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 was produced in Devon by Dan Smith and is available for purchase at the Cista Mysticashop.

More of their echo location as we receive it.
Buy Birth of Ossian

 Looking to the Wild
Jay Griffiths & Martin  Shaw

Jay Griffiths and Martin Shaw will today share their concerns in an online conversation about the threats to our existence – the climate crisis, misogyny, racism, fascism, addictive technology, and fake news amongst them.

The conversation, today at 12.30pm BST, is part of the Cambridge literary festival and tickets will be available to buy until May 2.
Register here

 In conversation:
John Densmore & Martin Shaw

Martin Shaw will be in conversation with John Densmore at the Hay Festival online on June 4, between 5pm and 5.50pm BST.

Following a year of lockdowns and isolation which has reinforced the importance of music and stories in sustaining our souls, this dual topic will be explored with two of the finest proponents of these arts – musician John Densmore, drummer in The Doors, and master storyteller Martin Shaw, whose latest book Smokehole (available to pre-order here) invites us to use stories to face the complexities of contemporary life, from fake news, parenthood, climate crises to addictive technology and more. This conversation is event 110 on the programme.
Event programme here
Pre-order Smoke Hole

Cista Mystica archives

During the wintering months the team at Cista Mystica has been gathering up nuggets – interviews, videos, articles, book reviews, essays and assorted shiny things  to add to the archives for your perusing pleasure. The list can be found in the news section of the website. It’s our hope you’ll find something here to stash in your saddlebags for the road ahead, whatever it may bring.
See the new archives