Sandra Agard Hon.

FRSL The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, th ...

is a British storyteller, writer, literary consultant and cultural historian. She is a published author of short stories and poetry, and for more than 40 years has performed her work, including plays, within the UK as well as internationally. She has worked in libraries as a literature development officer, as well as in art galleries and with community groups in many other settings. In 2022, she was elected an Honorary Fellow of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, th ...

(RSL) and was the recipient of the RSL's

Benson Medal The Benson Medal is a medal awarded by the Royal Society of Literature in the UK."The Benson Medal"

Biography

Sandra A. Agard was born in

Hackney, London Hackney is a district in East London, England, forming around two-thirds of the area of the modern London Borough of Hackney, to which it gives its name. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Charing Cross and includes part of the Queen E ...

, to Guyanese parents who had travelled to the UK in the early 1950s. In a career spanning 40 years, she has been a professional storyteller, author, tutor, playwright, literary consultant, editor and cultural historian, working in educational, cultural institutions, organisations and literary festivals throughout the UK and internationally, including in the United States. Her plays have been performed at such venues as the Royal Court Young People's Theatre, the

Polka Theatre Polka Theatre is a children’s theatre in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton, for children aged 0– 13. The theatre contains two performance spaces - a 300-seat main auditorium and a 70-seat studio dedicated to early years performances. Polka ...

, the Lyric Hammersmith and The Drill Hall in London. Publications where her short stories have appeared include ''Tales, Myths and Legends'', ''Time for Telling'' and in Malorie Blackman's anthology ''Unheard Voices''. Her storytelling is characteristically "steeped in African Caribbean oral traditions", and she is best known for her popular interactive stories with children, through which she encourages them to become involved, explaining the inspiration behind the stories. Her recently published work includes the 2019 children's book ''Harriet Tubman: A Journey to Freedom''. Agard was Centenary Storyteller in Resident at the

Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre is a museum in the village of Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire, England. Children's and short story writer Roald Dahl lived in the village in Gipsy House for 36 years until his death in 1990. Overview Th ...

, and her other previous employment includes various engagements with organisations such as

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

and Lewisham Libraries in south-east London, and the

Ministry of Stories The Ministry of Stories is a non-profit organisation in East London dedicated to helping children and young adults develop writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Overview Located in Hoxton, a district in the London ...

. She is currently a Learning Facilitator for Schools at

The British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

. In 2022, Agard was elected as an Honorary

Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 600 Fellows, elec ...

(RSL). She was also awarded the RSL's

Benson Medal The Benson Medal is a medal awarded by the Royal Society of Literature in the UK."The Benson Medal"

, which honours a whole career of service to literature.

Bibliography

* ''Trailblazers: Harriet Tubman'', Stripes Publishing, 2019,

References

External links

"Storytelling with Sandra Agard - Grimms Remix"
The Story Museum.
"Rumplestiltskin with Sandra Agard"
The Story Museum.
"Concertina book by Sandra Agard and Allen Fatimaharan"
The British Library. {{Authority control Living people 21st-century British women writers 21st-century British dramatists and playwrights Black British women writers British storytellers British women children's writers Cultural historians English people of Guyanese descent People from the London Borough of Hackney Year of birth missing (living people)