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Why Join FEAST?

Feedback from our members often speaks of FEAST’s strong sense of community and camaraderie, and of sharing and support. It’s a warm inclusive group drawn from many different countries (and not just in Asia - see membership category 4!) People join at us at different stages in their storytelling journey. Some are starting out and are keen to learn more about how to engage an audience, while others are looking for the finer 'nuances' from experienced tellers during our webinars. Others are looking for a community of like-minded people - possibly with a shared interest in say eco-telling or improvisation, or in using story to share cultural values.

The tangible benefits are:

Regular LEARNING CAPSULES: (6 in 2025) offer you the chance to learn from experienced tellers as they share ideas on both the craft and the business of storytelling. Two mentorships every year each offer 4-5 members the chance to learn from a highly respected teller - in 2024 we focused on Personal Storytelling and Adult Performance Storytelling
Our Conference is a chance to meet fellow tellers, take part in practical workshops and see/hear lots of storytellers in action. We rotate the conference around different Asian cities: Suwon (South Korea, Sept 2024) Chennai, (India 2026) and Singapore (2028) for our 10th anniversary.
Although English is our main language of communication, we also welcome and celebrate tellers who tell in their Mother Tongue.
Storytelling sessions include Story Swaps and Just Tell Read 31 May Peer Reviewed Story Swap on the benefits of joining a Story Swap.
Special Interest Groups (or SIGs) are a great way to meet like-minded members and to share ideas and resources, often while acquiring new skills. Plot Luck is for those who want to develop their skill in improvising stories.
FEAST was set up by the directors of storytelling festivals in Bangkok, Chennai, Jakarta, Kuching, Seoul and Singapore, so if you tell a story you may be talent-spotted! In 2022, three tellers presented a performance for an American corporate client. In 2023 we began a collaboration with Six Feet Apart (a story company in California) which presented four telelrs from our FEAST FEST (2021) in a ticketed show. In March 2024 they showcased a 60-minute version of the Ramyana (also created for the FEAST FEST) All these events meant paid work for the 16 featured members.

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NOTE If you do not live in ASIA (see list below of the 46 countries we define as Asia) you must register as NOT RESIDENT IN ASIA, regardless of whether you are a professional or just starting out on your storytelling journey.

From 1 January 2025, we will feature a PROFESSIONAL MEMBER DIRECTORY which we hope will enable anyone looking for a particular teller - or kind of teller for a festival or an online or even on-site performance - to find one.

You can search by name, country, audience (Child, teen, adult, family, special needs) or by stryle (puppetry, drawing, string, musical) or theme (a value, friendship, female empowerment, justice etc.)

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FEAST MEMBERSHIP FEES

All fees are in Singapore dollars (which hovers around $1.36 to the US dollar – Dec 2025). Please note that prices throughout our website are always in SINGAPORE dollars.
FEAST accepts payment by Paypal and Credit Card (processed via Stripe) You will be asked to choose your preferred mode of payment when you come to make payment.
Note: members/guests with a Singapore bank account are encouraged to use PayNow using our UEN: 201818697Z) as this is faster and avoids incurring a 4.5% service fee. When making payment you can either include the Club Express payment reference number, or a note saying who/what its for (eg Lee, membership).

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WHY DOES FEAST CHARGE FEES?

Although FEAST is entirely run by volunteers (the Directors and FULCRUM members) some expenses are unavoidable and total around SGD$8,000 per year:

as a company limited by guarantee (the de facto legal framework for a non-profit company in Singapore) we need a company secretary (who only handles legal pro-forma matters, not the day-to-day running of FEAST!) We have to have an annual audit (and we pay a book-keeper to keep track of our monthly financials) and then file a tax return.
our annual subscriptions include paying Club Express ($7 a year for every member - that's almost 25% of a Community member's fee!) plus subscriptions to zoom, godaddy, google drive for storage, facebook advertising etc
our Learning capsule facililitators and mentors all receive an honorarium. It is considerably below what they might expect to receive from sharing thier expertise/time independently, so we are most grateful for their willingness to support us, but in total, the fees approach $3000 a year.

