The Soul & the Star

Certain myths, certain stories, contain such nourishment that they continue to unfold throughout our whole lives. The poet Lorca describes an old women who glimpsed a saint—Santiago—and was gifted a star. When children asked if the star had left, like a temporary enchantment, she replied: “No, my sons, the star still shines brightly, for I carry her nailed to my soul.” Join Dr. Martin Shaw for an evening of stories and poems that he believes have such vitality, they still speak to us in the early 21st century. From the fairy tale tradition through to his recent translations of Irish and Welsh lyric poetry, we will be looking for the moments in the tale that claim your wonder. Sponsored by Point Reyes Books and Black Mountain Circle.

About Martin Shaw: Martin Shaw is widely regarded as one of the most exciting teachers of the mythic imagination. He is the author of the award winning A Branch From The Lightning Tree and Snowy Tower: Parzival and the Wet Black Branch of Language. Director of the Westcountry School of Myth in the UK, Shaw also devised and led the Oral Tradition course at Stanford University. He was the principal teacher at the Great Mother conference in the US. Recent collaborations have included Old Gods with Mark Rylance and Paul Kingsnorth at the Edinburgh Book festival. His translations of Gaelic poetry and folklore (with Tony Hoagland) have been published in Orion Magazine, Poetry International, Kenyon Review, Poetry Magazine, and Mississippi Review.

About Black Mountain Circle: Black Mountain Circle (BMC) is a nonprofit in Point Reyes Station, CA, that explores the relationship between spirit, story, and place. BMC programs include author events, retreats, book groups, and writing workshops for youths and adults as well as the biennial Geography of Hope Conference and the literary journal, West Marin Review.