Marilyn Mastin describes how she discovered an unexpectedly welcoming and nurturing community in the world of storytelling and the possibilities this amazing art form has opened for her despite her disabilities. She tells an original tale ‘Social Media Cinderella’. And, as usual, there are hints and tips for taking your public speaking and storytelling to the next level.

The joys of storytelling and the pitfalls of trying to remember a piece word for word are just a few of the topics covered by storyteller Phil Coogan. We discuss how storytellers often change stories to suit their own style and he tells us his version of an urban myth about a visit to a railway station café.

Lancashire Poet Sue Dempsey (think of Pam Ayres with an Accrington accent) became Storyteller of the Year within a few months of joining the Success Stories club. In this episode she describes where she finds the inspiration for her poems. She reads several of her funny poems on a range of themes from the drama of clothes-shopping and dieting, to her sister’s Spanish holiday romance, so be careful what you say to Sue… you might end up immortalised in verse.

84 year-old performance poet Pennant Roberts reminisces about his early trials of doing performance poetry on street corners and in working men’s clubs, and the advantages of experiencing ‘dying’ onstage at least once. His funny tale takes us back to his schooldays when it was acceptable for teachers to throw blackboard rubbers at pupils and any of those pupils asking questions were frowned upon. He ends the episode with his beautiful poem ‘Shrinking Giants or Positively the Last Welsh Dragon.’