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FEAST FEES MODEL

Our model is to keep our membership fees low and to charge for the optional extras. This allows you to pick and choose which learning modules/mentorships are the most relevant for you.

We are aware of the wide range of members' incomes, both when comparing countries in Asia and in terms of what storytellers can charge for their work.

We also distinguish between members in Asia and those Not Resident here.

All members are receive substantial discounts on ad-hoc registrations to events (eg a Learning Capsule is $15 for non-members, but only $7 for Members!) In order to pay the special member price, please log-in to the FEAST website first. There are also many free events such as Story Swaps & Just Tell.

PROFESSIONAL $60

COMMUNITY $36

NOT RESIDENT IN ASIA $60

YOUNG STORYTELLER $24

INSTITUTIONAL $200

STORY FESTIVAL $150

Note:

All Membership subscriptions are for one year from the date of payment.
FEAST does not have a policy of auto reSavenewal. We will send a reminder for you to renew.

Membership Levels

To tellers living in Asia: 3 different levels of membership according to experience and purpose (Professional or Community) and by age (Young Storytellers, for those aged 16 - 30 (proof of age requested on application.)

If you are NOT RESIDENT IN ASIA (see the list of 47 countries that we designate as Asia!) you can only apply for the Not Resident in Asia category, regardless of your experience, age etc.) Please note that we do NOT consider Australia as part of Asia, so if you are resident in Australia, this is the category for you!

We also offer INSTITUTIONAL Membership as a way for tellers in Associations, Guilds, clubs or educational settings to sample what FEAST has to offer at the member-discounted rate, before deciding to become a primary member individually. Up to FIVE members can register for a paid event at the individual member rate (eg $7 iinstead of $15 for a Learnig Capsule!) Institutions can rotate who applies to any one event - you are NOT limited to five named members. We are also happy to promote your on-line events via our social media channels to our members.

Similarly, we welcome STORY FESTIVALS to become members so as to publicise their activities to our members - and hopefully source tellers to appear in your next festival!

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1) Professional

If you are already an active and capable storyteller who wants to market your skills and services to more clients/audiences at home and abroad, this category is for you!

The benefits of professional membership are:

your experience, upload a photo gallery, links to sample videos and provide a link to your website, and social media;
members rates to all our events,
priority when it comes to Guest coaching sessions and most mentorship programmes
opportunity to refine your stories with culturally appropriate input from fellow members from Asia (and even beyond!)

Level 1: PROFESSIONAL $60.00 (SGD)

Subscription period: 1 year, from the date of registration

No automatically recurring payments

Access to all resources
Mentorship fee (if your application to take part in a mentorship programme is successful) $30
Your personal profile in the Members’ Directory

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2) Community

If you are interested in storytelling but you are still developing the skills and experience to become a more confident and effective teller, or if you prefer to tell simply for fun (eg within your family or community) or as part of your work (eg as teachers, librarians, counsellors), this is the group for you.

The benefits of being aq community member:

have the opportunity to tell in a supportive environment, such as Just Tell and our Story Swaps.
be part of a community that celebrates sharing and learning - see our Prop Swop series of stopry videos, and our regular Learning Capsules. There are 57 already in our archives in the Story Store
the Foundations of Oral Storytelling course (FOOS) is an intensive 10 session (105 minutes each) online oprogramme designed specially for our community members (and heavily discounted for Community members)
gain exposure to stories from diverse cultural sources, and get tips to make sure your telling is culturally accuurate and appropriate

Level 2: COMMUNITY $36.00 (SGD)

Subscription period: 1 year, from the date of registration

No automatically recurring payments

Access to all resources
Mentorship fee (if your application to take part in a mentorship programme is successful) $50
Your personal profile in the Members’ Directory

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3) Young Storyteller

We define 'young' as 16-30 years of age

Benefits:

your membership also gives you free access to the 57 FEAST Learning Capsules. These are 75-90 minute skill-sharing sessions by highly experienced sotrytellers on a wide range of subjects. We encourage you to learn from our collective expertise.

You are also entitled to up to 60% discount on the Foundations of Oral Storytelling course.
There are lots of free events - Story Swaps and JUST TELL, an opportunity for you to tell a story and get some kind and constructive feedback.

