Donald Smith is a lifelong storyteller with Scottish and Irish roots. He has published widely on Scottish literature and storytelling, and was founding Director of the Scottish Storytelling Centre. He is currently Director of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival. In 2023 received the Hamish Henderson lifetime achievement award for services to Scotland’s traditional arts.

Donald was born in Glasgow and brought up in Stirling. He has been based in Edinburgh through his working life. Donald is married with five grown-up children and seven grandchildren.