The Writers of Wales Database

MALIN, EIRWEN

Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan
Tel: 07714 219470
Email: eirwen.malin@ntlworld.com

Born and brought up in Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, in an English speaking home, Eirwen was educated through the medium of Welsh and absorbed the best of the oral culture of Wales from both languages. The tales she heard as a child are the foundation of her storytelling repertoire. Winner of the Storytelling competition at the International Festival of Folk Arts, Sidmouth in 1996 Eirwen has been a performance storyteller for many years.

Throughout her working life Eirwen has been involved with education and personal development and uses storytelling as a living tool with which to inspire, instruct, motivate and move. She works with adults and children in English, Welsh or bilingually providing storytelling performances, workshops built around performances and short thematic programmes of activity based around story. She has developed a particular interest in introducing, and encouraging understanding of, the Welsh language to non-Welsh speakers through storytelling.

Eirwen also works with fellow musician and storyteller Phil Thomas to perform shows such as 'From the other Side', the stories of a family in a small village in the Vale of Glamorgan in the nineteenth century, 'One Last Dance' a particularly Welsh view of the sinking of the Titanic and a dramatic and personal interpretation of The Tale of Branwen from the Mabinogi. They have taken these shows to America, Australia, Canada and New Zealand and also with folk performers Calennig performed 'A Tale of two Rivers' for the Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Whilst Eirwen maintains her storytelling in the oral tradition, she has a number of research and other publications linked to education and volunteering, most recently based on narrative research:- Hitting the Target (NIACE Dysgu Cumru, 2010)

Selected Publications:
Hitting the Target (NIACE Dysgu Cumru, 2010)