(Click to see full size with greater detail)

Another piece from my New Book "Chantry Circuitry". It is a series of poetic calls and incantations to Mystical and Archetypal figures. The Mandalas are meditation tools constructed from manipulated  images of the poetry.

The Audio features a reading by me - as opposed to an automated voiceover.

Print and Kindle Version of "Chantry Circuitry" Now Available 

Hardback Print Edition

Amazon Kindle Edition

Call To Desire

I call you, O Rising Desire
To shake the bolted room.
Wind and tinder awaiting fire.
The opening scarlet bloom.

Rose seduction, pointing thorn.
Heat soars towards midday.
The rainbow meets the storm.
My will aligns with the way.

Focused passion, Occam’s point.
Needle trail through glooming forest.
Tamed labyrinth, straightened joints.
Aimless adventure becomes a quest.

Directed flame, forge, Desire.
Heat shapes unyielding steel.
Bridging inch from hand to spire.
Beating wings within my heels.

Happy Tomes Tuesday

Other serial writers here on Substack are listed below. Take a look and see what stories are being weaved by these teller of tales:

Print and Kindle Version of “Chantry Circuitry” Now Available

Hardback Print Edition

Amazon Kindle Edition

If you enjoyed this poem and artwork - have a look at the various print options available from redbubble.com.

https://www.redbubble.com/i/poster/Call-To-The-Sun-by-Graeme-McA/179384402/flk2?asc=u

Thank you for your time as always
Graeme

Subscribe to Claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks. Subscribing also gives you the chance to have YOUR WORK featured in my “McAllister’s Mates” review section.

PS If you enjoyed this, and want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering) - consider clicking the button below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

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A Happy Easter to you and your families - a contemplation on the story.

The Audio features a reading by me - as opposed to an automated voiceover.

East Star
Setting moon dragged to the horizon.
Time and gravity cling, rusted mildew
Dragging purest light west and down.
Oh guiding light, comfort pulled below.

The weary orb that bears the burden,
Mapping earth's hungry eating holes.
Small stars’ efforts blink and burn,
Fragments unequal to the whole.

The dread hill swallows last light,
Shapes swarm, patch black darker.
Veins crave, eyes weep, breath tight.
Night travellers feel fullest danger.

The long cold hours holding court,
A sinking world, weak and sour.
Bursting dawn, the burning point
Piercing cloud's sable armour.

Terror and triumph torch the sky.
Flaming tongues speak one word
Of  breathing,  blood  and  infinity.
Darkness destroyed on tip of sword.

Endless blue flows wide and high.
Birds sing, smiles stretch, buds open.
Peace and purity of a spring sky.
Cycled Sacrifice of moon and sun.

If you enjoyed this poem and artwork - have a look at the various print options available from redbubble.com.

https://www.redbubble.com/i/photographic-print/East-Star-by-Graeme-McA/170094201/zltf

Thank you for your time as always
Graeme

Subscribe to Claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks. Subscribing also gives you the chance to have YOUR WORK featured in my “McAllister’s Mates” review section.

PS If you enjoyed this, and want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering) - consider clicking the button below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me A Coffee

McAllister’s Mates - An ongoing series of reviews of some of the wonderful articles, poems, and stories I’ve discovered on Substack (and other places) and more importantly the beautiful souls behind the works.

P.S Subscribe for your chance to get your work reviewed here!

Please take a few moments to read the works of these authors, artists, and creators and if you find their work as life-affirming and life changing as I do, then please let them know. We need to support and cherish these voices.

You can meet some of my other friends in the previous instalments: 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me a Coffee

I’ve noticed a few odd coincidences (Jung might call them synchronicities) in the academic/scientific literature that’s crossed my path recently. Scientists and serious academics are grappling with questions about the interplay between imagination and lived experience that I’ve stumbled upon through poetic contemplation.

This brings me to the exciting work of Jaime Horrocks, PhD. The opening lines sparkle, expressing disdain for the linear metaphors of ladders as applied to psychological development. A wonderful rejection of Newtonian physics (which actually falls far short of how the physical world really operates) as applied to self. In a world where we learn facts to achieve test scores to obtain the “good job” to achieve status to earn better distractions to drown out the voice inside us crying out for more - this is a call to pursue genuine understanding.

Indeed a rejection of these traditional hierarchies and leaderboards seems to be a very necessary step towards something like self-actualisation. However, I’m aware of how dangerous gamified terms like enlightenment and self-actualisation are in the investigation of self - ladders masquerading as bridges.

This article not only points out the mistakes of our current paradigm, which is causing vast harm both to our internal and external worlds, it also offers an alternative, and perhaps more importantly a practice. A psychic (of the mind, not supernatural) method of investigation, recording, and understanding much like the scientific method (when applied without the pressures of politics and private funding - a rant for another day). There are rich contemplations and questions here that cause the reader to doubt their current standing but not themselves, and to embrace confidence in their entire being but not external achievements. I will not quote these questions here as I feel that you must come to them in the manner and order of Jaime’s writing so that your mind is primed and fully receptive to the wisdom they contain.

The article is bridged by a wonderful poem that weaves together all the ideas and concepts already discussed. While certainly enjoyable, memorable, and underpinning the emotions of these philosophical ideas, the poem actually works as a vital part of the process and cognitive journey the article takes us on. In a work devoted to using language to understand ourselves across all dimensions - this is an intelligent move. Academic writing, personal journaling, and poetic thought meet to create a space where we encounter our whole being.

To bring things full circle- this work found me at the perfect time. I’ve become convinced of the existence of a psychological space where art, linguistics, science, and even spirituality meet as equal partners. It is a place we can find not only within ourselves but also at a societal level - we can and we must come together there. Jaime’s work is an excellent road map to that greater state of being, I look forward to meeting you there.

The AutSide

Reading Between Worlds: The Meaning Map

What if growth were not a ladder, a rubric, or a neat arc of improvement? For many gestalt adults, meaning emerges spatially, relationally, and recursively. The real map is not progress—it is the changing shape of what now makes sense…

Read more

9 days ago · 13 likes · Jaime Hoerricks, PhD

and
This is a beautifully crafted lyrical ballad in the vein of Robert Browning’s Pied Piper of Hamelin and Alfred Lord Tennyson’s Lady of Shalott. This sort of epic poem that emphasises fantastical imagery and musicality is a sadly rare item in modern times. It is strange for a media landscape where fantasy stories are delivered thick and fast (to varying degrees of quality), that one of the richest and perhaps most appropriate forms of storytelling in fantasy literature is so neglected.

