Roadkill : I Will Remember You, My Friend

When I take little Saga out for a walk, I know there’s a likelihood that I’ll encounter roadkill. I walk the country road most of the way, and too many people drive idiotically fast. Usually, I come across rabbits or birds that have been hit, but in the past two days, it’s been hedgehogs –…

Reading In The Dark : The Land Of The Green Man

I loved The Land Of The Green Man: A Journey Through The Supernatural Landscapes Of The British Isles by Carolyne Larrington. I really, really loved it. I think it’s safe to say that, following Folklore, Myths & Legends Of Britain, it’s the best book I’ve read on the subject. I learned so much. It’s a…

Art Of The Company Of Wolves

The Company Of Wolves is my favourite Angela Carter story. (I also love, love, love The Erl-King, The Lady Of The House Of Love, The Werewolf and Wolf-Alice.) I read it for the first time ten years ago and it left me changed. I re-read it last night, and when I was done, it left…

Reading In The Dark : Kith

You can always tell how much I've enjoyed a book by the number of Post-It-Notes I've stuck inside it. By the time I'd finished reading Kith by Jay Griffiths, practically every page was 'noted.' And this has been a running theme with Griffiths's books. Her previous works, Wild, Pip Pip, and Tristimania have all, in…

Reading In The Dark : Gossip From The Forest

I'm a woman who has her heart in two parts. Half of my heart is given away to the ice of the High Arctic, to the vast glaciers and imposing icebergs, to the singing aurora borealis and silent mountain peaks. The other half of my heart is given away to the forests of my homeland…

Reading In The Dark : The Terror

If I don't like a book, I tend to quietly close it and never mention it again. I don't usually go public with my disappointment. But, on this occasion, I felt it was important to share my grief. Because that's really what I'm feeling today, a whole load of grief and disappointment. I was waiting…

A Poem For All The Women Who Have Died To Live

I wrote this poem back in 2017. Facebook reminded me of it today. I've read it over and over again this evening. I've needed to. I hope it reaches another woman who needs it too. To All The Women Who Have Died To Live To all the women who have lived and died and lived…

Reading In The Dark : Folklore, Myths And Legends Of Britain

Whenever I was at my Granddad's house, he always used to say 'everything here is yours, take whatever you want.' He was a good Yorkshire man with a solid heart and a decent word for everyone. He loved his countryside, his flat cap, and his bargains. One bargain of his was a copy of Folklore,…

Art Of Baba Yaga

Back in the beautiful 90s (yes, I do miss them very much) deep within a tangled wood in a Yorkshire moorland valley, sat Baba Yaga's hut. I was seven when I first learned about it, and I was told, extremely convincingly, that it stood on chicken legs and would wander around at will. I was…

Four Darkly Inclined Poetry Videos

I have a daughter. She's nearly nine months. When she decides she wants a nap, be that at 2pm or 2am (she's not a predictable baby) I take the opportunity to make a video from one of my poems. Here are four I've made over the past four days. I'm new to this folks, so…