“When I took up storytelling for a living, origami jumped into storytelling with me. Many people in the U.S. call it “story-gami.” I call it “Stories in-Creasing with the Origami Swami”.

“Stories in-Creasing” is composed of simple stories whose plots are illustrated by paperfolding sequences that result in a recognizable object – Valentine, sailboat, swan, hat, penguin, frog. She begins telling the story while holding a pre-creased sheet of large, brightly colored paper. Plot points in the story suggest the folding sequence. For instance, during the story “The Great Sambini,” she tells about how a child pulls her blanket tightly around herself, and as she speaks she brings opposite sides of the square to meet in the middle.

Megan also offers straight storytelling performances (without the paperfolding component) or a mix of storytelling and story-gami, for pupils of different ages.

And workshops for teachers? – Absolutely. Teachers find myriad curriculum applications for origami in their classrooms.

“You made me feel good in my brain.”
Amber Lyn, 3rd grade

“The students were totally captivated. The question/answer period demonstrated a deep interest on the part of the students. Fantastic!”
6th grade teacher

“Megan is fabulous! The kids loved her stories and learning how to do origami. ... Everyone loved the program.”
PTA Cultural Arts Chair

“The children sat wide-eyed and still, caught in the spell Megan Hicks had cast over them.”
Richmond Times Dispatch

Her “story-gami” tales are original stories as well as stories she has borrowed from fellow paperfolding storytellers.

Her repertoire of platform storytelling concert material (straight storytelling with no props) comes from folk literature: Greek and Egyptian mythology are represented in her repertoire, as are the legends of King Arthur, Akbar & Birbal of India, fairy tales from Europe, and Jewish wisdom tales. Megan Hicks writes much of her material – personal stories, horror stories, and historical stories such as her Parents’ Choice Award winner “What Was Civil About that War…,” “Invisible Spies,” and “High School on the Home Front” – as well as her award-winning collection of fractured fairy tales, “Groundhogs Meet Grimm”. Her repertoire includes a few literary tales from the following authors: Don Marquis (the life and times of Archy and Mehitabel), Helen Eustis (Mr. Death and the Red-Headed Woman), James Thurber (Fables for our Time), William Faulkner/Dean Faulkner Wells (The Hound), Jane Yolen (Mama Gone).

Megan’s high energy and sense of humor infuse her performances and hands-on workshops. Whatever the subject – history, folklore, poetry, teaching tales… Whoever the audience – children, teens, adults… She holds them spellbound in the world of imagination.

Origami Swami repertoire (1 example below –  more examples available on request)

Ages 5-7

Ages 8-11

Ages 12-18

Valentine Puppy: A small dog who is too ill to attend a Valentine party, but his friends make sure he knows he is loved. (Model: valentine)

The Tower of a Thousand Cranes – an original story recounting the life of Sadako Sasaki, who fell ill with radiation sickness 10 years after her home town of Hiroshima was bombed, and how her schoolmates organized themselves and raised money for the creation of the “Tower of a Thousand Cranes” that stands in Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park.

The Great Sambini – quasi-autobiographical story about not giving in to the temptation to give up. Results in a kinetic model that appears to defy at least of couple of the laws of physics. (Model: tumbler)

Stories behind the HISTORY books (1 example below –  more examples available on request)

Ages 12-18

“What Was Civil About that War…” – An outcast woman, an immigrant boy, and a Rebel soldier remembered as The Angel of Marye’s Heights reveal the nature of heroism. (original) Parents’ Choice Award, 2005

Fairytales…FRACTURED (1 example below –  more examples available on request)

Ages 12-18

“Groundhogs Meet Grimm” – These fractured fairy tales are full of quirky humor, social commentary, and satire. Groundhogs show up in the leading roles of well-known fairy tales and keep you laughing from “once upon a time” to “happily ever after…” or “…as good as it’s likely to get in this day and time…” (original)

Example: “Groundhogstiltskin”- The miller's daughter learned to spin straw into gold way back in preschool, but she is not willing to devalue the gold standard. She needs a hero! Enter, an enchanted groundhog.

Fairytales…INTACT (1 example below –  more examples available on request)

Ages 5-7

Ages 8-11

Ages 12-18

“The Hedley Kow” – If you’re not afraid, monsters don’t enjoy trying to scare you.

“Three Sacks of Truth” – The king keeps changing the rules of the game until Jack threatens to tell the truth about who kissed the donkey on the bottom.

“Twelve Dancing Princesses” – An old soldier teaches a king that ruling with too stern a hand will only drive away the ones he loves.

Bully for you! – disarming aggression with wit
(1 example below –  more examples available on request)

Ages 5-7

Ages 8-11

Ages 12-18

“Tasty Baby Bellybuttons”  - Traditional Japanese folktale. Little Melon Princess is only 5 years old, but she and her friends are brave enough to demand, and get, justice.

“Little Knee-High Man” – It takes someone even smaller than the Little Knee-High Man to show him that resourcefulness is more important than stature. (Africa.)

“Akbar & Birbal – How they Met/How Birbal Came to Court” – A country boy teaches King Akbar the wisdom of maintaining a sense of humor and respectfully standing one’s ground. (India)

Stories, mostly humorous, of greed & gratitude
(1 example below –  more examples available on request)

Ages 5-7

Ages 8-11

Ages 12-18

“The Old Woman Who Lived in the Vinegar Bottle” – If the old woman had remembered to thank the fairy, perhaps she would have been content with simpler gifts. 

“King Midas” – The classic myth about why it’s very important to be careful what you wish for. (Greek mythology)

“Davy and the Devil” – Acts of mercy are never wasted and even the smallest creature may return the favor just in the nick of time. (British Isles)