The Month of May

Just a brief update on what I have been up to over the past few weeks. Obviously my PhD has been taking up the spotlight as I hone my chapters into what now feels like coherence as opposed to randomness. My current thinking is a trio/triptych/trinity of chapters looking at plant kinship, agency, affect and enchantment with ecofeminism as the main focus and lens. Whilst not working on that, I have been involved in the launch of a PGR-led journal at York St John University within which I had a paper on epistemic harm as experienced by wortcunners in academia, and have also been involved in the York International Shakespeare Festival. This event was particularly interesting and fun as I got to work with year 8 students from around York, YSJ staff and students and visitors from Ukraine and Germany. Whilst not particularly au fait with the works of Shakespeare, I was able to get involved via the plants mentioned in his plays, namely, apple blossom, cowslip, rosemary, hawthorn, and thyme. As usual, my role was to share the vibrant tales of folklore surrounding these plants, including, amongst my favourites, an apple divination ritual for love, a handkerchief stitched with thyme for protection and a warning against irate cowslip-dwelling fae. I’ve also finally acquired an ogham stave set made from corresponding wood and promise to write a longer article about this soon.