The imagery is timeless, weaving a creation myth of elven beings brought forth as an expression of a Goddess’ love and grace. Great battles, tragedy, daring, and hope follow. However, the lyrics also interweave very intriguing references to Daemons and night terrors. The overall dreamlike mood of the piece coupled with the references to Daemons (intermediary spirits between the mortal and spirit worlds - not to be confused with “demons”), bring the piece into the world of the metamyth. My personal feeling is that we’re not just walking through the telling of a magical story, we are also walking through the shared dream. The elves, I think, are the embodiment of our private fantasies - not flat, representational symbols but living entities building and growing together in a shared space. In that context perhaps the goblins and giants become the mundane pressures that would steal our dreams or twist them into stunted fantasies of worldly desire. We can only hope that our courage and spirit can raise its “silvery blade” in defence of our imaginations and perhaps even our minds.

Lyrical poetry at its best unites and deepens the layers of story, imagery, and contemplations through its cadences, melodies, and rhyming movements. The poem excels in this area: the scenes of mystery, tragedy, and rising hope gain weight and vitality through the musicality of the language. The metre and rhyming schemes create a song in the mind that reveals the words behind the words. Hard syllables bring to life clashing blades, the crunching march of armoured warriors and grinding teeth of monstrous goblins. Softer flowing movements and feminine rhymes catalyse the passage on the elves’ wisdom, the mystery of the Goddess, and the spirit of hopefulness that encircles the poem like gentle wings. This is a wonderful collaboration between a storyteller’s deep lore and fully formed characters, and a lyricist’s flowing language, and evocative imagery - I am looking forward to reading more from this wonderful partnership.

Shadows and Space

Aelendal's tears

This poem is the result of a collaborative effort between ArcadianWeald and myself. If you wish to learn more about the fantastical realm of God Aelendal, read the free novella Call Of The Winding Road here…

Read more

3 months ago · 38 likes · 102 comments · The Black Knight and ArcadianWeald

I hope you enjoy these beautiful works as much as I enjoyed reading and writing about it.

You can meet some of my other friends in the previous instalments: 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Substack has proven to be a treasure trove and I already have a few more gifted writers lined up for my next review newsletter.

P.S Subscribe for your chance to get your work reviewed here! You can also claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks.

If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me a Coffee

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A short break from my ongoing series "Chantry Circuitry" for this Tomes Tuesday. It is April Fools Day and a chance to celebrate. Writing about daffodils brings up some uncomfortable comparisons - and yes Wordsworth did it better!

The Audio features a reading by me - as opposed to an automated voiceover.

Avril Idiots
The grey, the gold, plot, observe.
But fools come garbed in yellow,
Naïve, brave, step and swerve
Cliff edges, gaping hollows.

Bulbs burst and stems stamp,
Patrons of fools and dancers.
First to throw winter’s wraps,
Defy frost's gripping pinchers.

Daffodils roar, trumpets blown,
Face wind whips, frozen swords,
Roses wait and claim the crown,
Riding summer’s sure rewards.

Poised pens and plucked strings
Braving trends, battle tastes
Nectar sun behind the stings
Of fearful ice delaying fate.

Note ropes and letter masts
Build ships of brave invention.
Frozen fields with yellow hats
Frightening stale convention.

Soft roses suck coin, acclaim
After tests and trials of Avril.
Sham artists timid, tame
Ride victories of the daffodils.

Happy Tomes Tuesday

Other serial writers here on Substack are listed below. Take a look and see what stories are being weaved by these teller of tales:

If you enjoyed this poem and artwork - have a look at the various print options available from redbubble.com.

https://www.redbubble.com/i/photographic-print/Avril-Idiots-by-Graeme-McA/169628264/zltf

Thank you for your time as always
Graeme

Subscribe to Claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks. Subscribing also gives you the chance to have YOUR WORK featured in my “McAllister’s Mates” review section.

PS If you enjoyed this, and want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering) - consider clicking the button below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me A Coffee

McAllister’s Mates - An ongoing series of reviews of some of the wonderful articles, poems, and stories I’ve discovered on Substack (and other places) and more importantly the beautiful souls behind the works.

P.S Subscribe for your chance to get your work reviewed here!

Please take a few moments to read the works of these authors, artists, and creators and if you find their work as life-affirming and life changing as I do, then please let them know. We need to support and cherish these voices.

You can meet some of my other friends in the previous instalments: 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me a Coffee

A poem dripping with atmosphere and a slow, quiet power. The tone and even the typographic shaping of the poem call to mind the severe sharp faces of rocky outcrops and sheer cliffs looking down uncaringly at mere mortals.

However, just as the wind whistles soulfully between those foreboding rocks, this poem’s opening lines hint at wonders to come, but just like John the traveller we must first submit to the uncomfortable feelings of isolation and smallness the words bring forth. Poems are sometimes pilgrimages taking us to places our busy, frantic minds would flee in terror from. Like John you must persevere through the rich melancholy of contemplations on aging and solitude. As the words lead you to the “fuller silence”, the change comes.

The poem moves from silence to spectacle as both the narrative and the imagery explode into vibrancy after solemn contemplation. A manifestation of Jesus appears before John but the poem takes a definite left turn away from traditional religious imagery. The figure of Jesus isn’t presented as a serene reassuring presence, but as an almost terrifying psychedelic vision wrapped in flames with a “voice of many waters”. This poem shows a wise, mature, and a very human understanding of what a supernatural encounter might actually feel like. Confronting your own insignificance in a cosmos where worlds are born, die, and feed their broken mass to a new generation in unimaginable bursts of cosmic energy.

In media imagery and the vast majority of religious art, the focus is often held on Jesus’ mortal life and its heartbreaking conclusion with the resurrection treated as something of a footnote after. At most a Pentecostal scene may be included as a “see he was special” bullet point, but rarely is the strangeness of some of the elements of the New Testament celebrated as it is here.

The line “a memory of eternity.” is an elegant summation of the poem’s core - the longing for the unknowable, the ironically alien state of living in a world of predictable, reliable mechanisms with little room for the mysterious or wondrous.

This is a poem exploring the space between the known self and the invasion or revelation of shocking states of consciousness. No matter your personal spiritual traditions or opinions, there is likely something for you to ponder. This is the voice of the constant within, yet forever unknowable. As we reach into the stranger aspects of art, faith, and our own imaginations, we realise the more we know, the less we understand.

