This month's Special Dispatch is a discussion of the Maggie Wall Witch Monument near Dunning in Perth. I visited the monument in November and found the votive offerings there interesting from a folkloristic perspective. Read it here: csmaccath.com/astone... #scotland #witches #folkloristics

I was up at sunrise to attend an Eco-Mythology Winter Symposium on Brussels time and snapped this photo while the kettle was heating up. What a fitting way to begin the day.

New publication date: 'Stories of the Stones: Imagining Prehistory in Britain, Ireland, and Brittany' will be published by Reaktion Books in the UK on 13 April. Pre-order through your favourite bookseller! #BookSky

Not certain why I never read C.J. Cherryh's Morgaine series back in the day, but I'm about to finish it now, and it's a masterpiece. I'm so taken with Morgaine and Vanye, but I especially like Chei as a villain. So utterly unreliable and so utterly convincing.

Many thanks to Emilia Leese and the Think Like a Vegan podcast for giving me the opportunity to discuss my PhD research project. I hope it's of help to researchers and activists alike. #vegan #veganism

Issue 4, Autumn 2025 of THE DAILY TOMORROW went out over the weekend, in which editor Jeffrey Sun had kind things to say about "A Mouth Full of Stones." Find the issue here: dailytomorrow.substa...

The January 2026 Folkbyte is posted, with news of my work, archival poetry, and a Gaelic blessing of the season from the Carmina Gadelica. Find it here: csmaccath.com/januar...

Hey, SpecList! Would it be helpful for me to set up a feed for new releases? I'm looking for a way to read in advance of awards season, and I thought it might be helpful to set something up that authors/publishers could contribute to when a novel, short story, poem, etc. is released. Your thoughts?

For those of you who follow the Folklore & Fiction project, are waiting on The Storyteller's Guide to Folklore, or simply want a dose of animism and folklore once a month, remember that you can sign up for the Folkbyte newsletter at: csmaccath.com/user/r...

It's been a banner year, and I didn't want to fare it well without writing about it. Here's the post: csmaccath.com/blog/2025InR...

It's been a banner year, and I didn't want to fare it well without writing about it. Here's the post: csmaccath.com/blog/2025InR...

Finishing up a pile of year-end writing maintenance. I might have mentioned that I run my career from an internal wiki using the same CMS that runs Wikipedia (MediaWiki). I've just updated to the latest LTS version and love the new look and functionality. Do any of you keep a personal wiki?

Sean gave me a book nook kit for Yuletide, and we put it together over the last couple of days. I had never built a model of any kind before, but I loved, loved, loved building this! Also, I think it's adorable.

Field Notes for Storytellers is finally open. It took longer than expected to upload the video modules, but first courses are often like that. Now to rest and celebrate for a few days. I'll leave you with this photo of Maddy running in the snow. May we all have such joy. Glad Yule, friends.

Field Notes for Storytellers is now open for enrolment! Learn more about the course and sign up here: csmaccath.store/b/fieldnotes...

I've made another round of updates to my eligibility and recommendations link post. Keep sending your links my way! acwise.net/what-have-yo...

Field Notes for Storytellers is now available for pre-order and will launch on the Winter Solstice, December 21st. Here's a preview of the fourth module, which helps you build a technology tool kit for your research and writing. You can sign up for the course here: csmaccath.store/b/fi...

Early morning at Bean There in Baddeck. Sean is dropping the truck off at the shop, and Christmas carols are playing on the radio. I love our village, but especially on early, quiet mornings like this one.

Field Notes for Storytellers is now available for pre-order and will launch on the Winter Solstice, December 21st. Here's a preview of the third module, which helps you implement extra security measures for important but thorny research. You can sign up for the course here: csmaccath.store/b/fi...

Field Notes for Storytellers is now available for pre-order and will launch on the Winter Solstice, December 21st. Here's a preview of the second module, which teaches storytellers the basics of archival and ethnographic research. You can sign up for the course here: csmaccath.store/b/fi...

Field Notes for Storytellers is now available for pre-order and will launch on the Winter Solstice, December 21st. Here's a preview of the first module, which helps you create a research workflow for world-building and storytelling. You can sign up for the course here: csmaccath.store/b/fi...

A great list of free resources, here.

Here also is the afterword for my story, which you can preview at the link below or subscribe to THE DAILY TOMORROW and receive in full.

Gentle Readers: My short story "A Mouth Full of Stones" is now available to read in its entirety from THE DAILY TOMORROW. Many thanks to the editors for printing it, and If you're nominating in this year's Hugos, Nebulas, Auroras, etc. please do allow me to recommend it to your attention.

