Some Other Sphere

Episode 23 - Dr Kate Laity - Leonora Carrington and The Hearing Trumpet

In this episode I talk about the life and works of the artist Leonora Carrington with Dr Kate Laity.
 
Leonora Carrington is often considered part of the surrealist movement of the early 20th Century but her artwork is full of purposeful, esoteric symbology and otherworldly creatures, and often related to deeply personal events from her very eventful life. She also had a deep interest in mythology and the occult and this would inform her creative output throughout her career.
 
Alongside her art she was also an accomplished author with her most famous work perhaps being The Hearing Trumpet , a novel centered on nonagenarian Marian Leatherby, who is gifted the eponymous trumpet, and her adventures at the very unusual old peoples homes she is banished to by her family. Like her artwork, the book is full of mysticism and mystery.
 
Kate, my guest is an award winning author, scholar & critic, serving both as History Witch for Witches & Pagans and as Associate Professor of English at the College of Saint Rose. She recently gave a talk about Leonora Carrington at the fantastic Treadwells bookshop in London, which was the inspiration for this episode. 
 
You can find out more about Kate and her work at her website https://kalaity.com/.
 
Enjoy!
 
 
 
Episode Image: 'Self Portrait' by Leonora Carrington
Some Other Sphere theme music is from https://www.purple-planet.com/.
'Hubbub' by Chris Martin/Geoff Harvey
 

Episode 22 - Andy Burnham - The Old Stones

My guest for this episode is Andy Burnham, creator of the Megalithic Portal website. What started out as a small database of ancient sites in the late 1990’s is now an extensive and detailed Archaeological resource, lovingly sourced by people like Andy who are interested in the myriad ancient stone circles, Henges and other such structures that dot the landscape.
The website was such a success that it led to the publication in 2018 of a book called The Old Stones, a beautiful field guide to the Megalithic sites of Britain and Ireland that was named Current Archaeology’s book of the year for 2019.
Whilst providing a comprehensive level of information about Neolithic and Bronze Age sites across the British Isles, it also includes articles that speculate about the phenomenology of these places, the people who built them and the artifacts they left behind, and what such sites might tell us about the cosmology, religion, magic, science and culture of those times. It’s a lovely book and it was great to talk with Andy about what led to its creation.
Fascinating stuff all round,  Enjoy!
 
'The Old Stones: A Field guide to the Megalithic Sites of Britain and Ireland' can be found at the Megalithic Portal website, on Amazon here and at all good book shops.
Some Other Sphere theme music is from https://www.purple-planet.com/
'Hubbub' by Chris Martin/Geoff Harvey
 

Episode 21 - Ailish Jane - What is a sense of place?

"Do you ever go somewhere, and have a strong emotional response to it, such as happiness, nostalgia or fear? Have you ever wondered why we look for meaning in places and develop stories or legends about them over time? Well these behaviours are known as a sense of place..."
Those are the words of my guest for this episode, Ailish Jane, creator of the excellent Sense of Place Podcast.
Ailish has interviewed a fascinating array of people on subjects that relate to the effect that certain sites can have on people and communities,  going past the tangible and towards something more sublime, where buildings and other places can develop their own personalities and character, and myths and legends can emerge.
Even once gone, such places can still have their own ghosts which haunt the area they once occupied, and be mourned by the people that remember their passing.
In the episode we talked more about what a sense of place is and how it manifests, it’s importance in helping people form a connection to their local area and maintain a sense of community, as well as preserving the heritage of our towns and cities and creating new folklore. Lovely stuff!
 
Background sounds at beginning of episode: https://freesound.org/people/meisterleise/sounds/353259/
Some Other Sphere theme music is from https://www.purple-planet.com/
'Hubbub' by Chris Martin/Geoff Harvey
 

Episode 20 - Matthew Meyer - Yokai and Japanese Folklore

Folklore is a wonderful thing. It is deep rooted in the human experience and is a vital component of countless cultures throughout time. There are some startling similarities in the beings and legends  encountered across the globe, but also unique differences that set apart a cultures mythic landscape. A wonderful example of this is Japan, a land long shrouded in mystery and hidden from the west, which developed a storytelling tradition replete with a menagerie of unusual entities ready to leap from subconscious and into the real world.
These beings are usually classed as Yokai, which is a term that itself can encompass a whole range of familiar creatures – goblins, ghosts, monsters, as well as humans and animals that possess an unusual talent or quality but it also includes urban legends and various paranormal phenomena.
My guest for this episode is illustrator and author, Matthew Meyer. Matthew is an expert on Yokai and has published three books on the subject. He is also an accomplished artist and you can find examples of his work and writing on his wonderful website Yokai.com, which is a comprehensive A-Z guide to the phenomena.
For further details about Matthew's books and artwork, as well as his blog and Patreon page, please visit http://matthewmeyer.net/
 
