Stories on the Loose
A creative adventure celebrating reading, stories and song
Taking handcrafted stories, songs, and ideas on the road to libraries, festivals, rural touring schemes, and arts venues across the UK.
About the project
Stories on the Loose is a long-term mission from Artisan Creative to bring the joy of reading, storytelling, and song back into everyday life.
Through four handcrafted shows, we celebrate stories as adventures that spark imagination, empathy, and connection - whether experienced on the page or in the room.
With 40+ performances already booked and more festivals and community venues joining the road, Stories on the Loose is helping communities reconnect through story, music, and conversation.
The Shows
Our interactive, wellbeing, musical show thingy!
This show is a witty, heartfelt field guide for modern living. It invites audiences to rediscover resilience, imagination, and courage as essential tools for navigating the adventure called life.
Two versions available: 60 minutes (no interval) or 80 minutes (plus option of interval)
A musical road trip through the heart of the American dream. American Wilderness Odyssey weaves songs and stories from Gone to Look for America - a journey through freedom, myth, and reinvention, capturing the grit, grace, and soul of the open road.
Two versions available: 60 minutes (no interval) or 120 minutes (interval needed)
A lively storytelling and music workshop for upper primary students, inspired by Steve Bonham’s much-loved book. The Spirit Dog tells the tale of courage, friendship, and the mysterious black dog who befriended Steve and his pals. The session includes 60 minutes of interactive storytelling followed by a 30-minute music workshop, encouraging creativity, rhythm, and imagination.
Two versions available: 60 minutes (no music workshop) or 90 minutes (with music workshop)
Part storytelling performance, part reflective talk, and part concert, Stumbling Over Eden explores what it really means to live adventurously. Drawing on Steve Bonham’s book of the same name, it blends real-life journeys through the Atlas Mountains and Sahara with songs, stories, and psychological insight — a funny, moving, and thought-provoking celebration of risk, resilience, and discovery.
One version available: c. 60 minutes
Support our Crowdfunder here
We’ve launched a Crowdfunder to help take Stories on the Loose further — to the libraries, festivals, and small communities that need it most. Your support will help us bring live storytelling, music, and conversation to new audiences during the National Year of Reading 2026, celebrating books as both an adventure and a conversation. In return, we’re offering a range of handcrafted rewards — from signed books and tea towels to event experiences and a place on our Wall of Honour. Every contribution helps keep the stories moving — and every supporter becomes part of the journey.
Our Vision
2026 is the National Year of Reading, and we want to play our part. Our goal is to reignite Britain’s love of reading - to remind people that reading isn’t just something you do alone, but something that sparks conversation and connection.
When someone reads a book and tells another person about it, something magical happens. A book becomes a bridge. That’s what our shows celebrate - reading as a door to adventure, conversation, and belonging.
We believe the best adventures don’t happen on screens - they happen in the imagination, in stories shared between people, in the laughter of a small crowd in a community hall.
Who We Are
We’re Steve Bonham & Chris “The Bishop” Lydon, long-time friends, musicians, and storytellers - part of Artisan Creative, a small Midlands-based arts company dedicated to telling “extraordinary stories of ordinary folk.”
Together we’ve written books, recorded albums, and performed shows around the world - always blending story, song, and reflection into something heartfelt and real.
Stories on the Loose brings everything we’ve done together - the books, the music, the philosophy - into one shared adventure for audiences of all ages.
Why Libraries Matter
Steve Bonham says:
"Having taken our books and performances to libraries before, often in places ill-served by other services, I’ve seen first-hand what remarkable spaces they are."
"In many low-income communities, libraries do so much more than lend out books. Thanks to their wonderful staff, they’ve become places for conversation, support, education and entertainment - somewhere people can come together who might otherwise feel cut off from ideas and from each other."
"The libraries are always delighted when we can come along and offer something, but too often have little or no funds to host events like ours. The more we can raise, the more we can take Stories on the Loose to the places where it can really make a difference."
Read more from Steve on the importance of reading and the pivotal cultural role it plays.
stevebonham.substack.com/p/the-beautiful-conversation-that-begins
Booking information for venues, programmers, communities
We’re currently booking performances for Spring/Summer 2026 and beyond. The shows are self-contained, technically light, and adaptable to libraries, community halls, and small theatres.
Contact Chris and Steve on info@artisan-creative.com