So, I recently converted to Buddhism, but I still celebrate Christmas. I just wrap myself in paper, sit under the tree, ...and live in the present. =D

Jólakötturinn says you better hope Grandma knitted you a pair of ugly socks, and you better be wearing them at Christmas. (Am I the only person who thinks Yule Cat folklore was probably invented by grandmothers?)

ICYMI: Part Two of my story is up! The instalments drop at noon each day this week, and you can find them by clicking on the links in the previous instalment or by subscribing to the magazine and receiving them in your inbox.

In my mug this morning: Cream Earl Grey from the World Tea House in Halifax. On my agenda: setting up Field Notes for Storytellers slide decks. What's in your mug and on your agenda today?

Happy New Story Sunday! This week, we have a mythic masterpiece with roots in all sorts of places by the Canadian science fiction writer, poet, playwright, and folklorist Ceallaigh S. MacCath-Moran (@csmaccath.com). This story rocks.

Hello Lovelies! I'm just popping in to tell you that my new story "A Mouth Full of Stones" has begun serializing today at @thedailytomorrow.bsky.social. I hope you'll give it a read.

The December 2025 Folkbyte newsletter went out yesterday with news about forthcoming short fiction, critical introductions, academic articles, and courses for storytellers. There's also a brief discussion of last month's High Seat ceremony in the UK. -> folkloreandfiction.com/december2025

Field Notes for Storytellers: Research, Security, and the Archival Muse fills a wide gap in storytelling instruction by helping you organize and conduct the research that underpins the stories you tell. Sign up to be notified when the course launches at folkloreandfiction.com.

The photo is mine, but the description comes from the Luss Church website: "A rare Viking-era grave monument carved to resemble a longhouse roof, dating from around the 11th century. Its pattern of “roof tiles” and later Romanesque arcading mark Norse influence on early Christian art in Scotland."

New course! Field Notes for Storytellers: Research, Security, and the Archival Muse fills a wide gap in storytelling instruction by helping you organize and conduct the research that underpins the stories you tell. Learn more at the link below. ---> csmaccath.com/courses #folkloristics

This is one of the stones left at the Maggie Wall Witch Monument in Dunning, Scotland. In case you can't read it, the inscription says "For the failed women of Scotland. You still deserve so much better." I'll have more to write about this in the Special Dispatches series in the coming year.

Please consider Locus in your Year-End Giving today on Giving Tuesday! We are a reader and donor-supported non-profit, and your donation today will be matched! If you enjoy our reviews, interviews, and recommendations, donate at bwc.io/locus2025 (link in bio)! Thank you!

BCS Patreon has fallen below the monthly amount we need to pay our authors a pro rate and our First Readers a worthy honorarium ($125/mo). Sometimes folks need to lower or pause their support; we understand. But less than 1% of BCS readership donates or supports. www.patreon.com/beneath_ceas... 1/3

I found this fellow guarding the door of an artisan's market in Killin, in the Scottish Highlands, when I was there a few weeks ago. Am I the only person thinking "Fenrir" here?

What does the rebel alliance have to do with storytelling? Depends on the story you're researching and the people who want that research. My first Winter Solstice course can help you navigate around them. Sign up for the Folkbyte newsletter at folkloreandfiction.com to be notified when it drops.

I'm delighted to announce that my story "A Mouth Full of Stones" will be serialized starting December 7th in THE DAILY TOMORROW, a new professional speculative fiction magazine with an old-fashioned sensibility. I hope you'll give it a read! www.thedailytomorrow.com

Listening to a didactic novel on audiobook right now so pushy my eyes might be stuck, they've rolled so often. I'll be writing about it in a paper, so I'm not going to divulge the name of the book or the author, but it's been really educational for me as a storyteller.

Smithsonian Folklife just released an oral history interviewing guide for people who want to interview family members, neighbours, and friends about the history, culture, and tradition they bear. Here's hoping this sort of conversation finds its way around your Thanksgiving table. #folklore

I bought this beautiful version of Tam Lin at the Abbotsford book store in Scotland because I just couldn't stop looking at the illustrations. Here are a few favourites.

Finally made those Swedish cardamom buns I dreamed about a few months ago. I've never had them, but they turned out beautifully.

Announcing: The Fall, 2025 issue of Forgotten Ground Regained, featuring modern English poetry in Norse and Icelandic forms. 17 poems, 3 articles, with loads of info for the curious (& some great poems!) alliteration.net/current-issue/ #alliterative #poetry #poetrysky #poetrylovers #BlueSkyPoets

Have you ever just wanted someone to leave a plate of garlic bread and a pot of tea at your desk because Winter Is Coming, and it's all you want to eat, but you need to keep working? Yeah, me neither.