Bog Witch
A semi-mystical immersion into wild wetland habitats: their myths; magic; and meaning
by Mab Jones
Encompassing nature writing, life writing, poetry, and magical memoir from a working-class woman’s perspective whilst drawing from history, science, mythology and folklore, Bog Witch is a lyrical, semi-mystical immersion into wild wetland areas. From fens to peatlands, mires to marshes, swamps to lagoons, these diverse habitats are more than just mud, offering a richesse of flora and fauna, herbs and healing plants, as well as an unusual opportunity for our own inner healing and spiritual growth. With a structure inspired by the chant of the three witches in Macbeth – which features a host of native wetland flora and fauna – Bog Witch will lead its readers into the gloam of these seemingly gloomy spots, enlightening them, endeavouring to entertain, explore, explain, and enrich. Join poet Mab Jones on her journey into the wilds and learn how brightness and beauty, birdsong and brilliance, exist even in the darkest, most misunderstood places.
REVIEW
5 out of 5
This was a brilliant blend of memoir, eco-awareness, folklore, and magic. Jones has done a great job of bringing the wetlands, and their importance, to life. Woven among scenes from her own life, she masterfully brings to life how important nature is, not just to our continued survival, but magical practices. One of my favorite parts was the comparison between Mother Earth and how humans approach her, and how many persons approach women’s bodies and existence similarly. Especially with everything that’s happening right now – the wars, ecological destruction, and women’s rights sliding backwards, no matter how slowly. We just went through a nasty heatwave where I live, one that is practically unprecedented for this time of year, setting record high temperatures. Even if you aren’t a hedge witch, Earth is a key part of your magic, it’s inescapable. Everyone, whether following an earth-based path or not, should read this book.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mab Jones is a “unique talent” (The Times). She has read her poems all over the UK, in the US, Ireland, France, and Japan; at festivals such as Green Man and Latitude; on BBC Radio 4; and supporting television’s Phill Jupitus at the Edinburgh Fringe. She was the first Resident Poet in the National Botanic Garden of Wales, and has also been Resident Writer at the Dylan Thomas Boathouse. She is the winner of many awards and accolades, including the John Tripp Spoken Poetry Audience Prize, the Neil Gaiman Word Factory Short Story Competition, and the Rabbit Heart Poetry Film Festival Grand Jury Prize. She was the recent recipient of a Creative Wales Award, and her second collection, take your experience and peel it (Indigo Dreams, 2016) was winner of the Geoff Stevens Memorial Poetry Prize.
Her first collection, Poor Queen, was published by Burning Eye Books. She has also been published in various newspapers and journals e.g. the Spectator; has appeared on Made in Cardiff TV; is the founder editor of Black Sheep; has blogged for Mslexia magazine; and organises events, which have included the first Welsh editions of Pecha Kucha Night (from Japan), Literary Death Match (from the US), 100,000 Poets for Change (worldwide), UK Slam! Championships (London) and more. Currently, Mab runs International Dylan Thomas Day, is a freelance writer for the New York Times, and teaches at Cardiff University.
