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Terri Windling's Interests
General
Myth, literature, art, music, mask theatre, feminist fairy tale scholarship, the history of women in the arts, and community activism in regards to sustainability issues, civil liberties, and the prevention of child abuse. I'm co-director of the Endicott Studio for Mythic Arts; on the board of advisors for Mythic Journeys; and an active member of the ACLU.
Music
Lately I've been listening to: Daughters of Elvin's new CD "Galdrbok," Seth Lakeman's "Freedom Fields," Bat for Lashes' "Fur and Gold," The Decemberists' "The Crane Wife," "The Best of the Proclaimers," "The Best of Faithless," Ozomatli's "Don't Mess With the Dragon," June Tabor's "Apples," Belinda Sykes' "Magdalena: Medieval Songs for Mary Magdalene," and Biber's "Sonatas". Other musicians I'm listening to a lot right now are The Weepies, Neko Case, The Iguanas, Ojos de Brujo, Balkan Beat Box, The Saw Doctors, The Scissor Sisters, One Giant Leap, Snow Patrol, Arctic Monkeys, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams, Eleni Keraindrou, Mariza, Pura Fe, Primeaux and Mike, and R. Carlos Nakai.
Books
Recently read and enjoyed: The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein, Getting Off by Robert Jensen, The World Without Us by Alan Weisman, Brothers and Beasts edited by Kate Bernheimer, The Bird by Oh Jung-hee, The Best of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet edited by Kelly Link and Gavin Grant, The Quiet Girl by Peter Hoeg, The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon, Endless Things by John Crowley, Water Logic by Laurie Marks, Corbenic by Catherine Fisher, After Dark by Haruki Murakami, The Tales of Tales by Giabattista Basile (translated by Nancy Canepa), Mrs. Woolf and the Servants by Alison Light, Back on the Fire: Essays by Gary Snyder, New and Selected Poems: Volume II by Mary Oliver
Heroes
The wallpaper on this page is the "Brer Rabbit" design by the great 19th century mythic artist, writer, and social activist William Morris.
* * *
"Walking, I can almost hear the redwoods beating. And the oceans are above me here, rolling clouds, heavy and dark. It is winter and there is smoke from the fires. It is a world of elemental attention, of all things working together, listening to what speaks in the blood. Whichever road I follow, I walk in the land of many gods, and they love and eat one another. Suddenly all my ancestors are behind me. Be still, they say. Watch and listen. You are the result of the love of thousands."
-- Linda Hogan
(from Dwellings)
At night I dream that you and I are two plants
that grew together, roots entwined,
and that you know the earth and the rain like my mouth,
since we are made of earth and rain.
-- Pablo Neruda
(from "Rain")
...To live in this world
you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold it
against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it go,
to let it go.
-- Mary Oliver
(from "In Blackwater Woods")
"Everyone, no matter what their cultural background, has a right to discover the sacred in nature; to heal and be redeemed spiritually by nature; and to revere the ancestors. We are all haunted and saved by our memories."
About me:
I'm a writer, fiction editor, and artist, with a particular interest in myth & folklore and the ways they are used in contemporary arts. I've published many books, worked with many writers, painted many paintings, and drunk many cups of coffee to keep me going.
(If you'd like to know more about my work, please visit my website: www.terriwindling.com.)
I used to live in New York City, and now divide my time between a small village in Devon, England and a winter retreat in the Arizona desert. Both of these landscapes, and the stories they contain, provide a rich source of inspiration for my work.
My subject matter is drawn from mythic tales from both the Old World and the New — exploring the ways that traditional stories (particularly in their older, pre-Victorian and pre-Disney versions) can be used as a poetic language to explore the shadows of the human psyche.
As an artist, I'm obsessed by landscape and yet my pictures tend to be figurative ones, blending the human form with elements of flora and fauna. Certain motifs are used in symbolic ways. Figures with clothes half on, half off, are caught in moments of transformation — shedding their human consciousness, or returning to it from a primal animal state. Eyes blinded or concealed are eyes that look into the Wilderness World: the realm of spirits and ancestors, of visions, dreams, and inward journeys. Words scratched and inked onto the paintings are not meant to be quite legible, but rather to evoke ancient stories distantly recalled and half–forgotten.
Lately I've been working on a series of whimsical drawings and paintings intended children, using folkloric imagery as a means of fostering connection with the magic of the natural world.
Why do we continue to be enspelled by folk stories and fairy tales, after all these years? Why do we continue to tell the same old tales, over and over again? I think it's because these stories are not just fantasy; they’re about real life. We've all encountered wicked wolves, found fairy godmothers, and faced trial by fire. We've all set off into unknown woods at one point in life or another. We've all had to learn to tell friend from foe, and to be kind to crones by the side of the road. Our lives are our mythic journeys, and our happy endings are still to be won.
Who I'd like to meet:
Good-hearted, community-minded people the world over.
"Braided Hair" by One Giant Leap (with a menu of other videos at the end. For more music video playlists, go here.)
"Yes We Can" by Will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas, for Barack Obama
Barack Obama speaks to a Native American audience on the Crow reservation, May 2008.
I wanted to thank you again for all the wonderful years of JoMA, and to wish you all the best for your creative projects ahead. Thank you so much for including me in the Journal, you will never know how much that has meant to me! Your art and writing have been a guiding light through many a dark day, and it has all been an absolute pleasure!
Thank you for the add! I love your work. Your art is amazing. I love the books that you and Ellen Datlow edit. I haven't read the "Woodwife" yet, but I love the books you wrote about sneezle. I have all three!
hi my dear friend - hope all is well and you're taking long walks in the countryside. Wish I could come visit but maybe when the children are all GROWN...? muchos besos!
Hey Terri, I just wanted to stop by and say how much your work over the years has been truly loved and valued. You, more than anyone else, taught me that what others may perceive as dehumanizing moments can in fact be a part of the hero(ine)'s quest, a test and a trial toward wholeness and well being! Thank you for all that you do, have done, and will continue to contribute!!
Thank You for adding me...I Love the book...It's Brilliant. I have a doll, She who walks the night path...She was somewhat inspired by The Wood Wife, also my Granfather, an elder on a Seneca reservation.*
Thanks for the kind words! Your work is an inspiration to me and has been for a long time, along with the rest of the Chagford fantasy people, would love to do some work with u all at some time! Hope your well and all is good in your land of fantasy. Lots of care and friendship Jeremy.
Thanks for accepting the add. I hadn't logged in a while, so I couldn't thank you properly before. I became acquainted with your work through Realms of Fantasy, and was ever charmed by your knowledge of folklore, and your passion to share it. I remember with particular fondness your article on Cinderella (the first one I read). It opened so many new perspectives... Thanks...
Terri, Thanks for adding me to your group of myspace friends.. I have been a huge fan of your work for years and years. Wishing you happiness, exploration, adventures, and the very best the earth and the heavens have to offer. ~Erin