Adrião Pereira da Cunha

Chapter XII – The Apocalypse of John

John had grown old…

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23 days ago · 9 likes · 2 comments · Adrião Pereira da Cunha

Three clicks from this page you will find a poetic musing on the moon - I’ve had a crack at it myself on more than one occasion. This poem, however, offers a very fresh and unique perspective. The opening tone is almost scathing and aligns more closely with postmodern criticisms of spirituality than with the age of classical romanticism. The moon is dismissed as a “counterfeit sun”, its eerie mirroring of its brother sun a coincidence of geometry. However, the same withering gaze then turns on us; it accuses humanity of abandoning our instinctual (and perhaps sacred) ties to the thirteen lunar seasons. We are condemned for our cowardice in allowing our lunar year to be supplanted by a twelve-month cycle of labour. The missing month, buried like Edgar Allan Poe’s tell tale heart, is a standout metaphor that underlines a deep sense of loss touching our collective soul. The poem’s scathing wit melts into a tender scene of two lovers in a place “where guilt ended and grace began”. As the poem’s narrative comes down from its gleaming acerbic tower into the warm earth, it moves into a final journey through the melancholy landscape of the soul, where the need for mystery is embraced again.

The poem approaches a moment of conscious transcendence as its opposing philosophies and perspectives embrace. A knowing critique of scientific reductionism and anthropomorphising celestial objects, while also a celebration of the pursuit of objective knowledge and a validation of the deeper reality buried in imaginative speculation. This approach of celebration and criticism creates an artfully crafted piece where two contradictory ideas fully meet without semantic gaps or broken logic. In the movements of this poem, the moon is both the watchful Luna and an interesting physical coincidence of a mundane collision of two planets. This understanding creates not only a deeper appreciation of the moon itself, but also a heightened state of awareness of the experienced environment. Just like the poem’s tender love scene, the earthly and ethereal meet, creating a power beyond both. In our travels through this poem, both the moon and (perhaps more importantly) the reader become something else entirely - if even for a moment.

The Loom

Poe´s Heart

There is a tongue that flickers in the grid’s unseen static, a frequency not spoken by God but by that cold coin in the night— borrowed light, thin as a lie, burning like truth when you stare too long. It hangs there, shaped and placed so it can counterfeit the sun, a stone the exact size of an absence at a distance we call miracle only because we can…

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a month ago · 33 likes · 12 comments · Adrian

I hope you enjoy these beautiful works as much as I enjoyed reading and writing about it.

You can meet some of my other friends in the previous instalments: 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Substack has proven to be a treasure trove and I already have a few more gifted writers lined up for my next review newsletter.

P.S Subscribe for your chance to get your work reviewed here! You can also claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks.

If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me a Coffee

(Click to see full size with greater detail)

Another piece from my New Book "Chantry Circuitry". It is a series of poetic calls and incantations to Mystical and Archetypal figures. The Mandalas are meditation tools constructed from manipulated  images of the poetry.

The Audio features a reading by me - as opposed to an automated voiceover.

Print and Kindle Version of "Chantry Circuitry" Now Available 

Hardback Print Edition

Amazon Kindle Edition

Call To The Sun
I call you, O Morning Sun,
Drama reprise anticipated.
Infant smiles play upon
The wary and the jaded.

New blossoms open faces,
Dark roots, deep and firm.
Kissing butterfly grace
Yet remembering the storm.

Long solitude, deep night.
Soul steps out of withdrawal
Bringing secrets into the light,
Morning cycle of renewal.

Sun lift your golden circle
Players stir behind the stage.
Light strikes the waiting anvil
Windows shine above the page.

Happy Tomes Tuesday

Other serial writers here on Substack are listed below. Take a look and see what stories are being weaved by these teller of tales:

Print and Kindle Version of “Chantry Circuitry” Now Available

Hardback Print Edition

Amazon Kindle Edition

If you enjoyed this poem and artwork - have a look at the various print options available from redbubble.com.

https://www.redbubble.com/i/poster/Call-To-The-Sun-by-Graeme-McA/179384402/flk2?asc=u

Thank you for your time as always
Graeme

Subscribe to Claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks. Subscribing also gives you the chance to have YOUR WORK featured in my “McAllister’s Mates” review section.

PS If you enjoyed this, and want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering) - consider clicking the button below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me A Coffee

St. Patrick Christianised and "civilised" the wild Celtic folk - but I wonder, was something lost in the change?

From the Sovereigns of the Seasons collection 

The Civilising Sun
Long shadows smear the lands.
Winter's fingers pinch the hours.
Dark and cold tug tools from hands.
Night bars eyes from fruit and flowers.

Bean-sídhe hide in fogged saplings.        
Winds tickling trees or ghastly wails?
Granite standing stone glimmering,
A Celtic lord in moon shine mail.

Cold sweats, hot fear, bards rave.
Sapling and stone leap then lunge,
Twig claws strike shale stone blades.
Fire spirits flee their crimson cages.

Ripped routines, broken bindings.
Night veils eyes, welcomes visions.
Ghosts, glories, seductive, scratching.
Day breaks, feeds poems to flames.

Spring's green shoots, chains, ropes
Faerie doors, hill holes closed.
Sun holds sky, a solemn stop
To hearth heroes, horror’s hoards.

Spiral serpents, ancient, wise
Flee the clock, gear, and coin.
Mystics craft, warrior’s poise
Melt under the civilising sun.

If you enjoyed this poem and artwork - have a look at the various print options available from redbubble.com

https://www.redbubble.com/i/poster/The-Civilising-Sun-by-Graeme-McA/169285111/flk2

Thank you for your time as always
Graeme

Subscribe to Claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks. Subscribing also gives you the chance to appear in my review section McAllister’s Mates

Claim Your FREE Book NOW!

P.S. If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me A Coffee

(Click to see full size with greater detail)

Another piece from my New Book "Chantry Circuitry". It is a series of poetic calls and incantations to Mystical and Archetypal figures. The Mandalas are meditation tools constructed from manipulated  images of the poetry.

The Audio features a reading by me - as opposed to an automated voiceover.

Print and Kindle Version of "Chantry Circuitry" Now Available 

Hardback Print Edition

Amazon Kindle Edition

Call To Chronos
I call to you, O Chronos,
Counting face, hands spin.
Grandeur submitting to Moss
As I battled your whims.

I begged for second sands,
I grasped for fading chances.
Now I offer open hands
I invite you friend, to dance.

Flow and lead, lead and flow,
Pleasures stretch, tasks complete.
Space above, smooth below
For our sure and subtle feet.

Papers sealed, stones laid
I blow crystal from your sands
Time, ally, teacher, aide.
Dear Chronos with open hands.

Happy Tomes Tuesday

Other serial writers here on Substack are listed below. Take a look and see what stories are being weaved by these teller of tales:

Print and Kindle Version of “Chantry Circuitry” Now Available

Hardback Print Edition

Amazon Kindle Edition

If you enjoyed this poem and artwork - have a look at the various print options available from redbubble.com.

https://www.redbubble.com/i/photographic-print/Call-To-Chronos-by-Graeme-McA/179018823.6Q0TX?asc=u

Thank you for your time as always
Graeme

Subscribe to Claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks. Subscribing also gives you the chance to have YOUR WORK featured in my “McAllister’s Mates” review section.

