Roger Jenkins is a Singaporean who has been a professional storyteller since 1998. A former drama teacher, he is a popular performer and storytelling trainer in schools, libraries and community events thanks to his spontaneous, comedic and participatory style. He has performed at festivals and international schools in Bahrain, Beijing, Chennai, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Nairobi, Penang, Saigon, Sarawak, Shanghai as well as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He is the founder and director of the 398.2 Storytelling Festival Singapore. In 2012 he published a resource book, Stories for Moral Education. 

In 2018 Roger co-founded the Federation of Asian Storytellers (FEAST) – www.feast-story.org – to promote oral telling. It has already attracted more than 200 members and holds annual conferences (the 2020 meeting in Jakarta was postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic). FEAST is publishing its third book of Asian folktales as told by its members (Hiss Roar Squeak, a collection of animal tales). The federation also hosts a monthly webinar sharing skills from  experienced tellers from Asia and the West, as many members find it hard to access local teller-trainers.

Roger believes storytelling helps him connect with audiences more powerfully than his previous lives as a teacher and theatre director: “Storytelling helps us to communicate in meaningful, memorable ways – not least because people are actively listening to the story.”