New audio + literary festival appearances
Brand new audio: The Birth of OssianThe first portion of an ongoing work Adventures in the Deep Interior, from Martin Shaw and John Matthias, is now available as a downloadable MP3 audio.This is a new reading of the ancient Irish story The Birth of Ossian, recorded by the banks of the river Dart in Devon, far west of Britain. Adventures in the Deep Interior is a collaborative work: John a violinist (Radiohead/Coldcut), Martin a storyteller. No rehearsal, little second guessing, frequently recorded in a wild place. This recording
Smoke Hole: Sneak preview video released
Smoke Hole:sneak preview video released Dr Martin Shaw has recorded a short video from his Dartmoor cottage about his latest book Smoke Hole: Looking to the Wild in the Time of the Spyglass The book, due to be released by Chelsea Green in May and available now for pre-order from Cista Mystica, was written over lockdown and gives us, says Martin, "a very ancient way of looking at a modern predicament, the situation we have all found ourselves in over the last year."This new little video just recorded
New books and limited edition t-shirt
New book: Red Bead Woman Acclaimed scholar and mythteller Dr Martin Shaw has committed to writing this jewel of a tale from the Taiga of Siberia. For the last ten years he has followed faithfully wherever this story has wished to take him. And it is only now, after hundreds of oral tellings, that he was put it into the written word. And alongside this story and commentary are brand new drawings - scattered like seed throughout. This book depicts an ancient story for troubled times, beginning with
Two Roads: The Pastoral & Prophetic
Where Two Roads Meet: Interview with Martin Shaw Watch All Those Barbarians video Watch Wolferland video
First signed copies of Courting the Wild Twin sent out
"I've been signing the first orders and leaving them in a rose garden," says Martin Shaw, who is on lockdown at his Dartmoor cottage in the UK. "My friend Michael Martin then collects them and they get out to the world. It's good to see his distant but joyful face! "I want to thank you for supporting Cista Mystica, my small press. We have a major plan of action to be announced soon. In the meantime, please enjoy some free audio here on my website, and consider having
Keeping the smoke hole open: seek vigil not isolation
In Siberian myth, when you want to hurt someone, you crawl into their tent and close the smoke hole. That way God can’t see them. Close the smoke hole and you break connection to the divine world. Mountains, rivers, trees. Close the smoke hole and we become mad. Close the smoke hole and we are possessed by ourselves and only ourselves. Close the smoke hole and you have only your neurosis for company. Well, enough of that. Really, c’mon. We’re grown ups. Let’s take a breath. We may