Directory of members
Judith Poirier
Montréal (Québec)
Telephone: (514) 527-6647
Email: judithpoirier.conteuse@gmail.com
Judith Poirier is renowned across Canada as a teller that weaves beautifully traditional stories, life stories and songs. Warmth, humour, depth and spontaneity share the stage, to the delight of the public, whether very young or fully mature. Anglophone audiances savour her bilingual telling allowing them to venture into French Canadian atmosphere with the sense of being there, being part of it.
In recognition of her unique talent and repertoire, Judith Poirier has been chosen to be the featured teller of the 2020's edition of the StorySave's CD collection. Titled Bienvenue dans mon salon double! Folktales and Stories from a Montreal Storyteller, her bilingual album (2 CDs, one in English and one in French, each containing its own selection of family stories and folktales) was launch in June 2020: https://www.storytellers-conteurs.ca/en/featured-storytellers/Judith-Poirier.html
A travelling storyteller
Judith Poirier has toured in many storytelling festivals across Canada: Whitehorse, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Sherbrooke, Trois-Pistoles, St. John, etc. As a performer and workshop leader, she has been invited to several annual Conferences of Storytellers of Canada/Conteurs du Canada: Saskatoon, Hamilton, Calgary, Ottawa, Fredericton, etc. She was part of the organizing committee of the Montreal Conference in 2012.
A repertoire developed over more than 25 years
She has in her “répertoire” folktales from her French-Canadian heritage, tales from around the world, family legends and personal stories. Based on family and personal stories, she has created two solo shows: Aboard the Streetcar Named Stories (this project was made with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts) and World, Where Am I? (this project was made with the support of 2 Women Productions).
A woman involved in the storytelling revival in Québec and caring for her community
Judith Poirier has actively contributed to the storytelling revival in Quebec by supporting the creation of the Cercle des conteurs de Montréal in 1998 and by offering workshops. She is also known for her involvement in the practice of storytelling in schools and in day to day life environments. As part of her work as coordinator of the literacies activities for the Fédération québécoise des organismes communautaires Famille (the Quebec’s network of Family Resource Centers) she has published the book Des histoires pour les toutes petites oreilles (2009).
Photo: Christian Brault