“We are all storytellers,“ said Alice Bianchi-Clark, a lawyer-turned-storyteller. “Stories remind us that we are not alone.”

Her Italian mother named her Alice, as if she almost knew that her daughter would be true to her fictional character Alice in Wonderland, an 1865 novel by English author Lewis Carroll. 

Today Alice lives in her own storyland, a charmed space she designed to spark joy for children of all ages. She lives up to her namesake.

When I first heard that Alice was a storyteller, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  I wanted to have the element of surprise in our first meeting, and didn’t want to overthink what she did. Rather, I just kept an open mind that I was meeting a fellow Sparkler’s mummy friend. 

Over brunch and in lightning speed I was reintroduced to the world of wonder, reminiscent of our childhood when we first discovered reading. As a child, with the young canvass of an imaginative mind, the feeling of limitless possibilities and creativity inspired by classical books and stories was palpable. 

It was magical listening to Alice share her personal story, which sounded like the fictional Alice in Wonderland.

Alice’s storybook is filled with chapters of her life adventures. She read Modern Chinese Studies at Trinity Hall, Cambridge and has been drawn to Asia ever since. She lived and worked in Rome, London, Paris, Beijing, and Hong Kong. She practiced law until her passion for writing and storytelling became too much to resist.

Italian by nationality, she is now based in Singapore with her husband and ten-year-old son, her terrapins, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and parrot goldfish, Pepper. When her nose is not buried in a book, she enjoys tending to her flowers and practicing piano.

The master storyteller set up her writing and storytelling practice. Just like a modern-day Alice in Wonderland, she too has found her purpose and way of escapism. Writing is her way of making sense of the world.

Holding children’s hands and guiding them down, or rather up, a magical literature wonderland in the form of writing, storytelling, workshops and book clubs has been a joyride for Alice.

She has been a conduit for some lucky children whose parents have put their trust in her to develop a love for reading and writing. She’s simply drawn to stories and loves sharing them.

We’ve all heard someone described as having an “avid passion for reading and writing”… but let me tell you, Alice sets the bar a tad higher than all of those people combined.

Alice loves pushing the young ones beyond their creative boundaries. Her proud collection of illustrated classics and holistic approach is playful and child-centric. That encourages children to engage and share their interests with her, and they are happy to share! Her aim is to help them find books to identify with and, once it clicks, kids keep begging for more.

“Writing is meaningful because it elevates the soul”, she said, adding that her son Edward is a writer in the making himself. It’s hardly a surprise he has won first prize in a short story competition at school that automatically entitled him to enter the Federation of British International Schools in Asia (FOBISIA) competition.

Her son, who has followed in her footsteps, has inspired her to write a picture book set in space and a rocket ship leaving this world during lockdown.

She uses an award point system, technically a pocket money earning scheme (backed by parents) to incentivise children to tackle a mixture of creative writing, essays and book reviewing tasks, both at home and with her students in class. She keeps the ledger and sends it to their parents for payment processing together with all the original work only once the whole pages are filled.

We’ve heard it many times before: we are products of our childhood, and we are who we are today because of our experiences.

“Read for joy, no other reason can be as compelling,” advised Alice. Storytelling came to her after Alice had a serendipitous meeting with storyteller Roger Jenkins. He even helped her hone her craft.

In our world today, where technology rules and Covid-19 pandemic permeates all around us, the simple love for hardcopy books is making a renaissance. Alice Bianchi-Clark is an understatement. She is thoughtful and inspiring, reminding us of our own childhood, growing up in a simple world where reading could help us travel anywhere we wanted to. She is ready to help those willing to share themselves with her, bringing books to life, which in turn, brings joy to hers.

“Stories are powerful because each listener populates the teller’s story with his own imagination and draws the meaning he needs for his own healing,” Alice imparted. That’s a thought-provoking statement.

Karmela | ws

Images courtesy of Alice Bianchi-Clark. For details on her book clubs, workshops, storytelling and writing: @alicebianchiclark and https://wherestoriesgrow.world/

Alice’s choices:
No. 1 story of all time:  Julian Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
Happiest Story:  Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
Most Inspiring Story: The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds
Most Thoughtful Story:  Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett
Saddest Story:  The Mountain that Loved a Bird by Alice McLerran