Level 3: YOUNG STORYTELLER - $24.00 (SGD)

Subscription period: 1 year, from the date of registration

No automatically recurring payments

Eligibility:

Aged between 16 -30 (proof of age required - eg student ID) membershipfeast@gmail.com
You must be Resident in Asia.

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4) Not-Resident in Asia*

FEAST welcomes storytellers everywhere who have an interest in Asian stories and we are delighted to welcome members from Australia, Canada, USA, UK, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Norway and Argentina (the list is growing!) on a regular basis.

Benefits:

Discover Asian stories told by Asian tellers
Significant savings on the event registration fees
a series of online trainng sessions delivered by leading names from the world of storytelling at a rate that compares very favourably with fees in the US or Europe (note all our fees are in Singapore dollars (SGD is about $1.36 to the US)
the chance to interact with talented, experienced Asian storytellers and possibly broaden your repertoire
need advice on a cultural element in your story? struggling to pronounce an Indian characer's name? We have members well qualified to assist you!

Level 4: NOT RESIDENT IN ASIA $60.00 (SGD)

Subscription period: 1 year, from the date of registration

No automatically recurring payments

Please see our definition of the 48 countries in Asia

Access to all resources
Mentorship fee (if your application to take part in a mentorship programme is successful) $95
Your personal profile in the Members’ Directory

*How do we define Asia?

If you are resident in one of these 47 countries Countries of Asia and you consider yourself to be in Asia, we are happy to accept you as a member of FEAST:

Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen.

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5) Institutional

Institutional Membership (IM) is for organisations which run or promote storytelling events, and other organisations that wish to be affiliated with FEAST and our network of tellers (such as book councils, libraries, educational institutions with storytelling programmes, publishers, or media and content producer).

The Institution will have its profile page – a section in Mother Tongue, where appropriate, would be welcome. We invite you to promote any of your events which you feel would be of interest to our members – both through the website and our social media channels. Send us details of your event by 20th of the month for inclusion in our next month's mailer.)

Up to 5 members of your institution can register for any FEAST event at the prevailing member rate.

NOTE: There is no restriction on the total number of members from an Institution who can register for a FEAST programme during the year, but only 5 can participate at the member rate at any one event.)

Across Borders is a series of Story swaps where we invite members of an IM to share three stories, alongside three stories shared by FEAST members. You can see the recording of our collaboration with Ayo Dongeng Indonesia (July 2024) in the next column.

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Benefits of Institutional Membership

Level 5: INSTITUTIONAL $200.00 (SGD)

Subscription period: a year from date of registration

No automatically recurring payments

Access to all resources
Your own institution page with logo, photo and link to your website

As a member of an Institutional Member, you are deemed a Secondary Member of FEAST. as such you can register for the FOOS course and Conference, and apply to join a MENTORSHIP. Your fee will be more than a primary member but less than a non-member's fee.

Up to 5 members of your institution can register for any individual FEAST event at the member rate.
As Institutional Membership is intended to enable individuals to sample FEAST's activities on an adhoc basis, participation in SIGs (such as Plot Luck) which run throughout the year, is not open to Secondary members

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6) Institutional: Story Festival

We are keen to be connected with Story Festivals, not only in Asia but around the world and therefore offer this special category.

It offers you your own profile page. (with website, logo and a write-up on your Festival programming) and the chance to send two representatives to the Conference at Members rates.

Level 6: INSTITUTIONAL: STORY FESTIVAL $150.00 (SGD)

Subscription period: 1 year, from the date of registration

No automatically recurring payments

This discounted rate is only for Storytelling Festivals. Benefits are:

Access to all resources
Your own profile page with Festival logo, photo and link to your website
Two representatives of your organisation can attend the Conference at the member rate

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Why Joi﻿﻿n FEAST?

PROFESSIONAL $60

COMMUNITY $36

NOT RESIDENT IN ASIA $60

YOUNG STORYTELLER $24

INSTITUTIONAL $200

STORY FESTIVAL $150

Membership Levels

To tellers living in Asia: 3 different levels of membership according to experience and purpose (Professional or Community) and by age (Young Storytellers, for those aged 16 - 30 (proof of age requested on application.)

Why Join FEAST?