With 5 seminars down, and 4 to go, the ‘Untouchable England’ series of
lunch time talks at MERL seminars have been a great success. I especially
enjoyed Greta Bertram’s exemplary introduction to the complexity of
‘intangible heritage’, and Jonnie Robinson’s challenging and informative
account of dialect change.
Next week sees a double bill. First up, from 1 o’clock on the 4th of March,
is an introduction to the Museum of British Folklore by its curator, Simon
Costin. Costin is an internationally significant figure in art, jewellery,
and set design, as well as being a master situationist. Expect a
thrilling, surprising and thought provoking talk.
Following this, a poetry reading from Obby Robinson. Robinson will be
launching his new collection, The Witch House of Canewdon and Other Poems.
The poems are a loose reworking of folk and witchcraft traditions. Praise
for this work has come from our very own Dr Conor Carville who states:
“Obby Robinson has a hotline to the Olde Weird England for sure, but these
wonderful poems, channelling long-dead parsons and spectral Victorian
children, are also full of the most contemporary insights into the way we
read and tell stories.” It’s going to be a good one!
The image above is taken from one of Wig Sayell’s illustrations to
Obby Robinson’s book. For more, see http://wigsayell.co.uk
There is also a facebook link for the event.
