Smoke Hole Sessions – Martin Shaw podcasts

Author and master storyteller Martin Shaw brings us the Smoke Hole Sessions – a series of vital conversations with inspirational people, in the hope that in the crackle of the thinking, the fire of the language, the visioning and the wildness of the exchanges, we may find breadcrumbs that lead us out of the forest again, and into a deeper life. Inspired by his new book Smoke Hole, Martin speaks to some of today’s most admired writers, musicians, comedians, activists and more about their own work and

Smoke Hole Sessions – Martin Shaw podcasts2021-12-08T10:39:14+00:00

BARDSKULL: A second glimpse, plus new Wolf Milk merchandise just in

Bardskull: a second glimpse Dr Martin Shaw has released a tantalising second glimpse of his latest book Bardskull, sharing a reading of an 11-minute section of the book as it unfolds. The wild words just recorded are a taster of this powerful fusion of memoir and myth, scheduled for publication in 2022 by Unbound Books, which has launched a funding project to get it completed and to press. Bardskull is the record of three journeys made in the year before Martin turned fifty - for each, he walks

BARDSKULL: A second glimpse, plus new Wolf Milk merchandise just in2021-11-20T08:43:50+00:00

BARDSKULL: Audio sneak preview

Bardskull: a sneak preview As the funding of Dr Martin Shaw's brand new book Bardskull hits 61 per cent from 181 supporters, he has released a recording to give a little glimpse of what awaits. The recording is the story of Gawain and the Green Knight, told by a Hare hidden in Gawain's saddlebag. Bardskull, a powerful fusion of memoir and myth, is the record of three journeys made in the year before Martin turned fifty. For each, he walks alone into a forest in the heart of

BARDSKULL: Audio sneak preview2021-11-03T11:58:02+00:00

Beautiful Learning: New Martin Shaw live audio

Beautiful Learning: New Martin Shaw live audio Recorded live over two days this summer, Beautiful Learning: Oral Thought & Culture-Making is a deep dive into Celtic stories and philosophy. The event, which took place on Dartmoor in Devon (UK) in July, included tellings of Cinderbiter (from the Hebrides) and Irish story The Birth of Ossian, along with a very rare rendition of the Invasion Tales of Erin and the Arrival of the Tuatha De Danann (Irish). The live recording (available as MP3 downloadable files) covers the gathering as

Beautiful Learning: New Martin Shaw live audio2021-09-30T10:08:55+00:00

Bardskull: A remarkable journey

Bardskull: a remarkable journey A brand new collaboration between Martin Shaw and Unbound Books sees the unveiling of a fund raising project that will help finish Martin's latest book, a work unlike anything he has written before. Bardskull, a powerful fusion of memoir and myth, is the record of three journeys made in the year before he turned fifty. This is not a book about myth or story. It is a sequence of incantations and a series of battles. For each of the three journeys, Martin walks alone

Bardskull: A remarkable journey2021-09-22T11:15:47+00:00

Lightning Tree: New interview marks 10 years

Lightning Tree: New interview marks 10 years Cista Mystica is celebrating ten years since the publication of Martin Shaw's first book A Branch From The Lightning Tree, with an in depth interview going right to the heart of how the books have evolved over the last decade. In the 50-minute interview, which can be heard on Soundcloud here, Martin reveals how a conversation with musician Joe Strummer from The Clash sowed the seeds for the book many years before. He explains: "I met him once at a party

Lightning Tree: New interview marks 10 years2021-12-08T10:17:01+00:00

A Hut at the Edge of the Village: new John Moriarty book launch

A Hut at the Edge of the Village A new collection of John Moriarty’s writings, edited by Dr Martin Shaw, has been launched with a lively online discussion about the Irish philosopher described as 'one of Ireland's greatest secrets'. Martin was joined by writer and documentary-maker Manchán Magan, author of the rip-roaring Thirty-Two Words for Field, for the launch of A Hut at the Edge of the Village. Manchán describes Martin's introductions to John's work as having the same 'wildness, boldness and vivacity as Moriarty's writings'. The recording

A Hut at the Edge of the Village: new John Moriarty book launch2021-07-06T10:53:37+00:00

Smoke Hole Sessions: new podcast series hosted by Martin Shaw

Smoke Hole Sessions: a new series of podcasts hosted by Martin Shaw Renowned storyteller and author Martin Shaw and book publishers Chelsea Green UK have teamed up to create a new long-form conversation podcast inspired by Shaw’s newest book Smoke Hole: Looking to the Wild in the Time of the Spyglass. The ‘Smoke Hole Sessions’ is a series of vital conversations with inspirational writers, musicians, comedians, activists and more, delving into their work and what the last year has meant to them. Guests will include actor Sir Mark

Smoke Hole Sessions: new podcast series hosted by Martin Shaw2021-05-10T16:25:20+00:00

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

New audio + literary festival appearances2021-04-29T15:48:36+00:00

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

Smoke Hole: Sneak preview video released2021-03-31T12:12:17+00:00

Title

The Cista Mystica was a secret casket used in the mystery cults of antiquity, particularly in the rites of Dionysus. Contained within on a bed of rushes was a snake, the living god itself, utterly untamable.

Copyright © Cista Mystica & Westcountry School of Myth. All rights reserved.
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