Halloween Poetry

Happy Halloween! What are you up to today? I'm busy making shrunken heads out of old apples for a party on Saturday and putting the last few touches on to my costume. It's such a good excuse to have some fun!

I wanted to post something suitably spooky and decided upon...Tim Burton! I love watching his films this time of year, but I wondered how many of you knew he had written and illustrated a book of poetry? It's very suitable reading for today, and is full of his trademark creepy, gothic fun. You can read his collection online: The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy.

And here's one of the poems: Mummy Boy

He wasn't soft and pink

witha fat little tummy;

he was hard and hollow,

a little boy mummy.

"Tell us, please, Doctor,

the reason or cause,

why our gundle of joy

is just a bundle of gauze."

"My diagnosis," he said

"for better or worse,

is that your son is the result

of an old pharoah's curse."

That night they talked

of their son's odd condition-

they called him "a reject

from an archaeological expidition."

They thought of some complex

scientific explanation,

but assumed it was simple

supernatural reincarnation.

With the other young tots

he only played twice,

an ancient game of vergin sacrifice.

(But the kids ran away, saying, "You aren't very nice.")

alone and rejected, Mummy Boy wept,

then went to the cabinet

where the snack food was kept.

He wiped his wet slockets with his mummified sleeves,

and sat down to a bowl of sugar-frosted tanna leaves.

One dark, gloomy day,

from out of the fog,

appeared a little white mummy dog.

For his newfound wrapped pet,

he did many things,

like building a dog house

à la Pryimid of kings.

It was late in day-

just before dark.

Mummy Boy took his dog

for a walk in the park.

The park was empty

except for a squirrel,

and a birthday party for a Mexican girl.

The boys and girls had all started to play,

but noticed that thing that looked like a papíer mâché.

"Look its a píñata,"

said one of the boys,

"Let's crack it wide open

and get the candy and toys."

They took a baseball bat

and whacked open his head.

Mummy Boy fell to the ground;

he finally was dead.

Inside of his head

were no candy or prizes,

jast a few stray bettles

of various sizes.

Twitter

I've finally embraced Twitter, and laid claim to my name on there (there are A LOT more Lovedays than I expected, haha!)

I'm not exactly sure how I'll be using it just yet, but if you'd like to connect with me and find out if I resort to 140 characters of inane drivel, I am...

@ALLoveday

Peace x

Call for mythical / fairy tale artists

Saints of the Lot, a pop-up events organisation based in Brighton, are seeking artists for an exhibition: on 23rd November they are 'transforming The Marborough pub into a fairy tale world of fairies, goblins, trolls, wicked stepmothers, evil witches, beautiful princes and ugly toads, damsels in distress and heroes.'

They seem to be calling for both artists and stall holders, and if you want to be involved you can get in touch via the Gumtree advert or their Facebook page.

If I can get there I'll let you know what it's all about ;)

Job opportunity

Calling all fairy tale and folklore enthusiasts on the south coast! The Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy has a vacancy for a part-time assistant. Check out the job details and apply here.

Good luck if you apply!

(P.S. Just purely out of curiosity...is there a fairy tale and folklore themed jobs board somewhere in the internet universe? If not, how amazing would that be?!)

2 Recommendations...

I am trying to get back into writing, but finding the time has been really difficult recently. I did start using an organiser though...maybe that will help?! I really hope so!

I have been forcing myself to keep reading though, because when all else fails it is reading something hauntingly beautiful, evocative and magical that will most likely get my own creative juices flowing again. I have two books I need to share with you today, because it would be wrong to keep them to myself!

The Folk Keeper 

by Franny Billingsley

Wow. How has this book not come up on my radar before? It's never been on a 'recommended' list, I've never seen it mentioned by other fairytale/folklore enthusiasts and when I have actively searched for new books to read it has never appeared...this needs to change! I can't believe I only discovered it by chance, casually browsing someone's wish list on Read It Swap It! Sorry, sorry, I'll stop ranting now...

