Brandon Lista (he/him) is a storyteller, speaker, and educator whose work bridges corporate settings, the arts, and community life. With a passion for folktales and a belief that everyone should know at least one good story, he brings narrative practice into classrooms, conferences, and local arts spaces to help people connect, reflect, and make meaning together. His corporate, academic, and creative works are grounded in the idea that stories are essential tools for navigating complex sociotechnical worlds, building shared understanding, and fostering collaborative communities.
Brandon is currently pursuing a Master of Applied Science in Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto, specializing in Engineering Education, where he researches how listening to the stories of interest holders can deepen engineering students’ understanding of complex problem spaces. Under the supervision of Dr. Emily Moore, Director of the Troost Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering, his work explores how narrative, reflection, and human-centred inquiry can strengthen engineering pedagogy and professional identity formation.
With a focus on folktales, he is constantly working on a new story or ways to spread the art form. His work has appeared in a variety of spaces, including seasonal interdisciplinary shows with Frog in Hand, multi-arts exhibitions with CreativeHub1352, and themed storytelling events by Replay Storytelling. In 2024, he curated and hosted a three-night storytelling program at the InSitu Multi‑Arts Festival, helping introduce traditional storytelling to new audiences in Mississauga’s arts community, and was ecstatic to rejoin this year for the 2026 edition.
Now he is beginning to work on a new, weekend long festival in Toronto as a founding member of the Danu Storytelling Collective, alongside co-founders Dan Yashinksy and Ness Spence. Focusing on bringing together a wide range of artists from different disciplines, to celebrate the oral arts in all forms.
Brandon Lista 