 
Music for Some Other Sphere theme is from https://www.purple-planet.com/
'Hubbub' by Chris Martin/Geoff Harvey
 

Episode 19 - Garrett Kelly & Jeremy Puma - The Liminal Earth project

This episode begins with a quote from my guests:
“Spooky things happen every day all around us! Instead of brushing these peculiar moments and bizarre encounters off as chance, or mere coincidence, what if we talked about them, mapped them, and tried to decode the message?”
Well, that’s what Garrett Kelly and Jeremy Puma have done with the Liminal Earth Project, which they describe as a map of the strange, wonderful, weird and unexpected.  They both have a background in researching and investigating the unusual and this led them to come up with the idea of putting their experiences on a map, and then opening that up to the general public, allowing the project to be crowd sourced.
Experiences can be recorded on the map under a wide range of categories, including ghosts, cryptids and UFOs but also more unusual subjects like Dark Forces, Time Distortions, and ‘Thin’ places.  It’s a really novel idea and is one which I think has amazing potential. As soon as discovered the map I knew I should get these guys on and discuss their adventures in Liminal Cartography.
To find out more about the map, go to https://liminal.earth/, where you can add your own experiences, become a Patreon of the project, or even volunteer to become an ambassador for your local area.
Garrett and Jeremy also talked about the project recently in an interview with journalist MJ Banias for VICE magazine which you can read here.
 
Intro Music:
Music from https://www.purple-planet.com/
'Hubbub' by Chris Martyn/Geoff Harvey.

Episode 18 - Amanda Edmiston - Botanica Fabula

Recently, whilst out on a run, I went too near some stinging nettles and OUCH! – got stung. Luckily, I immediately knew what to do.
I found a dock leaf of course,  and rubbed the affected area. Pain over and my run was saved!
I feel like I’ve always known that cure and I’m sure it’s something that most of you will have been told as a child as well.
It is a very old piece of knowledge that has lasted over countless generations, just one of many nuggets of wisdom about plants which has survived, along with things like carrots being good for your eyes, and mint aiding digestion, through story, song and at learned at the knee of a family elder. It comes from a time when it was vital to have an understanding of the botanical world around you..of those plants which were nice, and those that were not so nice.
My guest for this episode is Amanda Edmiston. Amanda is a professional storyteller, with a background and ancestry steeped in knowledge of Herbal Medicine. Her stories involve a wide range of characters from myth and legend and their encounters with and uses of herbs, flowers, trees, weeds..and a whole lot more.  Plants and herbs have always been an important to her and it was fascinating to talk to about their folklore, and the wisdom contained there, not just about what they can be used for, but also how to treat them with respect, and work with them to a mutual advantage. In a time when modern society faces some of it’s greatest ever ecological challenges, these stories are more relevant than ever and offer a chance to connect with nature on a whole new level.
In the interview, we also discussed the use of certain plants in sympathetic magic, as well as the current growing popularity of permaculture. It was excellent stuff all round.
For more details on Amanda's work, her wonderful website can be found here.
 
Intro music:
Music from https://www.purple-planet.com/
'Hubbub' by Chris Martyn/Geoff Harvey.
 

Episode 17 - Aleksandar Petakov - Lake Monsters and Lions

When it comes to cryptids, one of the most famous of all is the Loch Ness Monster. However there are many other lakes around the world where it is believed creatures from Earth’s distant past have survived, even thrived – and some of these could well have more evidence to back them up than dear old Nessie.
A great example is Champ – the mysterious denizen of Lake Champlain in the United States. Sightings of an unusual creature have been reported for hundreds of years, as well as phenomena such as UFO sightings, and ghostly pirates.
My guest for this episode is cryptozoologist and filmmaker, Aleksandar Petakov. Aleksandar is a native of New England and in 2018 made a documentary called 'On the Trail of Champ', where he visited the lake, the communities that sit on its shore, and met some of the people who have seen the creature, whatever it may be.
In his next documentary he investigates the numerous mysterious sightings of mountain lions in the North Eastern United States, a species long thought to be long extinct in that area.
I talked with Aleksandar about how he has combined his loves of film making and cryptozoology, and the insights he has gained from his projects as to what sort of creatures might be out there, yet to be discovered.
For more information on his film projects, you can visit his website here.
If you'd like to view the news clip that started the episode, you can find it on Youtube.
 