Here's a blurb:

...Corinna Stonewall is a 15-year-old orphan who possesses a dangerous gift. She is a Folk Keeper, responsible for absorbing the attack of the savage Folk who dwell in the cellars of the Foundling Home where she lives, disguised as a boy. Through observing the correct rituals and by making careful sacrifices of choice food, she can prevent the Folk from spoiling the milk and ruining the crops. However, there are many mysteries that Corinna does not understand about herself. Where are her parents? Why does her hair grow two inches every night? Why does she long for the taste of raw fish?...Billingley's eloquent style is a joy for adults and evokes such an atmosphere of fear and longing that readers of all ages will keep turning the pages eagerly. Ages 10+ (Kirkus UK)

This book impressed me on a number of levels, one of which was simply because it involves Selkies. I haven't come across too many of them (most stories about mythical sea creatures tend to feature mermaids), and loved how they, and the other Folk, were only referred to in the vaguest sense, letting the imagination fill in the gaps and also allowing for the fact that we all know, really, on some level what Selkies and Folk are, and don't need it spelling out.

The language was intoxicating, with a rhythm and subtlety that is hard to find in books (primarily) aimed at children, but which I feel makes them all the more special - the sort of book you remember with a deeper fondness as an adult. 

I think the length is also worth mentioning: it's short. And this is very good. I think it is the perfect length for a story that is expanding on traditional folk tales, because it is able to retain 'that feeling', the one that keeps you captivated and enchanted. The longer a book gets the more complex it becomes, there are more characters, more devices, just more, and whilst I'm not in any way slating longer books that retell or recapture fairytales (seriously, I love them) I do feel that they lose something of the magic you feel from a short tale.

Highly recommended!

Wildwood 

by Colin Meloy

To begin, the blurb:

Prue McKeel is keeping out of trouble. Or trying to. Then her baby brother is abducted by crows and hauled off to the woods beyond the city. It is up to Prue to bring him back. On her mission she is plunged into the world of Wildwood and there she meets more trouble - and magic - than she ever thought possible.

This book is a gem. It's a book that did come up on my radar, and is popular enough to be in my local library, so I wouldn't be surprised if more people recognise it!

After all my posts about the forest and re-inspiring the next generation to fall in love with them, this book answers the call. I don't know whether the author suggested this intentionally or not, but the fact that the inhabitants of the town have never dared venture into the woods and are scared to go in could easily be a reflection on how out of touch we are in general with the natural world.

But when we do venture into the woods, wow, so much magic and joy; Wildwood felt like a modern version of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe with amazing and diverse characters and such a cleverly woven plot. Again, this is another book with rich language and beautiful imagery that sadly seems rare in children's books nowadays - this book will not allow you to read it quickly, you have to go at a certain pace to savour the language it is so rich (I'm really not exaggerating, I tried to speed up so I didn't have to renew it with the library and felt like I was being mentally tripped up as punishment!)

I also want to quickly mention the artwork: it definitely brings to life the 'folk' element of the novel, and should be savoured as much as the words. Having pictures in children's books is not the done thing above a certain age range, but this isn't 'patronising' in the least, nor does it take away from the beauty of the words - they complement each other perfectly.

Happy reading!

Tales from the Wild Wood

Whilst on my writing hiatus here I was planning some new posts for my forest series...however in that time the wonderful Terri Windling has been posting her Into the Woods series, which I encourage you all to read. I've lost my motivation and my ideas, but never mind! Her posts are beautiful and inspiring.

For my final forest post I would simply like to draw your attention to a fascinating and entertaining series I have just discovered on BBC 4: Tales from the Wild Wood. It follows a year long project bringing an abandoned woodland back to life, trying to make it valuable for the 21st century.

Source

Tarot Symbolism in Harry Potter

There is a rather magical Harry Potter read-along happening over at Spinning Straw Into Gold, A Light Inside and Cyganeria. Although I'm not taking part myself, I'm really enjoying reading their thoughts and it has definitely got me thinking critically about the books for myself. I am continually amazed at how imbued the series has become in society; for me personally this has ranged from being used in university discussions about Aristotle, to casual HP-related thoughts that pop into my head in relation to whatever's happening at the time (most recently this happened when watching the new James Bond film [SPOILER AHEAD!] and I found myself wondering if anyone else was mildly disturbed about the fact that Voldemort was the new head of the secret service...)

I wanted to contribute something to the discussions, so have put together a post on the symbolism of Harry's lightning bolt scar, particularly in relation to tarot card XVI: The Tower...