PS If you enjoyed this, and want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering) - consider clicking the button below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me A Coffee

March has arrived. The waiting flowers, and the souls of poets stretch out in new life.

(audio is spoken word NOT A.I.)

From the Filigree and Fire collection 

March Movements
Quiet blooms flex steel strands
Bending, breaking earthly bones.
Precision moves beneath the sands;
Revealing, raising painted thrones.

Daylight dancer cross the sky,
Shift your veil just to one side.
Golden skin against the grey,
Subtle glimpses tease, entice.

March Movements warm the hands,
Draw curling ciphers from the bones.
Swirling inks extend their strands,
Recalled to warm winter snows.

As featured in my book of artwork and poetry “Filigree and Fire” - A collection of bright, joyful poetry and art designed to inspire and delight you. Take a journey through worlds of rhythm, colour, and dreams.

If you enjoyed this poem and artwork - have a look at the various print options available from redbubble.com

https://www.redbubble.com/i/poster/March-Movements-by-Graeme-McA/168924195/flk2?asc=u

Thank you for your time as always
Graeme

Subscribe to Claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks. Subscribing also gives you the chance to appear in my review section McAllister’s Mates

Claim Your FREE Book NOW!

P.S. If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me A Coffee

I’m afraid I have to start with a negative and point out some very real, very disruptive influences.

Then I will move onto why you are probably doing a lot better than you think you are.

Finally I will give some thoughts on my own way forward, which I hope you will find interesting.

Gurus Be Gone!

My notifications are currently being bombarded by ever more frequent and aggressive posts mocking the poetry and fiction community as “stupid”, “dead” or “lazy assed” (that last one is particularly charming). Now of course these are not merely complaints and slurs - they always come with a promise of “remedy” and “salvation”. I am becoming very aware of the damage this is doing both to individual authors and the spirit of this joyful community, and I have had enough!

Now pitching Internet, marketing, and editing services is nothing new and is not - I REPEAT NOT inherently bad. Not at all. There are many talented and hard working marketers, SEO experts, editors, and web designers out there who care deeply about their craft and their customers. My complaint lies with the gurus and their cult-like personas preying on and engorging authors’ vulnerabilities and ‘offering’ messianic interventions….

Genuine professionals will never insult you, the writing community at large, or pretend to have ALL the answers. They offer targeted, specific services with clearly defined outcomes. If an article or offer sounds too good to be true, or if you feel diminished or bad after reading it - RUN! (BTW none of this is a lead-in to an offer or sales pitch - I am just recording my thoughts on where we are.)

Where Does Substack Naturally Flow For Authors and Poets?

Yes - Substack runs on a subscription model -you gather followers who pay you X per month to sustain your publication. Now - achieving this monetisation is often difficult for many authors and poets. While some do indeed succeed with admirable numbers, it is my experience (one shared with many others) that it is VERY difficult to reach that point with Substack alone.

Don’t panic! Don’t despair. Don’t hit the delete account button. Substack actually gives you something else - something precious that is often achieved seemingly effortlessly (although it requires actual work). You very likely have already achieved it - you just haven’t noticed.

Substack can give you (naturally and easily) a solid foundation of respect and good standing amongst your peers. If that sounds “airy fairy” - we can say it builds a platform of social proof and amasses respect in the literary community. The key to evaluating your success in this is quality over quantity (remember quantity and fear of lacking is where the gurus will target you). On the question of quantity, there is an important metric that you may be overlooking (and with it your successes), we’ll get to that soon.

Now. For those of you who’ve been on Substack for a few months or maybe a year or so - I’d like you to take a look back over your portfolio. Re-read some of the comments you’ve received - don’t worry about the counts, this is about depth not numbers. I’ll bet there’s some really insightful and encouraging words, (engagement here tends to be much deeper than social media). Who’s made those comments? Who’s subscribed? Take a moment- visit their portfolios, read some of their pieces. Likely people you instinctively respect and admire. Those authors who’ve engaged with you, given you their time- who understand you, aren’t their thoughts more worthy than a guru or influencer throwing out insults and ridicule? The gurus haven’t read you, they haven’t walked with you into the depths of your soul. They’ve just identified some common vulnerabilities and cheap linguistic tricks to stir basic (but intense) negative emotions.

If you’d like more of the same or if you still feel lacking in quality engagement - the answer is simple pay it back and pay it forward. Comment on or quote from pieces by those authors who’ve engaged with you, go forth and find writers you admire - tell them how their work touched you. It’s easy and fun! Please don’t try and “strategise” this process- just enjoy it. Engage with the work that excites you - not something that’s going to position you into a better spot. Sincerity shines, schmoozing slumps - we are NOT the gurus! The payback isn’t always immediate and it isn’t always in a one to one relationship (shout out to my fellow database developers 😉) but it comes. You will build a following and very real friendships and doors to professional collaborations will open. I started my “McAllister’s Mates” review section for fun and because I was blown away by the quality of the work I was coming across. I have since made some very dear friends here and have started laying the foundations for a collaborative project that I’m hugely excited about.

The Hidden Metric

It may seem like I’ve downplayed statistics and metrics but I fully embrace their importance and relevance. However, I do think you have to be careful not to overreact to every spike, surge, and slowdown.

Posts views will fluctuate wildly as will traffic and visits- try not to let your adrenaline follow them! If you zoom out - you may notice interesting and useful patterns in the rises and falls - time of day, title/description length, tags on your post (or lack there of). I’m not an SEO expert but I have found your titles require almost as much thought as your articles.

Tags can be incredibly useful as they naturally group your posts together and give your newsletter structure. You can also use these to create your own indexes and navigation links to make your Substack easier to navigate.

If you find your posts are getting more reads when launched earlier or later in the day - remember you can always schedule publication ahead. You can also track your audience’s geographical location. If the majority is in a different timezone than you are then it makes sense to schedule your posts so that they don’t publish at 2 am in the morning for your main audience.

Now I promised a hidden metric (although overlooked might be more accurate). If you open your Substack and go: Dashboard>>Stats>>Audience. The top section of this page shows your total followers. This is a VERY important number which includes not only your subscribers but also people who clicked follow on your publication. This number (in my experience and others I’ve talked to) is often 300% or 400% higher than your subscribers. Readers who are actively engaging with your work but haven’t (yet) hit subscribe for whatever reason. There are numerous thought pieces and resources on why this split occurs and how to convert followers, I’m not pretending to have any secret knowledge, I’m just making you aware of this number as it is an often overlooked measure of success.

Supplementing Substack

This next section is really something of an ideas dump. As I said earlier - I don’t believe that Substack alone is a direct path to critical or commercial success, but it can be a powerful foundation and cornerstone. Having worked on Substack for over a year now I feel that I have a rock solid platform to launch (and relaunch) a few endeavours from.

