from the editor:
here a dream. swallows return. an invisible haling. canting wings over small boats and whitethorn, pear blossom and the old bride well. who knows what secrets move in the eaves. nests filled with promise. eyes in the low hills. moths on apples. warm ground. life.
in this slow spurt to spring warming i find myself dreaming of these wondrous birds and all they invite back into the landscape. this week the writing and art of James Roberts has inspired. he wrote a lovely swallow essay. his view comes from the wilds of Wales and his substack newsletter is filled with winged bodies of a certain beauty.
last week i came across an exquisite piece of non fiction. “Wild: Tales from Medieval Britain”. Written by Amy Jeffs, the best selling author of Storyland, she takes us through an elemental, archeological and poetic journey through the early medieval tales of Britain and a thrilling insight into the way they might have thought and felt about the wild landscape of their land. it is an absorbing, mysterious read, filled with empathy for the people of those far distant times and their relationship with the natural world.
and for a while now i have been enjoyably haunted by the art of Cathy Cullis. she crafts tiny paintings, embroidered paintings and broaches. all filled with ancient faces. look in on us from their once lived lives. small yet abundant in presence you can find her here and on IG.
i hope that you have enjoyed this steep into the seeds and sparks of the winged moon. our magazine is still open for poetry, prose, micro fiction and art submissions until May 21 on the theme ‘ANCIENT’ and will be out as a print version and here on substack shortly after. you can send your work to thewingedmoonmagazine@gmail.com.
Until next time
Jai Michelle Louissen
EIC The Winged Moon
The book cover of Amy Jeffs reminds me of some stunning old & twisted trees that I used to visit. The cover looks like a Lino print - lovely work ❤️
Those book covers are beautiful!