DONALD SMITH is founding Director of the Scottish Storytelling Centre and of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival. Donald Smith is a noted storyteller and performance poet in his own right, novelist, and playwright; and has authored a succession of books about Scottish culture, including Storytelling Scotland (2001) and Freedom and Faith (2013). From 2012 to 2023 he was CEO of TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland). (Donald was born in Glasgow to an Irish mother, and was brought up in Church of Scotland manses in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling. In 2023 he was honoured to receive the Hamish Henderson Award for lifetime achievement.)