Laura Sampson author page

Laura Sampson biography

Laura Sampson is a performance storyteller and writer whose work spans myth, folktale and legend for adult, family and children’s audiences. She has created full-length storytelling shows for major cultural organisations and festivals, including the British Library and the Bloomsbury Festival, and regularly leads sessions for young audiences with groups such as Secret City Arts, Story Storks Heritage, Rich Mix and Discover Children’s Story Centre.

Alongside live performance, Sampson writes retellings of traditional stories for the children’s book market. Her anthology Enchanted Tales: Magical Fairy Tales from Around the World was published by Templar Books in the UK in 2023, with a U.S. edition from Running Press Kids in 2024, and features artwork by the illustrator duo Quang and Liên. A companion volume, Mythical Tales, illustrated by Lilla Bölecz, followed from Templar Books on 25 September 2025.

Sampson’s practice often involves collaboration with musicians and visual artists, and draws on studies of performance traditions such as Japanese Noh alongside research in comparative myth. She appears at museums, theatres and literature festivals, contributes articles on folklore, and develops projects that connect oral storytelling with sound and image for contemporary audiences.

Selected works: Enchanted Tales: Magical Fairy Tales from Around the World (Templar Books, 2023; Running Press Kids, 2024), illus. Quang and Liên; Mythical Tales (Templar Books, 25 September 2025), illus. Lilla Bölecz.