Intro music: 'Hubbub' - Purple Planet Music.
 

Episode 16 - Aaron Gulyas - Flying Saucers and Folklore

My guest for this episode is Aaron Gulyas, author of books such as Extraterrestrials and the American Zeitgest and The Chaos Conundrum as well as being the creator of The Saucer Life podcast, where he examines the folkloric aspect to the Flying Saucer phenomenon and explores the history and lore of Ufology through the lens of individual stories of encounters, sightings, concepts or events.
I think he’s one of the most insightful voices exploring the history of UFOs right now and we had a really interesting conversation about his interest in this subject and the novel approach adopted to exploring it’s many fascinating characters. Albert K Bender, John Keel, Mothman, Hellier and a whole lot more were discussed.
You can find The Saucer Life podcast here and his books are available on Amazon.
For the full clip of the 1947 Kenneth Arnold radio interview click here.
Podcast Image: Thinkstock
Intro Music: 'Hubbub' from Purple Planet Music.
 
 

Episode 15 - Siân Esther Powell - Lady Charlotte Guest and the Mabinogion

This weeks episode is about a remarkable woman from Victorian Wales called Lady Charlotte Guest and her quest to preserve the folklore and legends of her adopted homeland, which would be published as the Mabinogion, widely regarded today as one of the most important collections of medieval prose literature in Europe. The stories it contains began life as part of an oral storytelling tradition in Britains ancient past, featuring political intrigue, bickering royalty, warring armies, noble warriors, brave princesses, wizards, magical technology, trickster like anti heroes, monsters and many other archetypal characters and settings. Before it’s publication there was no such genre of fantasy fiction and it’s influence on our understanding of Arthurian legend as well as other works by authors such as J.R.R Tolkien, Evangeline Walton, Alan Garner and Robert Holdstock cannot be taken for granted.
My guest is Siân Esther Powell. Siân is studying for Masters in Celtic Studies and is the creator and host of the excellent Celtic Myths and Legends Podcast. We talked about Lady Charlotte and the scale of the project she undertook to locate and preserve the stories that would make up the Mabinogion, explore what these stories can tell us about ancient Britain and the use of stories in that time to engage with the imagination, and of course look at one of the fantastic stories that make up this incredible work.
You can find Siân on Twitter here.

Episode 14 - Kellye McBride - The Haunted Worlds of Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson’s novel ‘The Haunting of Hill House’, written in 1959 is considered one of the best ghost stories of the 20th Century and is seen as highly influential in the depiction of hauntings in literature in modern times.
The protagonist of the story is Eleanor Vance. The novel opens with her travelling to the titular house to be part of a scientific investigation she has been invited to by Dr Montague. Eleanor is a troubled character and her arrival at Hill House instigates a series of unsettling events, that defy rational explanation. We’re never quite sure who or what is really behind the occurrences that happen at the house. It’s a fascinating portrayal of a haunting and was prescient in its depiction of how such events could be investigated scientifically, and how people would go on to theorise about the nature of ghosts and hauntings.
My guest for this episode is Kellye McBride. Kellye is a writer and journalist  and an expert on Shirley Jacksons work. We talk about The Haunting of Hill House and the events in the authors real life that may have inspired some elements of the story, and in other of her novels such as The Lottery and We Have Always Lived in the Castle.  These highly imaginative stories all contain troubled characters trapped in an unfriendly setting, which prompts disturbing events which are hard to fully understand.
Although works of fiction, it is clear that Shirley Jackson drew inspiration from real life and this episode is ultimately a discussion of how the ideas and themes in her works can be used to explore the weirdness of the real world today.
Kellye's excellent articles on the Sublime Horror website can be found here:
https://www.sublimehorror.com/books/legacy-shirley-jacksons-hill-house/
https://www.sublimehorror.com/books/the-lottery-banality-of-evil/