Tag: Folklore

News from Eastercon 2026

At the end of a fabulously inspiring, thought-provoking, story-telling, bookish weekend in Birmingham for Iridesence 2026, Eastercon’s 77th exploration of all things SFF. Conversations were varied, and some were particularly impactful, including the idea of story-telling as a form of activism. In a world where imagination and hope are not separate, stories have the potential to inspire the work to create change, after all, if stories can reflect the world, in turn the world can reflect stories. These thought provoking conversations were well-demonstrated by examples such as We Will Rise Again, a new anthology by Karen Lord, which is now high on my to read list. As part of this conversation, it’s also relevant to consider the role of stories in helping to endure challenging times, to offer sanctuary and aid resilience in a changing world.

While imaginative tales take flight, they can also be grounding. Folklore was born from a desire to explain the unexplainable, bringing gods and tricksters to narratives to rationalise a complex world: folktales, myths and legends that bind people together to make sense of outside dangers, as well as to stay connected and rooted in cultural heritage, a form of resistance to powers that might seek to do harm to culture. Folklore as resistance preserves cultural identity, a form of activism in and of itself. For those of us who invent myth and legend in created worlds, we recognise the essential nature of its presence in fully realising the complexities of a new world. In writing Blood Gift Chronicles, creating folklore was a highlight for me, feeding into the rich tapestry of colour to create organically grown tales. Back to the conversation and folklore discussions inspired a purchase of two more editions to The Green Man series by Juliet McKenna.

A topic I particulary enjoyed as a panelist was on the subject of libraries, an expansive topic which ventured into the library greats of SFF, as well as the plight of real-world libraries, the challenges being faced, how those challenges are being met, and mostly just how fabulous and entirely necessary libraries are. For any questioning the significance of libraries, we might consider a world without them. It’s a concept explored in Ursula Le Guin’s novel, Voices, the second part in the Annuls of the Western Shore series. The story is set in a city once known for beautiful libraries, universities, canals and bridges, before the city was invaded and the occupation began. Now the place is desolate, driven by hunger and fear, with the colours of cultural fabric lost, or so we assume. But a mysterious library was kept hidden and safe, a place watched over by the WayLord. The library is discovered by the main character, a girl called Memer. The Waylord teaches Memer how to read, and as she devours whispering books that line tall towering shelves, unravelling the truth of her cultural identity from the safe sanctuary of the library, we see the importance of these spaces, and the power of the written word.

The power of the written word, and the importance of historical documenting, is a theme in The Warder, Blood Gift Chronicles Book 2. A number of historical volumes are missing in the Chamber of Scrolls, which begs the question, why, what history is being erased. It’s a relevant theme of the times today, the reclamations of history from marginalised people, as well as the current conversations about censorship. These themes were the inspiration behind the storyline in my novel, with the disappearing of historical records, what that means, and how it impacts the cultural fabric as well as individual lives.

And so I come full circle, with story-telling as a form of activism, folklore and storytelling the fabric of cultural heritage, and the magic of libraries housing the magic of stories, all this and more celebrated in a fabulously inspiring story-filled space.

And the last word goes to the Canada Geese currently resident on the lake nestled central to the built up space of the NEC and surrounds. I was grateful for this blooming burst of wildlife in amongst the built up business, delighted by the company of waddling geese as I caught a breath of fresh air alongside the water’s edge. It’s why I layer wildlife into my stories, because it matters, because this home is their home, and because it makes us all feel better.

 

Wishing everyone a great week ahead.

For the Love of Books #34

In the midst of winter I’m immersed in fantasy, both in writing the next instalment of my fantasy series, and in my current read, an epic saga in a magical world. More on those another time. It’s a genre rooted in folklore, and so I thought I’d share a few recent non-fiction reads, which touch on the subject of folklore from different angles depending on the cultural lens.

Black Dog Folklore 

by Mark Norman

Black dog folklore is a fascinating read, bringing to life a subject that in many ways feels familiar: from the well-known idea of hell hounds, to the well-loved story of Hounds of the Baskervilles, to The Magic Tinderbox. But while reminiscing on favourite childhood tales of unforgettable dogs with eyes as big as saucers, the extensive and varied eye witness accounts at the core of this book take us on a fascinating journey. Just as dogs have become central to family life, so ghost dogs are woven into our folklore. This well-drawn collection offers an extensive and comprehensive study of these elusive canines, as guardians, protectors and deliverers of omens, stories that illuminate, explain and deliver the eerie, while highlighting the plethora of threads woven into the fabric of our own cultural backdrop. Expertly told, while delivered with a seamless conversational style, make this a page turning read, and one I am sure I will revisit.

The Book of Yokai; Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore

by Michael Dylan Foster, Shinonome Kijn (Illustrator)

The Book of Yokai is an extraordinary book summed up by an extraordinary word, Monsterful, to denote the rare and truly marvellous manifestations of otherness that the undefinable category of Yokai brings. Through informative encyclopaedic narratives, punctuated by gorgeous illustrations, we are taken on a journey of the weird and wonderful, the dreamlike and the haunting, through experiences that don’t easily fit into our everyday understanding, yet are somehow relatable by the bizarreness. I enjoyed the nod to well-known characterisation from the much loved Studio Ghibli, and the teasing delivery that so eloquently describes a spirit world just beyond the reach of language, where limitless yokai creatures occupy the space between. This is a deep dive into Japanese folklore, that is inventive, surprising, inspiring and suitably unsettling.

The Evolution of African Fantasy and Science Fiction

Edited by Francesca T Barbini

This small book is an important read, beginning with discussion into how far back SF dates, and how SF and colonialism emerged in parallel, exclusive of African Science Fiction. Technological developments, science, and anthropology, crucial to SF, were intertwined with colonial history and ideology, made possible through military dominance, and leading to the idea of colonised subjects with their cultural beliefs being seen as inferior.

The emergence of African Fantasy and Science Fiction is essential in changing this narrative, along with stories from Asia and indigenous voices from around the world. Technology has facilitated circulation and consumption of these stories, therefore showing its market value to established publishers, consequently creating space for more writers to offer their perceptions and strengthen positive perceptions. In turn this offers an essential sense of belonging to readers worldwide, offering cultural insight and contributing to multi-cultural awareness. There was a sobering reminder that Africans have been producing science fiction, fantasy, magical realism since the genre began, since storytelling for all of us is as old as time, leaving a huge body of work, past and present, to explore. It’s an exciting future with voices such as Nnedi Okorafor continuing to weave African folklore into Africanjujuism stories, and creating inventive Africanfuturism leading the way. An inspiring, empowering and thought-provoking read.

What are you reading?