Why do giants throw stones? Where does the immortal cat lurk? Who cooks old boots in stews? Why do the fairies guard the wells? Why does a rolling wheel help the sun shine? Dive into these tales from forest, vale and high, high hill and go on a journey that will take you far into the past, deep into other worlds, and through the festivals of the year – all without leaving Gloucestershire! These strange and fabulous tales from all over the county are brought to life by Stroud storytellers A...

This unique resource offers new ideas, stories, creative activities, and methods for people working in conservation, outdoor learning, environmental education, youthwork, business training, sustainability, health, social and economic change. It shows how to encourage pro-environmental behavior in diverse participants: from organization consultants and employees, to families, youth and schoolchildren. The stories and their exploration engage people with nature in profound ways. The book des...

This unique resource offers new ideas, stories, creative activities, and methods for people working in conservation, outdoor learning, environmental education, youthwork, business training, sustainability, health, social and economic change. It shows how to encourage pro-environmental behavior in diverse participants: from organization consultants and employees, to families, youth and schoolchildren. The stories and their exploration engage people with nature in profound ways. The book des...

Gloucestershire's stories go back to the days of Sabrina, spirit of the Severn, and the Nine Hags of Gloucester. Tales tell of sky-ships over Bristol, the silk-caped wraith of Dover's Hill, snow foresters on the Cotswolds, and Cirencester's dark-age drama of snake and nipple. They uncover the tragic secrets of Berkeley Castle and the Gaunts' Chapel, a lonely ghost haunting an ancient inn, and twenty-first-century beasts in the Forest of Dean. From the intrigue and romance ...

'Finalist' in the PROSE Award (2022) for Language & LinguisticsAwarded Honors at the Storytelling World Awards 2022Linking the ongoing ecological crisis with contemporary conditions of alienation and disenchantment in modern society, this book investigates the capacity of oral storytelling to reconnect people to the natural world and enchant and renew their experience of nature, place and their own existence in the world.

Taking as her starting point the inspiration and wisdom that can be derived from myth, fairy tales, and folk culture, Dr. Sharon Blackie offers a set of practical and grounded tools for enchanting our lives and the places we live, so leading to a greater sense of meaning and of belonging to the world.Enchantment. By Dr. Blackie’s definition, a vivid sense of belongingness to a rich and many-layered world, a profound and whole-hearted participation in the a...

Nominated for the BSFA Awards 2017 for non-fiction and cover art!'This is an essential guide to help readers and writers of fantasy know their grimdark from their urban, dark, epic, high and metaphysical fantasy. International fantasy author A J Dalton explains how each of the sub-genres of fantasy literature is a response to their own social and historical period. Each sub-genre thereby describes a distinct political and philosophical outlook. Fantasy is far more important than ma...

This anthology illustrates the range and diversity of responses from the psychological world to the multiple ecological crises with which our society is faced. “Vital signs” are the basic physiological measures of functioning which health practitioners use to assess how ill a patient is. This book focuses not on our physical predicament, with so many of the earth’s systems severely stressed and beginning to fail, but on our psychological predicament. As news of this very serious situation ...

Do you believe in magic?Can you imagine a war between wizards, a rebellious ant called 4179003, or a time-travelling television?Can you imagine that poor old Mr Swimble could see a mysterious vacuum cleaner in the morning, and make cheese sandwiches and yellow elephants magically appear by the afternoon?Welcome to the wonderful world of Sir Terry Pratchett, and fourteen fantastically funny tales from the master storyteller. Bursting from these pages are food fights,...

Beneath the surface we are all connected . . .'An authentically soothing, powerful, thought-provoker.'MATT HAIG' On Connection is medicine for these wounded times.'MAX PORTER' On Connection came to me when I needed it most, and reminded me that the links we have to places, people, words, ourselves, are what keep us alive.'CANDICE CARTY-WILLIAMS...

Avatar and Nature Spirituality explores the cultural and religious significance of James Cameron's film Avatar (2010), one of the most commercially successful motion pictures of all time. Its success was due in no small measure to the beauty of the Pandora landscape and the dramatic, heart-wrenching plight of its nature-venerating inhabitants. To some audience members, the film was inspirational, leading them to express affinity with the film's message of ecological inter...