picnics and torches! They are so excited and they get to do different activities, linked to one of the latest exhibitions, including listening to my stories. I often do the last performance which ends at around 11.30 at night!

What can props bring to a storytelling experience?

Different storytellers use different things. I use lots of musical sounds, things I have collected from around the world, or things I have made. Sounds made by musical instruments or made by found things such a fir cones, or even the slats from a metal blind (I whirl these around for the sounds of the King of the Djinns!)

How would you motivate a shy student or one who was lacking confidence in their ideas?

Give them encouragement. Let them go at their own pace. Look for the small things they achieve and praise these and help them go further. See what direction they need. Try not to focus on mistakes or small things. Try to see their overall growth over a longer period and praise it well.

Why are stories important? They are a source ( for me THE source!) of life, hope, joy, meaning. They are eternal while we are temporal.

A few companies are using AI to generate stories and write books. Why is it so important to keep humans involved as the storytellers?

AI is currently learning everything that has taken humans millions of years to understand and shape. These things are sacred and need to be protected.

What book or tale made an impact on you?

This is a very hard question to answer. But I endlessly love 'Little Women' for its four female heroines who are different parts of me, for its snowy Christmas and New York streets, and for its historical detail. I can read it again and again and still love it.

Stories can be used as teaching tools for more than literacy, why are they so useful for fostering understanding and empathy?

Stories contain characters who undergo all kinds of things – they can be examples of how to be brave or kind. But I like to give all the characters life, even the villains – so that we (the audience) can feel compassion and understanding even for the bad characters.

There are currently campaigns to highlight the importance of children having access to a library, staffed by a librarian. Why are librarians so great and access to books so important?

Librarians are special human beings, they have magic powers of book finding and book suggesting and book inspiring. Librarians and living books. We need them! And I am personally grateful to them for not just sharing my books but for getting me into various libraries to share stories too.

What are you your next goals?

To publish my next children's book! A longer fairytale with graphic novel elements for age 6 – 11. I am already working on it with an illustrator and we are in discussions with publishers!

Quick Fire

Sun or snow? The World, and I, need both.

Best superhero? Zarina ( from my book 'Tales told in Tents') she turns a desert into an orchard and fights the dust demon single handedly.

Experience a new city or a explore the wilderness? Oh if I have to choose - city.

Would you rather be able to read minds or talk to animals? Talk to animals please!!

Early bird or night owl? Owl

If you were Prime Minister for the day, what law would you introduce?

A storyteller for each school! Please PLEASE can this happen.