My personal situation is that I used to have a personal portfolio site that was frankly a bit of a deadzone. As my engagement and friendship with Substack blossomed I basically turned graememcallister.com into a direct link to my Substack - (there are instructions on how to do this for yourself here). However, I am slightly rethinking this - looking forward I plan to create a section (subdomain) of my site for Substack to live on, as I would like to move into other areas. I have no regrets about linking graememcallister.com to Substack - I fully believe a connection between my Substack and domain name empowers both. However, I also have four ebooks published on amazon, the same books in full colour hardback format on lulu and a Redbubble framed print shop. I have links to these across my articles but nothing feels cohesive or centralised. Going forward I will be working on a website overhaul to bring these activities together, I may well post updates and technical details on what I’m doing here.

I hope that last paragraph didn’t bore you. My main point is this: I believe that we (as authors and poets) need to branch out our activities across multiple channels AND THEN find ways to unify and connect those activities. If you run a facebook or twitter (I’ve found they’re not for me personally) then why not cross post your articles? You can also add Substack subscribe links on Facebook or Facebook follow links on Substack.

Are you running a Youtube channel? You can embed the videos in your Substack posts - maybe you could even approach Subscribers who’ve left really positive or insightful comments to see if they would be willing to record a reading of their feedback on audio or video.

Are you approaching traditional publishers? Why not include a link to your Substack in your covering letter? Or even some of your best feedback? (Provided the commentator is open to this of course).

My main point is that as your Substack builds into a solid writing portfolio and a storehouse of character references and endorsements, you gain energy that can be channeled into other (maybe more commercial or transitory) channels with an amplified and more mature presence.

Summing Up

I hope this acts as something of an antidote and a balm to the negativity that comes across our feeds almost constantly, and the niggling self-doubts we sometimes feel. To repeat my opening title: No! You’re not broken. Neither is Substack.

We all experience slow periods, visitor drops, or moments when the posts that we put our hearts and souls into don't catch fire when they first land, but Substack (in my experience) is a game of consistency and patience - keep the big picture in mind and try looking at your progress in terms of months NOT days. Remember also, numbers are only a small part of the story. Think about how your writing, your voice, and confidence has developed, the friendships and connections you’ve made - these are the real metrics.

Finally, don’t be afraid to share your frustrations or setbacks with the community - you may find you have more people championing you than you imagine, by the same token reach out to other writers who are having a tough time or have fallen prey to the nagging doubts both internal and external.

Enjoy the journey - and by all means let me know what you’re up to - I always need something inspiring to read!

Take Care,

Graeme

(Click to see full size with greater detail)

Another piece from my New Book "Chantry Circuitry". It is a series of poetic calls and incantations to Mystical and Archetypal figures. The Mandalas are meditation tools constructed from manipulated  images of the poetry.

The Audio features a reading by me - as opposed to an automated voiceover.

Print and Kindle Version of "Chantry Circuitry" Now Available 

Hardback Print Edition

Amazon Kindle Edition

Call To The Moon

I call to you, O Distant Moon,
Past flowing through your palette.
Moments come, gone too soon
Unbidden moonlit silhouettes

Open visage, concealing hood,
The waxing waning mirror.
My opal memories and mood
ebb, flow, shadow, glimmer.

My ancient burdened legends
Revealed in Mist and vapour.
Binding histories rearranged
Ink melts upon the paper.

Billowing, beguiling moon,
Shimmer through all I’ve seen.
As you shine, as you swoon,
I reshape all that I have been.

Happy Tomes Tuesday

Other serial writers here on Substack are listed below. Take a look and see what stories are being weaved by these teller of tales:

Print and Kindle Version of “Chantry Circuitry” Now Available

Hardback Print Edition

Amazon Kindle Edition

If you enjoyed this poem and artwork - have a look at the various print options available from redbubble.com.

https://www.redbubble.com/i/poster/Call-To-The-Moon-by-Graeme-McA/178779672/flk2?asc=u

Thank you for your time as always
Graeme

Subscribe to Claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks. Subscribing also gives you the chance to have YOUR WORK featured in my “McAllister’s Mates” review section.

PS If you enjoyed this, and want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering) - consider clicking the button below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me A Coffee

McAllister’s Mates - An ongoing series of reviews of some of the wonderful articles, poems, and stories I’ve discovered on Substack (and other places) and more importantly the beautiful souls behind the works.

P.S Subscribe for your chance to get your work reviewed here!

Please take a few moments to read the works of these authors, artists, and creators and if you find their work as life-affirming and life changing as I do, then please let them know. We need to support and cherish these voices.

You can meet some of my other friends in the previous instalments: 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me a Coffee

“It hurts to break something you made yourself.” - A succinct but incredibly deep and provocative line. The physical things we craft, the words we say, the dreams we cherish. Often, we need to contradict, abandon or even destroy these objects (physical or psychological) to grow beyond or even escape the bonds and dangers they create. These acts of (creative) destruction are often difficult, slow, and painful - we may feel a rush of freedom and possibility when we have completed the process - but the process itself can be crushing.

This work is a continuation of James’ ongoing series of visionary sci-fi fantasy stories set in Garenos. A futuristic high tech nightmare world with a society devoted to the mystery religions of ancient Egypt. I had the pleasure of reviewing one of his previous stories -Worthy. This story goes even further into the rich philosophical territory of tradition, faith, and the terrifying possibilities of technology.

Even in our current era - we are seeing a rapid increase in not just the power of technology, but its reach into every aspect of our lives. Against this backdrop of an emerging cybernetic society, we are seeing a rising interest in both esoteric and exoteric spiritual traditions. I’m not going to get into a political discussion here, I’m more interested in James’ sharp observations on the matter. The formality of Ancient Egyptian power structures and its wildly imaginative symbolism, embody both formal traditions and the “New Age” - Indeed, the Egyptian mystery religions may well win out in the competition for the new faith of the machine mind age.

James’ story explores these ideas through the lens of soldiers on a secret mission - disciplined, united, technologically savvy and empowered. But, are they truly empowered and united by their faith and resources or are they spiritually lost , and forced down predetermined paths? These are very powerful ideas that James explores and develops with gusto.

Of course like his other futuristic Egyptian Mythos stories, James has crafted a story - compelling, wondrous, and deeply emotional. This is not just a metaphysical playground of ideas, it is a living, breathing, broken, and glorious world inhabited by complex and loveable characters. There are terrifyingly monstrous creatures both mechanical, and otherworldly. A team of brave warriors struggling against the physical consequences of their ancestors’ technological and theological legacies, and their own conscious perceptions of those matters. The ideas are massive, the world is rich, visionary and ancient. The story is exciting, dreamlike, and deeply emotional at its climax which I will not spoil. Garenos is both an incredible labyrinth for the mind, and a glorious highway for the heart. I implore you to expose its treasures.

