In Cumbria recently, I visited two monuments which – it occurred to me – oddly have something in common. I’ll get back to that. Heading for the Maryport Literature & Arts festival in March, I stopped off at Penrith and walked up Penrith Beacon, a fine precipitous wooded hill (‘fell’ in local parlance) overlooking the […] The post ODD MONUMENTS appeared first on Grevel Lindop.| Grevel Lindop
In Ambleside a few days ago to give a lecture, I decided to spend the afternoon walking up to Stockghyll Force, the lovely small waterfalls in the woods uphill behind Ambleside. The weather had been rainy so the Force was full and quite spectacular. Stockghyll has always been a favourite of mine, and especially so […] The post KEATS’S FIRST WATERFALL appeared first on Grevel Lindop.| Grevel Lindop
Margaret Cropper (1886-1980) is a poet about whom I’ve long been enthusiastic. I discovered her work when I was preparing my Literary Guide to the Lake District – her poems turned up in the Manchester Central Library and I’d never heard of her. I read her narrative poem Little Mary Crosbie and was stunned: it’s […] The post MARGARET CROPPER: REDISCOVERING A LAKELAND POET appeared first on Grevel Lindop.| Grevel Lindop
I finally got out for a good walk yesterday – it’s been too long. I climbed Shutlingsloe – the odd little crooked pyramid that dominates the south-east corner of the Forest – after crossing the peaty moorland you can see in the photo. Not a great picture I’m afraid but at least it gives some […] The post SPRING IN MACCLESFIELD FOREST appeared first on Grevel Lindop.| Grevel Lindop
I’m delighted today to receive three volumes of the new edition of the novels of Charles Williams being produced by the US publisher Apocryphile. They’ve designed the covers beautifully, and these are really the first edition to do justice to these amazing books since they first appeared in the 1930s. […]| Grevel Lindop
Sometimes a book of poems comes along that I really want to draw attention to. Such a book is Ian Marriott’s pamphlet collection Touched, just published by the excellent Cinnamon Press. Ian Marriott’s poems are remarkably economical: invariably he uses very small brief stanzas, each one provoking thought before you move on to the next. […] The post Ian Marriott: Touched appeared first on Grevel Lindop.| Grevel Lindop
I’m delighted to announce that The Book Mill, an excellent Northern publisher, has just published a new edition of Travels on the Dance Floor – my story of adventures pursuing dance in Latin America. It was a delight to write and a chance to share the adventures I had not only with dance and music […] The post UNTIL WE CAN TRAVEL AGAIN… appeared first on Grevel Lindop.| Grevel Lindop
My grandfather, I’ve been told, was something of a magician. At any rate, he left behind him a substantial collection of occult books. Unfortunately, I never saw this collection: when he died, my parents (not from any motive of disapproval, but simply because they were tired, and had had enough of dealing with his possessions) […]| Grevel Lindop
I’ve often felt frustrated that, although I’ve worked with the Tarot on and off since I was 16, I’ve never been able to remember the order of the Trumps. A couple of weeks ago, I thought of making up a rhyme to help recall the numbers. So I did it. It’s just doggerel but others […] The post A RHYME FOR THE TAROT appeared first on Grevel Lindop.| Grevel Lindop
Spread the loveWe all know that many people have lost their jobs, or part-time work hours, owing to the pandemic. Not far from here, 49%of children in Clifford Ward, Old Trafford are living in poverty.* After the pandemic it could be worse. This won’t be solved just with food parcels. People need long term solutions. […]| Grevel Lindop
