Street Speaks

A walking story trail for children aged 8 - 12 years in Stroud

Grab your smartphone and set off on an adventure around town!

STREET SPEAKS is a walking story trail for curious young readers aged 8–12 (audio + text).

Three stories, three starting points… which one will you discover first?

STROUD TOWN CENTRE. FREE!

How it works: pick a story trail below, click the link and follow the instructions. Each part of the story is linked to a location which you must visit to find the QR code, scan it, listen to /read the story and head to the next location!

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The trail features the stories of two incredibly talented young local writers, Rhiannon Ashby and Ophelia P. Johnson.

Each audio story is narrated by Charlie Sanderson, brilliant voice artist for the Lottie Brooks, Tracy Beaker, Kate on the Case, Unipiggle books and many, many more.

This is a self-guided walking trail, offering an accessible and creative way for the public to engage with new writing and the town itself.

Street Speaks is funded by Stroud Arts Festival.

Start your adventures here!

Rebel Star In a sleepy town, a young girl is visited by a strange woman from the stars. But the woman is being chased by creatures of her own world, and she needs the girl's help to survive.

Listen Carefully is a story about a witch, Arabella, who faces a series of challenges in search of a dragon's egg. To emerge victorious and skip a monstrous school exam, she must learn to rely on her instincts and not just things she's learned in books.

The Oakenbury Curse follows Odd, a little boy who wakes up one morning to find his town cursed. Can Odd and his dog Witless journey across the town to break the spell and save his people?

Street Speaks Authors

  • Close-up black and white photo of a young woman with shoulder-length wavy hair, wearing a ribbed sweater and earrings, smiling slightly, indoors with curtains and a dresser in the background.

    Rhiannon Ashby

    Rhiannon Ashby is a twenty-year-old aspiring novelist and student at the University of Nottingham. She won the Rotary Young Writers’ Award in 2020 and contributes to the Impact Magazine at the University of Nottingham. She comes from Stroud, is currently working towards her first novel, and is completing her undergraduate degree in English Literature.

  • Black and white outdoor portrait of a young woman smiling, wearing a jacket, with trees and grass in the background.

    Ophelia P. Johnson

    Ophelia P. Johnson is a 23-year-old writer from Gloucester who spends her days working in IT and her weekends in bookshops and cafés. Her general restlessness and thirst for adventure lead her to write mostly fantasy fiction, though she strays into the literary genre too when she’s feeling brave.

A smiling woman with light brown hair in loose waves, wearing a black shirt and a floral bomber jacket, sitting outdoors with green foliage in the background.

Street Speaks Voice Artist

Charlie is a Broadway and West End actor, with over 300 books on audible. When she is not in her booth recording voice skits, Charlie is song writing, performing spoken word or walking the Derbyshire Dales and swimming in rivers with her young son and their silly labrador Eadie dog.

https://www.charlie-sanderson.com/

Supporting young writers. Inspiring young readers.