Grim Acres

Servant of the Dead

Read more

3 months ago · 6 likes · James Kenwood

Mark Westmore
Dragon Fly Poetry is an absolute delight - mystical, joyful, and brimming with evocative imagery. Mark divides his work into several key chapters.

• The Life Force

• The Rhythm

• The Moon

• The Written Word

• Inspirations

• Crestfallen

• Onwards and Upwards

• Awe and Wonder

• Lammas

• Autumn Equinox

• Samhain

• Winter Solstice

• Imbloc

• Spring Equinox

• Beltane

• Summer Solstice

These chapters explore and crystallise their subjects with keen insight, yet the book never feels divided. Like a compass, or a star (one of the recurring motifs unifying the work) the poems reach across life’s many directions while remaining a cohesive whole. The star and compass fit as analogies for the excellent structure. On one hand the poetry can be read as a series of directed explorations into the physical, emotional, and spiritual realms. However, I think the book becomes even more exciting when read as a single lyrical ballad. A ballad that tracks a soul’s journey through emergence from the other world as the forces governing time and space smile encouragingly. We then follow that soul exploring physicality and nature, navigating the joys and sorrows of life. We see, and more importantly feel a spirit growing in strength, knowledge and wisdom. The final stages of this journey sees them reaching back out to the universe (perhaps through the practice of art and writing) to reconnect with those heavenly forces, maybe even feeding that source of creation with their own hopes and dreams.

The sentiments in the work are beautiful, yet crafted with expert precision. Mark explores traditional romantic and fantastical imagery through deep knowledge and charming innovations. Mark shows both patient dedication through his clearly vast knowledge of mythology, history, and the history of metaphysical poetry. Dragons, godforms and esoteric symbols are not treated as window dressing to imply depth. In this book they act as both pillars of the philosophical ideas, and active, layered characters. Mark clearly knows these ancient forces as intimate friends, yet he never loses his air of reverence when approaching them. Dragons, goddesses, and (conscious) stars are given a threefold aspect - as bastions of literature and the landscape of dreams, as active characters with their own hopes and fears, and as energies inescapably bound to our very souls.

The poetry shows just as much mastery of cadence and musicality as he does with emotion and symbolism. The easily flowing and hypnotic rhythms are clearly a product of tight discipline and exhaustive editing. These are not just “catchy” tuneful melodies - they are explorations of the sonic harmonies of syllables and cadences - the language behind the language. Perhaps the actual hidden language of the solar beings, dragons, and god-forms Mark plays homage to. In short I am a big fan - if you Blake, Coleridge, progressive rock lyricists like Peter Gabriel or Lateralus era Maynard James Keenan, Umberto Eco, or even what I do - you need to check this book out!

Dragon Fly Poetry on Amazon

I hope you enjoy these beautiful works as much as I enjoyed reading and writing about it.

You can meet some of my other friends in the previous instalments: 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Substack has proven to be a treasure trove and I already have a few more gifted writers lined up for my next review newsletter.

P.S Subscribe for your chance to get your work reviewed here! You can also claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks.

If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me a Coffee

A special little piece for Valentine's Day - one of my rare forays into romance (but with a mythological twist of course). 

Happy Valentine's Day 💘🏹

(audio is spoken word NOT A.I.)

From the Sovereigns of the Seasons collection 

Cupid and the Queen
A swift spark slips the gate.
Tricks ticking clocks, deceives the bell.
Smallness slips past time and fate,
The cherub’s charming spell.

Her tired brow, stern and noble,
She craves a pause from endless toil.
Winter’s weight, the dragging mantle
Of governing the sleeping soil.

Playful pixie jests then yields.
Blue lips twitch, hinting a smile.
She sets down her crystal shield
For a cherub’s whimsied wiles.

Her end flashes in his eyes
And yet she accepts a kiss.
Gifted lull of snowing skies,
He draws his day of bliss.

Diamond eyes crease and soften,
Cupid cracks her ice and silence.
Winds whisper tingling tunes
Calling all the young to dance.

Warm prose weights paper.
Passion promises, ribbons tied.
Soft deliriums draw showers
Blushes, blooms and butterflies.

Grey and white cover crimson.
Cupid’s day concludes its dances.
Creeping chill cools their passion.
Shall Spring renew the stolen glances?

If you enjoyed this poem and artwork - have a look at the various print options available from redbubble.com

https://www.redbubble.com/i/poster/Cupid-and-the-Queen-by-Graeme-McA/178498044.LVTDI?asc=u

Thank you for your time as always
Graeme

Subscribe to Claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks. Subscribing also gives you the chance to appear in my review section McAllister’s Mates

Claim Your FREE Book NOW!

P.S. If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me A Coffee

(Click to see full size with greater detail)

Another piece from my New Book "Chantry Circuitry". It is a series of poetic calls and incantations to Mystical and Archetypal figures. The Mandalas are meditation tools constructed from manipulated  images of the poetry.

The Audio features a reading by me - as opposed to an automated voiceover.

Print and Kindle Version of "Chantry Circuitry" Now Available 

Hardback Print Edition

Amazon Kindle Edition

Call To The Spiral
I call to you, O Spiral.
Roll experiential load
From outer to the liminal
On the soul’s spinal road.

Looping, twisting ribbon,
Elusive Möbius slide.
I rose and slid unbidden,
Consciousness must ride.

Logos on the concrete,
Logic within the dream.
Steadfast and the secret
Dance between the seams.

I dance along the spiral,
Cross the flowing floor.
From outer to the liminal
The open smoking door.

Happy Tomes Tuesday

Other serial writers here on Substack are listed below. Take a look and see what stories are being weaved by these teller of tales:

Print and Kindle Version of “Chantry Circuitry” Now Available

Hardback Print Edition

Amazon Kindle Edition

If you enjoyed this poem and artwork - have a look at the various print options available from redbubble.com.

https://www.redbubble.com/i/poster/Call-To-The-Spiral-by-Graeme-McA/178434616.LVTDI?asc=u

Thank you for your time as always
Graeme

Subscribe to Claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks. Subscribing also gives you the chance to have YOUR WORK featured in my “McAllister’s Mates” review section.

PS If you enjoyed this, and want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering) - consider clicking the button below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me A Coffee

McAllister’s Mates - An ongoing series of reviews of some of the wonderful articles, poems, and stories I’ve discovered on Substack (and other places) and more importantly the beautiful souls behind the works.

P.S Subscribe for your chance to get your work reviewed here!

Please take a few moments to read the works of these authors, artists, and creators and if you find their work as life-affirming and life changing as I do, then please let them know. We need to support and cherish these voices.

