As many of you know, I spent much of 2018 - 2019 happily immersed in the Modern

Fairies project, an arts and research initiative which brought folk musicians, artists, writers,
folklorists and filmmakers together to create works exploring what Britian's folklore tradition
means to us in the modern world. After twelve months of research and collaboration, the project
ended with a concert and multi-media presentation at the Sage Theatre in Gateshead/Newcastle
(Spring 2019), but my MF colleagues are continuing to develop this material in a number of
interesting ways -- the most recent of which is Wrackline, a gorgeous, deeply magical new album
by the distinguished folksinger, songwriter, and music scholar Fay Hield.

In the run-up to Wrackline's release next month, Fay is publishing posts highlighting the album's
six folklore themes -- beginning with tales of witches (and other women) who cast themselves
into the shapes of hares.

Above: A short video in which Fay introduces the concept of the new album.

Below: "Hare Spell," from Wrackline. As Fay explains:

"I needed a spell, a real one that held magic. Jackie Morris gave me some words about a
hare and a little digging showed that it comes from Isobel Gowdie, the wife of John
Gilbert, likely a cottar in Auldearn, near Inverness. Isobel was tried in 1662 during the
witchcraft trials and her confession gives a clear account, seemingly uncoerced, into her
activities with the devil and visiting the king of the fairie. She includes several spells and
chants used to conduct her own magic, including this spell to turn the utterer into a hare
to do the devil’s work."

Below: "When She Comes," a second hare song which grew from a collaboration between Fay
and poet Sarah Hesketh. Sarah writes:

The words are by Sarah and the music by Fay, with underlying chordal structures created by Ben
Nicholls and Inge Thomson for Modern Fairies project, then further developed by Sam
Sweeney and Rob Harbron for Wrackline. This is the Modern Fairies version, recorded at The
Sage performance in April 2019. It was one my favourite songs from the show, bringing a lump
to my throat every time I heard it. (Sarah's exquisite lyrics  are here.) 

There are more shape-shifiting hares to come: Fay, Inge, Sarah and I are working with the good
folks of the Alternative Stories podcast to create an audio drama on the subject; we'll let you
when the broadcast date is set. And keep an eye on Fay's blog in the weeks ahead if you'd like to
know more about the other songs on Wrackline (including one based on my poem "The Night
Journey," which is an honour indeed).

Another thread of work that emerged from the Modern Fairies project was inspired by selkie
(seal people) lore -- including songs created by Lucy Farrell, Inge Thompson, Barney Morse-
Brown and Fay, presented in the final Modern Fairies show with art by Natalie Reid. 
In the Autumn 2019, four of us from the project (Lucy, Fay, Barney, and me) reunited to
present The Secrets of the Selkies: an evening of song and story at the Being Human Festival in
Sheffield. During the week leading to festival, as the others ordered and rehearsed their music,
my job as a writer/editor was to weave poems and monologues between the songs to join them
into a common narrative, examining classic "selkie bride" folk tales from several characters'
point of view. I don't know what the evening was like from the audience, but from the stage it
felt like pure magic ... ending with choral singing of the selkie's call by everyone in the hall. 

Above: A screen projection produced by Lucy -- with Natalie's art, Lucy's music, and selkie
encounters describe Inge (who grew up on Fair Isle) and others.

Below: A little video by Tim James capturing a collage of moments from The Secrets of the
Selkies.

Following on from yesterday's post, here's another passage from Alison Hawthorne Deming's

award-winning essay, "Poetry and Science: A View from the Divide." Once again, her words can
also apply to the writing of fantasy literature, that most poetic of literary forms; specifically, to
the kind of fantasy that is rooted in a strong sense of place and deeply engaged with the wild
world (including imaginary wild worlds).

Deming writes:

The subject of borders is especially relevant to creators of fantasy, for ours is a field that borders
on others, and one that is often most fertile in those places where the edges meet. Border-
crossing is thus part of a mythic artist's vocation, but it's not always a simple or comfortable one.
As Sergio Trancoso once said: