Storyteller, Maria Whatton’s response to the archive

We asked three artists to respond to the Moments in Time archive, Fine Artist, Carol Harries-Wood, Storyteller, Maria Whatton and Filmmaker, Adam Robertson.

Maria Whatton is a treasured British storyteller and fiction writer, winner of Outstanding Female Storyteller of Great Britain in 2013 (British Awards for Storytelling Excellence) she is renowned for her compelling, vibrant performances. Maria has a vast knowledge of traditional stories passed down by her Irish father and grandmother which she brings to life with her lucid, engaging style.

In Maria's hands a story is a living, breathing thing. Mesmerising.
Frank Cottrell Boyce

Maria has worked with us on a number of projects, including Stars and Stories and she was with us at the very start of this project as it launched in 2019 as Moon Stories at Derby Cathedral, when we started to collect people’s memories of the 1969 Moon Landing.

For Moments in Time, we asked Maria to write a narrative for the film we made as a celebration of the project and archive collection. In this short film you will hear about Maria’s involvement in the project, how important stories and storytelling are to our collective memory, and how she went about writing her captivating narrative.

Download Maria Whatton's Poem, Moments in Time

Maria Whatton's Poem