Enchanting the landscape
“Paths are not simply utilitarian but infinitely more than that. They are connections not just from one place to another but from the present to the past…” (Robert Macfarlane)
This weekend I saw nature writer Robert Macfarlane performing poems from his book, The Lost Spells. As I listened to his evocative and rhythmic spell-poems, I was reminded of Geert’s October 22 newsletter, where he discussed how we “shape and reshape” landscapes by walking through them.
Macfarlane has been described as a magician – “one who weaves spells using lost phrases that recall a different connection with our landscape”. He aims not just to reshape the landscape but to re-enchant it. For many years, Macfarlane has been building a glossary of words and phrases that will allow us to converse with nature. He wants us to remember how to speak to the natural world and for us to listen to what it has to say. He collects ancient words like ‘daunder’, ‘stravaig’ and ‘twack’, to describe types of ruminative walking without a fixed purpose or goal.
His book The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot, is a meditation on walking and writing, exploring the ancient network of routes that criss-cross the British Isles, and “the landscape of the mind and feet that they create”.
Geert discussed Lucius Burckhardt’s 'science of walking', and Burckhardt’s observation that walking stimulates questions. For Macfarlane, walking can also tune us in to nature’s wavelength, and this a form of magic. It brings the natural world to life for us, enabling us to hear and understand its truths.
We’re looking forward to seeing some of this magic in the walking art submitted to Marŝarto 24. Artists have until 31 October to submit their work for a chance to share their vision with a global audience and win cash prizes.
Regarding landscapes of the mind, next month in Walking America we welcome poets Cole Swensen and Lisa Robertson in conversation with Ann de Forest - talking walking and creativity, wild landscapes to urban streets, and how walking informs their artistic practices. 13 November.
And on the theme of enchantment, we’re excited to welcome Sarah Royston for a chat about her new book Fernseed: A Collection of Tales - exploring ancient landscapes, non-human voices, and queer narratives. November 19.
And for those who find Lucius Burckhardt’s 'science of walking' resonates more with them, why not help us develop a proposal for the Royal Society of Chemists Outreach Fund. To find out more and learn how you can get involved contact: [email protected]
|
Writer, walker, digital storyteller, psychogeographer
|
|
|
Supported by:
Placecloud
Researchers use Placecloud to mark sites of significance with short podcasts.
|
Free for supporting members, open to everyone
|
2024-11-13 18:00
· Online
Walking America Turtle Island* welcomes two poets, Cole Swensen and Lisa Robertson, who embrace walking as fundamental to their creative practices, and often as subject matter too. Cole Swensen’s On Walking On (Nightboat Books, 2017) interweaves short poetic chronicles of particular walks with poetic commentary on othe... Keep reading
|
Latest podcast episodes
|
Join @thebuzzknight for this episode with singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman. Known for her deeply emotional and healing music, Beth shares insights in this mus... Start listening
|
|
Author Robyn O’Brien joins Libby for a ‘Walk & Talk’ to discuss her new book Seeding Innovation, which offers guidance on finding the courage and mindset to fulfill... Start listening
|
|
Join @thebuzzknight for this in-depth conversation with film director Thom Zimny, discussing the new Bruce Springsteen Hulu Documentary “Road Diary.” The film chron... Start listening
|
Support walk · listen · create
walk · listen · create is a member-supported organisation. If you like what we do, and want to see more of it, please become a supporting member.
You will be facilitating a more sustainable organisation and you will contribute to larger prizes for both the SWS and Marŝarto awards. And, as a supporting member, you get free access to our online cafés.
Support us from 5 euros per month. It’s even a bit cheaper if you commit for a whole year. Check out the details.
New walking pieces
|
A short series of encounters and responses made in the Spoonbed Valley in rural Gloucestershire Keep reading
|
Upcoming events
|
27 Oct - 3 Nov, 2024
· Online
British Summer Time is a series of short sunrise walks in consideration of the time change. Over ten seasons, walkers from across Europe and the Americas have joine... Keep reading
|
|
2024-10-27 13:00
· 1 Quaker Street, London E1 6SZ, United Kingdom
The fifth walk with Alisa Oleva in October will be an invitation to move with the city and let the city move you. How do you move in the city? How does the city mov... Keep reading
|
|
2024-11-02 17:00
· Kent Av/N 6 St, Brooklyn, NY 11249, USA
Join a small group for mindful city walks. Engage in simple tasks that help you slow down, explore your surroundings, notice details, and connect with the city. Red... Keep reading
|
From our network
|
Welcome back to The Book Bag. Last week, I shared my thoughts on The Language of Bees by Rae Howells. This week, between Sax practice, attending my … The Book Bag ... Keep reading
|
|
Assis sur un banc de pierre, tout près de chez moi. Une petite ville provinciale. Quartier came, tous les commerces sont fermés à cette heure. 21 heure milieu octob... Keep reading
|
|
If you’re in the Twin Cities region, I’m excited to share I will have a work in the Twin Cities Collage Collective‘s upcoming North Star Collage book and in-person ... Keep reading
|
|
Source: Listening to Listening with Matshidiso | The Showroom Keep reading
|
|
Fresh new version of Henrik Ibsen’s masterpiece The Wild Duck performed by a talented troupe of Norwegian actors. Read my full Broadway World review here
Keep reading
|
|
A MISCELLLANY OF HISTORY A TEXTUAL WEAVING OF A CABINET OF CURIOSITIES A TEXTUAL SAMPLER Chapter Four A few short years after our walk along Stroud’s High Street i... Keep reading
|
|
Ye Stroude Walking Football and Ye Heavens It is reported that members of Ye Stroude Walking Footballe intend to gather for a ramble of Ye Heavens on Sunday Octobe... Keep reading
|
|
When I made a quick visit to the Eyre Peninsula in late 2023 with Maleko, our standard poodle, we camped overnight at Iron Knob in the Middleback Range. I wanted to... Keep reading
|
Latest videos
|
Author Duncan Minshull is the guest in a Walking Writers Salon, talking about his approach to editing and compiling his latest anthology Globetrotting: Writers Walk the World. In his new book, Duncan Minshull, the UK’s ‘laureate of walking’, brings together the recorded footfalls of over fifty walker-writers who have ... Keep reading
|
Stuff we found
|
After years of trudging along paths, I’ve learned to stop seeing their completion as an accomplishment. Source: An ode to aimless wandering – New Statesman Keep reading
|
|
A new exhibition at MAM in Shanghai sees Marina Abramović relive her three-month-long walk along the Great Wall of China. Source: Marina Abramović on Her Epic Walk ... Keep reading
|
Follow us on social media
