Sydney Jewish Writers Festival and Together For Humanity are pleased to present renowned international storyteller Noa Baum as part of her Australian tour with special local guest storytellers Nardi Simpson + Olatundji Akpo-Sani.

The theme for the night is STORYTELLERS ~ BRIDGEMAKERS – how we can foster understanding and acceptance through the art of storytelling.

All three storytellers will have their books available for purchase on the night.

Noa Baum is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning storyteller and author. Born and raised in Jerusalem, she presents internationally to diverse audiences, from the World Bank and universities to schools, festivals, and congregations.

Born and raised in Israel, Noa Baum is an award-winning storyteller who uses her art to build bridges of peace and understanding. Her stories, drawn from diverse cultures but primarily from her own Jewish heritage and personal experience, highlight our similarities, celebrate our differences, and encourage curiosity, awareness, and acceptance. Baum has performed for audiences in Turkey, Sweden, Israel, the UK, and across the U.S., including the Mayo Clinic, the World Bank, and the Kennedy Center. Baum is the winner of the Storytelling World and Parents’ Choice Recommended awards. Her newest children’s picture book, How the Birds Became Friends, is a folktale adaptation that demonstrates the power of kindness.
[She] transcends boundaries to entertain! Noa Baum spreads cultural truths that eclipse geopolitical boundaries … her stories transcend their roots. – The Washington Post

Nardi Simpson is a Yuwaalaraay storyteller from the North West NSW freshwater plains. A writer, musician and composer, Nardi is a founding member of Indigenous folk duo Stiff Gins and has been performing nationally and internationally for 20 years. Her debut novel, Song of the Crocodile was the 2018 winner of the black&write! Fellowship and was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards Indigenous Writing category. Nardi continues to perform with Stiff Gins, works with student ensembles and directs cross-cultural choir Barayagal at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Currently undertaking a PhD with the ANU School of Music, Nardi is heavily involved in the making and sharing of culture in both her Sydney and Yuwaalaraay communities.

“It’s hard not to drown Song of the Crocodile in awed praise, but this book deserves every skerrick of hype. That it is Simpson’s debut feels like a magnificent question: what else might she bring us? For now, just surrender to her storytelling, rich with Yuwaalaraay language and song.” Stella Prize Judges Report

Olatundji Akpo-Sani is an internationally renowned poet and performer. His father is from Benin in West Africa and his mother is from Vermont in America so he grew up on the cultural fringes of both black and white America belonging to both but never quite fitting into either. His work investigates the spaces between seen and unseen, the concepts of love, and the voices that inhabit these monoliths.

He has been published in the Barcelona Review, Illiterate Magazine, and the Boulder Poetry Scene Zine amongst others. He is author of five books of poetry and his most recent book, Post Surrealistically Challenged, is available at BaobabTreeWriter.com

WHEN: 6:30pm, 7 June 2023

WHERE: Urban Winery, Building 121, Bent Street The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park

TICKETS: $25-35

BOOK NOW

Together For Humanity is a not-for-profit provider of educational services that works with schools and their communities to combat prejudice and advance belonging and inclusion. Our diverse team of educators provide face-to-face and online programs that teach students how to deal with differences and support teachers to make classrooms more inclusive. A recent study by Western Sydney University* confirmed that we are successfully assisting students to: 1) challenge stereotypes, 2) reduce fears of cultural difference, 3) deal with prejudice and discrimination, 4) develop empathy, mutual acceptance and belonging. For over 20 years, Together For Humanity has been working to build a more inclusive and cohesive Australia where everyone feels respected and like they belong.

*Gale, F., Edenborough, M., Boccanfuso, E., Hawkins, M., & Sell, C. (2019), Western Sydney University, Australia. Promoting intercultural understanding, connectedness and belonging: An independent qualitative evaluation of Together For Humanity programs.