Folklore Foray 1 Fundraiser

An online evening of talks from-

Crystal Hollis- How to Read a Wall: A Crash Course in Historic Graffiti

In her talk, Crystal will be exploring what historic graffiti can tell us about our expression of self and our place in our communities. Crystal Hollis has spent the many years staring at walls and deciphering their stories. Now, as a PhD student at the University of Exeter, she specialises primarily in church graffiti and how it relates to the social culture of the past. Her previous work includes the discovery of medieval inscriptions in a transplanted chapel in the USA, and several in-depth looks at graffiti in Southwark Cathedral, Exeter Cathedral, and several churches in Suffolk.

Richard Sugg- Time Slips

Richard Sugg is a lecturer in Renaissance Literature at the University of Durham. He is the author of several books: Fairies: A Dangerous History, Mummies, Cannibals and Vampires: The History of Corpse Medicine from the Middle Ages to the Falun Gong, The Smoke of the Soul: Science, Religion and the Invention of the Self, The Real Vampires: Death, Terror and the Supernatural and others.

Sian Esther Powell- Giants of Cornwall

Some say Cornwall was once inhabited by a race of Giants. The Cornish landscape, with its rocky outcrops and prehistoric archaeology, lends itself to these many stories. Learn more about the Giants of Cornwall and how you can survive and even trick them!

Siân is an independent folklorist, host of the Celtic Myths and Legends Podcast and a Cornish museum professional.

Amy Boucher- 'There's summat to be seen'- the many ghosts of shropshire'

The talk will take the format of a whistle stop tour of Shropshire, via its ghost stories. We will focus on the stories themselves, as well as what we can discern from them, and how we can use them as a tool of interpreting history.

Elizabeth Hopkinson- Asexual Fairy Tales

Asexuality is a little-known and misunderstood orientation with scant representation in fiction. But within fairy tales, myths & legends, asexual representation is hiding in plain sight, in characters, motifs and symbolism. Includes a short reading from the forthcoming More Asexual Fairy Tales.

Elizabeth Hopkinson is the author of the Asexual Fairy Tales series. She was featured in the BBC’s We Are Bradford project, and was on Stonewall's first ace/aro panel.

Her short stories have appeared in The Forgotten & the Fantastical and Dancing with Mr Darcy, along with many other anthologies and magazines. Her story “A Short History of the Dream Library” won the James White Award.

Elizabeth has appeared at Leeds LGBT+ Literature Festival, Ilkley Literature Festival Fringe and Swanwick Writers’ Summer School. She lives in Bradford with her husband, daughter and cat.

Elizabeth is a romantic asexual and is committed to asexual representation in fiction.

A wonderful line up of speakers bringing a wide range of folklore knowledge and interest! Many thanks for their donation of time and insight to help support the work of the Centre.