You can meet some of my other friends in the previous instalments: 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me a Coffee

A gorgeous opening sentence talks of listening for the future, blood, and grace. So much more evocative than the rather clichéd phrase of “mind, body, and spirit”. (Although I do have a fondness for that idea, which Stefan clearly shares.)

The subject of the unification of the opposites of physicality (body) and intellectualism (mind) to create a third force beyond both (spirit) is an apt metaphor for Stefan’s work here. Transcendent poetic segues are woven effortlessly through an exciting science fiction adventure. The approach reminds me a little of Shakespeare and his ability to embed deep philosophical discourse into fast plotted thrillers like Macbeth and Richard the Third. The poetry gains consequence and urgency, and the story gains more richness and beauty. This is not a mere balance of narrative and poetry, it is a work that transcends the sum of its parts.

Descriptions of cybernetic organisms read with a beauty as radiant as Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Khubla Khan.

“Steel remembers the body even when the body is gone. The wires, the bolts, the antennae did not dissolve with him. They called him back to form. Identity returned like a wound reopening.”

However this strange being is driven by machinery, not spiritual energy (arguably a more frightening and urgent force in our current age). Also, unlike Coleridge’s poem, we don’t get the luxury of sealing this strange creature in a cave of ice with a warning sigil. We are very much pulled into his story of strange, hostile deserts where a hermit weaves magic or perhaps subatomic energies into healing forces. A place where quantum physicists use cosmological readings and deep space static to create trances and transcribe heavenly ballads.

If your expectations haven’t been challenged and subverted enough, then Stefan has also captured this tale as a multimedia experience. The audio narration is truly something. Stefan not only uses some great voice acting but also expertly blended musical elements. Sinister, heavy moog (I think) bass lines create an air of constant menace while heavenly chiming synths suggest ethereal, otherworldly power. Stefan’s voice is no less dynamic moving between soft reverence and implied menace. He lingers gently on keywords, deepening his tone on the grand proclamations. Stefan adds even more dread to the darker phrases with subtle growls and soft hisses on the soft syllables. The soundwork brings to mind Delerium’s early recordings particularly Spheres and Spheres 2, the second half of David Bowie’s Low album, and the less bombastic more introspective moments of the Nine Inch Nails Tron Ares soundtrack - records that are very close to my heart. This is a psychologically layered, multi-sensory triumph. And the best news? This is only the beginning of an ongoing saga.

Nether Street Blues

COSMONAUTUL: Cry Me a Future

See the desert, for it is golden, wide and vast, filling the hermit’s eyes with tears as he watches an oil bike cut across the dunes, raising black clouds of smoke like a snake, a black serpent slithering across the purple sky…

Read more

2 months ago · 27 likes · 19 comments · Stefan Baciu

A science-fiction horror that grounds its fantastic elements in compelling character development. The writing is a showcase of detailed world-building woven through the plot and action. The story opens with a lone maintenance worker on a space station completing a repair in his never-ending list. His life here is monotonous, yet frantic. Details of his circumstances and history are revealed through snippets of an internal monologue, as his mind wanders from his latest menial task.

This approach not only tells who this man is, and what this world looks like, it also shows us the almost purgatorial nature of Alex’s existence. Who hasn’t been here? Trapped in the office completing menial tasks, commanded by disembodied electronic voices through emails or messages? Alex, however, is not a bored nine to five office clerk counting the minutes. He is a weary, lonely soul denied human contact for months on end -(like Alex) we are denied the comfort of his recollections as a robotic overseer barks commands interrupting his reveries and dragging us back to the decaying station. Victor’s expertly timed, sharp edits crank up both our empathy for Alex and the palpable tension. Denied the warmth of human company, and even the solace of contemplation and imagination through his constant task list - Alex grows ever more distressed and enraged.

His digital “assistant” becomes a combination of cloying nanny and dictatorial micro-manager. Always observant, gently insistent, and ever “helpful” with offers of medication and “listening”. The paranoia, desperation, and emotional longing simmer to a boil. The ship’s malfunctions and the A.I. become ever more invasive until they seem to take on a malevolent will. Well at least from Alex’s point of view - we’re on the outside looking in with rationality. Aren’t we? This is the point where the (possibly) supernatural elements come in and as ever I have a strict no spoiler policy - the explanation of events remains tantalisingly messy (though the story follows a full and satisfying arc) and there are a number of possible explanations - Conspiracy? Madness? A.I. orchestrating events? - Much to ponder…The story showcases Victor’s strengths as an author with grounded characters living full and detailed lives that we come to care about before the madness starts, making it that much more terrifying when it does. A satisfying one shot that I can highly recommend to fans of Black Mirror, Phillip K Dick’s short story anthologies, or the outer limits. Have fun - but you may not look at your Alexa device quite the same way after….

A Serial Assemblage of Words

In the Quiet Night

Read more

4 months ago · 32 likes · 10 comments · Victor Jimenez

I hope you enjoy these beautiful works as much as I enjoyed reading and writing about it.

You can meet some of my other friends in the previous instalments: 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Substack has proven to be a treasure trove and I already have a few more gifted writers lined up for my next review newsletter.

P.S Subscribe for your chance to get your work reviewed here! You can also claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks.

If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me a Coffee

(Click to see full size with greater detail)

Another piece from my New Book "Chantry Circuitry". It is a series of poetic calls and incantations to Mystical and Archetypal figures. The Mandalas are meditation tools constructed from manipulated  images of the poetry.

Again a personal reading of the audio - just so you now I'm not Chat GPT - just very Irish!

Print and Kindle Version of "Chantry Circuitry" Now Available 

Hardback Print Edition

Amazon Kindle Edition

Call To The Hermit
I call to you, O Hermit,
At the bridging interlude.
Guiding lamp, steady, lit
Along the roads of solitude.

Sure feet walk the ledge
Following lines of silver.
We skirt melancholy’s edge
On paths of the believer.

Walls shift in the lamplight
A shadow becomes a face.
Silent host, solemn, bright
That lives within my space.

Dear Hermit, secret keeper,
Lantern rich though dim.
An ear open for seekers
Of the hallowed halls within.

Happy Tomes Tuesday

Other serial writers here on Substack are listed below. Take a look and see what stories are being weaved by these teller of tales:

Print and Kindle Version of “Chantry Circuitry” Now Available

Hardback Print Edition

Amazon Kindle Edition

If you enjoyed this poem and artwork - have a look at the various print options available from redbubble.com.

https://www.redbubble.com/i/poster/Call-To-The-Hermit-by-Graeme-McA/178168052.LVTDI?asc=u

Thank you for your time as always
Graeme

Subscribe to Claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks. Subscribing also gives you the chance to have YOUR WORK featured in my “McAllister’s Mates” review section.

