​Jay Leeming is a performance storyteller adept at bringing ancient myths and stories alive through the power of the spoken word. 

A regular performer in theaters, schools, libraries and National Parks, he is the creator of the Crane Bag Storytelling Podcast, the author of three books of poetry and the recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the arts. 

​"Thank you for a truly ​amazing performance!"


​LISA BERTUZZI,
​AUDIENCE MEMBER
​

"Mesmerizing...the audience was rapt and transported.
I absolutely loved it."
​​
CAROL HOCKETT,
​CORNELL UNIVERSITY

"Jay’s beautifully told tales 
​transport us to other worlds, even as they take us ​deeper into our own."
​
JONATHAN MILLER,
​STORY HOUSE ITHACA

THE MAHABHARATA
ONLINE 2023

A 16-week Online Exploration
Beginning Wednesday, September 20th

The Mahabharata is the epic history of an entire people, a vast and mythic universe dreamed out of the land of India and explored by countless storytellers over thousands of years. I have loved this story for years, and am excited to be leading an online exploration of its heights and depths.

STORYTELLING COMMUNITY

Stories flourish when told in community, for
​each listener brings the diversity of their own experience to the images of the tale. Members of my Patreon community receive free admission to all of my online storytelling events and classes, as well as access to additional storytelling recordings and resources.

​Consider joining that community to deepen your connection to the mythologies of the world. 

​

MYTHOPOETIC
IMAGINATION

Poetry and storytelling both originate in a capacity for imaginative vision which is common to us all. My third book is an exploration of these powers, a wide-ranging collection of epic and intimate poems pushing the limits of what poetry is able to conjure in language. 

"One of the most original poetic voices of his generation."  —Robert Bly
​
"To a God of Dribble Glasses and Loneliness
awakens us to the strangeness and mystery of the world...these poems are cornucopias spilling over with images of unforgettable beauty."
                          —Ann Fisher-Wirth, author of The Bones of Winter Birds

THE CRANE BAG PODCAST

The traditional stories of the world are not simply entertainment but something more, each one a dream of the tribe, a ceremony of the breath, a map to the many territories of this life. The Crane Bag Podcast is where I bring this mythworld to life, a growing library of over 80 episodes now encompassing Norse Myth, the Epic of Gilgamesh, Sufi wisdom stories, the Odyssey, "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," numerous fairy tales, and much more. 

Thanks to the continuing generosity of my Patreon community, all of these recordings are available free of charge at the link below.                      

​Still photo, top: Sara Tro Photography/saratrophoto.com