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: Seth Lakeman's new CD "Freedom Fields," Karine Polwart's new CD "The Earthly Spell," Bat for Lashes' "Fur and Gold," Calexico's "Garden Ruin," Ozomatli's "Don't Mess With the Dragon," and Old Crow Medicine Show's"Big Iron World." Other CDs in heavy rotation right now are by Ojos de Brujo, Balkan Beat Box, The Saw Doctors, Kate Rusby, Faithless, One Giant Leap, Snow Patrol, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams, Eleni Keraindrou, Mariza, Pura Fe, Primeaux and Mike, R. Carlos Nakai, Daughters of Elvin, and Anonymous 4.
Books
Recently read and enjoyed: "The Third Angel" by Alice Hoffman, "People of the Whale" by Linda Hogan, "Territory" by Emma Bull, "Gospel of the Knife" by Will Shetterly, "Winter in Madrid" by C.J. Sansom, "Night Train to Lisbon" by Pascal Mercier, "Unaccustomed Earth" by Jhumpa Lahiri, "Maps and Legends" by Michael Chabon, "The Pankhursts: The History of One Radical Family" by Martin Pugh, "What's Going On?" by Mark Steel, "Real England: The Battle Against the Bland' by Paul Kingsnorth, "Red Bird: Poems" 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.)
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.)
If you're interested in mythic arts, check out the Endicott Studio, and the extensive archives of The Journal of Mythic Arts. And if you happen to live in England's West Country, visit The Big Red Sofa, run by Alan McGeorge & Dawn Wakefield, for books, music, art exhibitions and events.
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Thank you for adding me as a friend, Terri, and for the great news about the Brother and Sister film. This beautiful image is still probably my favourite of all your work I've seen - http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=224817489&albumID=340664&imageID=1357397
Regards, an honour being in your learned, truly creatively fecund Space. Thanks for having me onboard. Your keen attention to detail is both inspiring and rigorous.
Sweet dreams to you, whether when awake or asleep.
