Alette Willis, PhD is an Edinburgh-based storyteller, author, researcher and educator whose work is shaped by curiosity, care and a sense of wonder. She offers performances, workshops, training and tailored sessions for settings ranging from schools and festivals to universities, research institutions and community organisations. Whether performing, facilitating or teaching, she works with stories as a way of opening up complex ideas, inviting conversation and creating meaningful participation.

Alette believes stories are key to helping people connect with the urgent challenges of our time. Alongside live storytelling, she delivers training and consultancy that helps people work with stories in ways that are thoughtful, ethical and engaging. She has a particular interest in public engagement and research communication, and in the imaginative possibilities of working with stories in times of social and environmental change.

She has taught on the University of Edinburgh MSc in Science Communication and the Edinburgh Futures Institute MSc in Narrative Futures, and was Storyteller in Residence with the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland for two years. In 2022, she led a British Academy-funded study on best practices in working with stories to support community transitions towards lower carbon footprints and greater environmental sustainability. Her creative work includes the Kelpies Prize-winning novel How to Make a Golem and Terrify People, as well as collaborations on publications including Dancing with Trees: Eco-tales of the British Isles and The Earth Stories Collection.

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