Lu Orza
Storyteller | Writer | Facilitator | Quietude® practitioner
Embedded Files
I am a storyteller, writer, workshop facilitator and Quietude® practitioner based in Bridport, in West Dorset. My work centres on making connection, finding voice, and building community at the fireside, bedside, and alongside people and communities wherever they are.
I trained as a storyteller at the International School of Storytelling's flagship programme Storytelling Beyond Words – a full time course in the art and craft of oral storytelling with a lens on how storytelling can be taken into the world to facilitate connection with each other, ourselves and the wider world.
I came to this programme as a feminist writer and advocate for women’s and gender-diverse people’s health and rights. As much as I love working with the oral tradition, and in particular telling wonder tales, I also love to hear people's stories, create safe spaces for untold stories to be shared, and curate platforms for those stories to be moulded into a shared voice, vision and agenda for social change.
"Lu crafts her stories with honesty of feelings, attention to details and an intention of service. She skilfully tells her tales with dramatic passion, depth of soul and cheeky playfulness!"
– Roi Gal-Or, co-founder of the International School of Storytelling
What I Do
What I Do
A regular story night for women in Bridport and Dorchester: Weaving Tales of Wisdom and Wonder
Wildwood Storytelling Cafe
Wildwood Storytelling Cafe
A monthly gathering to enchant with stories from the forest, with reflection and magical conviviality, at The Galley, Lyme Regis
Forthcoming events
Forthcoming events
The Loom:
Monday 18th May, 'Once in a Blue Moon' Cellar Bar @ The Bridge House Hotel, Bridport (£5 / £8 what you can, Tickets: The Loom )
Tuesday 9th June, 'The Thing That Changed Everything'' Dorchester Corn Exchange (cafe/bar) 7 - 9pm (£5/£8 - pay what you can. Tickets: The Loom )
Monday 15th June 'The Thing That Changed Everything', Cellar Bar @ The Bridge House Hotel, Bridport (£5 / £8 what you can, Tickets: The Loom )
Monday 20th July 'Line in the Sand', Cellar Bar @ The Bridge House Hotel, Bridport (£5 / £8 what you can, Tickets: The Loom )
See webpage for a list of all 2026 dates and themes
Story Circles - 2026
Once Upon a Summer's Evening: storytelling in Bridport Community Orchard - free, all welcome to come and listen or tell. Fortnightly on Mondays, 7.00 – 8.30pm,
Starting Monday 25th May, 2026, then: June: 8th , 22nd| July: 6th, 20th| August: 3rd , 17th and 31st | September: 7th
Portland Story Slingers: Monthly story circle held at B-Side, 77 Fortuneswell, Portland, first Sunday of the month, 4.30 - 6.00pm | Free ~ donations for tea & cake (suggested amount: £2.50)
Starting Sunday 7th June, 2026, then: 5th July | 2nd August | *4th October | 1st November | 6th December (*Note: no gathering in September)
Wildwood Storytelling Cafe: Monthly storytelling evening hosted by Izzy Darkwood and Lu Orza. 2nd Wednesday of the month at The Galley, Broad Street, Lyme Regis. 7 - 9pm, £5 / £8
Starting Wednesday 13th May, 2026, then: 10th June | 8th July | 12th August | 9th September, 14th October, 11th November, 9th December
Workshops - 2026
Befriending Death
A series of workshops where talking about death and dying is NOT taboo! These sessions use storytelling and conversation to open a reflective and playful space to connect with our beliefs and attitudes about dying, explore cultural constructs around death, consider the question of how we ‘befriend’ death, and share thoughts on what this question means for how we live.
Saturday 6th June - Ageing and Elderhood
Saturday 4th July: Befriending Death 'The Paperwork'
Saturday 15th August - Unfinished Business
Saturday 26th September - Gates of Grief
Saturday 7th November - Remembrance
Saturday 12th December - Dying well
The sessions will be on Saturday mornings 10.00am – 1.00pm, with an optional bring-and-share lunch from 1.00 – 2.00pm to build deeper connections.
The sessions are offered on a ‘pay what you can’ basis. Donations (any amount up to £20 / session) are welcome, with a contribution to the shared lunch.
Contact Lu for full details and to book a place. (Suitable for age 18+).
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse