Hearths & Halls
As the nights draw in we move inside, stock up the wood pile and move the hot chocolate, spiced latte mixes and chai to the front of the cupboard, and spooky season, as it has affectionately become known, begins.
This is easily my busiest time of year for storytelling and this year I’m telling at a variety of venues from women’s circles and harvest celebrations to lantern tales and frightful fables.
Old favourites like Stingy Jack, The Owl Is A Baker’s Daughter, The Brave Little Bat, The Weather Pig, Mollie Whuppie and The Lad Who Went Forth To Find Out What Fear Was, all get an airing at this point in the wheel of the year. New stories join the old beside the hearth and time tells whether or not they become time honoured favourites. Hen Wen, a story recently online, is this year’s font runner.
In case you missed it on my social media channels, my next book. ‘Stories Of The Sun’, is now available to pre-order! With a fabulous cover by
, the book is due to be published next March by The History Press and I have lots of plans for this one. I’ll be launching the book in person at an event in April at Gilbert White’s House and Gardens (more info coming soon) and I’m planning a potential limited series podcast to accompany the launch.You can pre-order via most bookshops but if you click on the book cover below it will take you to bookshop.org where you can pre-order a copy and support independent bookshops at the same time.
Posts for free subscribers this month include, book reviews, free range folklore, walk with me, catch ups and the next episode of the podcast, which I’m hoping to be able to squeeze in this month in amongst the events. If you’re not already, make sure you are signed up to the newsletter to receive Season 4, Episode 3 of Stories From Lore - ‘Wise Old Salmon’ - as soon as it goes live.
Coming up this month on Substack for paid subscribers, is a brand new way to celebrate the Wheel of The Year as we take a trip back in time to visit the hearthsides and meadhalls of old, to see how they would have celebrated, in a series of video chats I have planned. In addition, there will be podcast extras and a preview of my new telling of ‘Stingy Jack’.
For now I shall leave you around the ‘fire burn and cauldron bubble’ with the three witches from that Scottish play …
The Three Witches from Shalespeare’s Macbeth
(Act 1 Scene 1)
First Witch: When shall we three meet again?
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?
Second Witch: When the hurly-burly's done,
When the battle's lost and won.
Third Witch: That will be ere the set of sun.
First Witch: Where the place?
Second Witch: Upon the heath.
Third Witch: There to meet with Macbeth.
I wish you all a cosy and not too frightful October! Read on to find out what stories, events and recommended reads I have for you this month.
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October's Track:
Upcoming Events For October/November :
12th October - Somerstown Spooktacular - Community Engagement - More Info
13th October - Stories For The Harvest - Ewhurst more info here
13th October - Wild Women’s Circle - Wild Nest Yoga Studio, Petersfield - More Info Here
19th October - Ghost story Walk - Bramshott Common - Book Here
23rd, 25th & 28th October - Half Term Storytelling At Weald & Downland - More info here
26th October - Twilight Tales at Gilbert White’s House & Gardens - More Information here
November - Wassail with Slake Spirits - more info coming soon
For more information visit my events page using the button below.
September’s Paid Subscriber Content, Available In The Archive:
Cooking Up Abundance (a charm for prosperity) - Read Here
Podcast Extras, which include a recipe, playlist and extra audio - Available Here
Mabon Celebration Sheet - Download Here
Of Fleece & Granite- Notes From the Fells - Read here
Thank you for supporting this newsletter through September. Supporting my work in this way allows me to continue to write freely and authentically and I thank you from the bottom of my storytelling heart.
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October’s Read:
Icy Sedgwick has long been a trusted source for folklore and her podcast ‘Fabulous Folklore’ is excellent. When I discovered she had written a book for Dorling and Kindersley, I had to have it in my collection. I’m about two thirds of the way through and loving it. With some truly terrifying folklore in places, it’s the perfect read for October and I’ll be reviewing this one for you all later in the month. You can find more about Icy’s work here.
You evoked autumn perfectly in those first lines <3