PS If you enjoyed this, and want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering) - consider clicking the button below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me A Coffee

McAllister’s Mates - An ongoing series of reviews of some of the wonderful articles, poems, and stories I’ve discovered on Substack (and other places) and more importantly the beautiful souls behind the works.

P.S Subscribe for your chance to get your work reviewed here!

Please take a few moments to read the works of these authors, artists, and creators and if you find their work as life-affirming and life changing as I do, then please let them know. We need to support and cherish these voices.

You can meet some of my other friends in the previous instalments: 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me a Coffee

The Obsidian druid immediately throws us into the loud, bustling danger of a packed medieval marketplace. Vivid descriptions of exotic spices, loud intimidating crowds, and the baying of (possibly) charlatan traders give the writing an anxious excitement. The scene is set perfectly immediately aligning our thoughts to the heroine Gwin as she wrestles with her desire to be done with the wretched town. She muses on her days roaming the wildlands, described with just as much romance and mystery as the city’s frenetic claustrophobia. While the twin moons (referred to lovingly and with paganistic reverence throughout the text) tell us we are in a fantasy kingdom, the descriptions of exploring the forests put me in mind of the beautiful Armagh countryside. Although the moon goddesses are entirely crafted from Caroline’s rich imagination - they are grounded in the mythic tradition of the Tuatha De Dannan. A pair of celestial lovers about to complete a great alignment and position. Like so much of the story, the scene is seen through the eyes of both the righteous and raucous. The event is spoken of with ritualistic devotion, crass superstition, and even used by local con-artists and rascals as an excuse to make illicit coin or drunken partying.

Back in the city - Gwin throws her head back, straightens up, and shows her nomadic grit and tenacity and faces the city. There is a carnival In town and this is where the prose really springs to life. The bawdy humour of the local drunks and disreputable minstrels add another layer to the rich cultural tapestry of the worldbuilding. The bards and minstrels are fascinatingly written - some mysterious, some bawdy, some arrogant, but all projecting an air of supernatural knowledge. This is a story about the power of art and artists, and their ability to bend our hopes, fears, and imaginations to their will. Interestingly we see a plethora of motivations and dispositions among the bards. None of the artists in this story are automatically assumed to be kind and benevolent. Some seek to charm and inspire, others are out to make a quick profit, some driven by arrogance and the need to control. This is rare wisdom from an author, most writers love to characterise the poets, musicians, and artists in their stories as infinitely kind, wise, and gentle oracles working to save humanity. I know I’ve been guilty of making the poets heroes in many of my own poems.

As Gwin takes the stage something very strange starts to happen that goes far beyond a clever musician’s ability to charm - but I’ll not deny you the pleasure of discovering for yourself. This is only the start of a long running saga with numerous chapters already posted. Much like Gwin’s song and the dance of the moons, this is a charming and beautiful story that will draw you deep into its world.

SwampWitch

The Obsidian Druid: Chapter One

Book One of The Age of Aikana—an epic fantasy set in a world of cut-throat cities, satyr warriors, and rum-soaked taverns. 💀⚔️…

Read more

8 months ago · 4 likes · Caroline Barnard-Smith

This is a fascinating essay on the psychologically loaded nature of doors and doorways. A mundane fact of life - we may pass back and forth through a given set of doors fifty or more times a day. Yet even in the most mundane setting we change our states and behaviour when we know who or what is on the other side. Tasks to be done, company to be enjoyed, or a difficult conversation waiting.

James explores the mental territory of both the known and (more importantly) the unknown doorways. He showcases some expertly captured photographs of some very beautiful and intimidating doorways in the Spanish medieval quarters. His elegant writing contemplates the emotions and visions these fascinating doorways create. He moves into poetic contemplations of how they stir and haunt the imagination, both begging us to grasp their handles yet subtly warning us that we’re perhaps unworthy to do so. Is it just these grand, ancient symbol-laden doors that should move us? In one of the piece’s most charming lines he states that: “some doors have forgotten they are doors”. He then raises another wise and perhaps slightly uncomfortable observation - sometimes doorways take thoughts, even memories from us. The piece points to the very common experience of entering a room and forgetting why we came in. Did the doorway steal our thoughts and memories? Was it unimpressed with, or perhaps even hostile towards our intentions to the space it guards? James starts with a mundane topic and leads a gentle but compelling dance first into the territory of psychology then mysticism.

This leads us nicely into our Celtic connection - James’ thoughts on the mysterious nature of doorways and thresholds flows into meditations and historical observations on the otherworld of Irish myth - the realm of the Sidhe (faerie folk), often accessed through caves, doorways into barrows or an unwary fall into a hollow. James then relates stories, myths, and contemplations on the nature of Ireland’s underworld kingdom both as an observant journalist and a hopelessly romantic poet. (I’ve always thought “hopeless” romantic to be an odd turn of phrase). James combines easily digestible though passionate references to scholarly mythological materials, good natured observations of the remaining customs and traditions of rural Ireland, and his own esoteric observations to provide something of a map to this underworld. For me this heart-warming nostalgia and a celebration of home, for those of you outside Ireland - I think this will be an eye-opening essay that will delight the part of you that believes (well, knows) faeries to be real. James concludes this beautiful article with a series of affirmations on the sacredness of the humble door, which (for me) actually form a tender poem when read together. James’ publication has many such esoteric/mythological pieces combining scholarly disciplined research, warm humour, and gentle wisdom - when you have stepped through this portal I highly recommend reading some of the others.

The Bard’s Field Notes

Becoming Acquainted With Doors

The coals have grown cold since our last fire…

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2 months ago · 8 likes · 2 comments · James Anthony Burke

I hope you enjoy these beautiful works as much as I enjoyed reading and writing about it.

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Another piece from my New Book "Chantry Circuitry". It is a series of poetic calls and incantations to Mystical and Archetypal figures. The Mandalas are meditation tools constructed from manipulated  images of the poetry.

Again a personal reading of the audio - just so you now I'm not Chat GPT - just very Irish!

Print and Kindle Version of "Chantry Circuitry" Now Available 

Hardback Print Edition

Amazon Kindle Edition

Call To The Chasm
I call you, O Chasm Deep.
The fires of foundation
Waiting within my sleep
Long for reconnection.

The shifting of the fire
Quakes the shifting stones
Raising mountains of desire
From my dormant bones.

The raw roots of passion
Where molten tempers flow
Demand due recognition
From the gentle meadow.

Chasm pit, yawning flame
I face you straight, listening.
Artist impulse to fill the frame
The burn beneath the glistening.

Happy Tomes Tuesday

Other serial writers here on Substack are listed below. Take a look and see what stories are being weaved by these teller of tales:

Print and Kindle Version of “Chantry Circuitry” Now Available

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Thank you for your time as always
Graeme

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McAllister’s Mates - An ongoing series of reviews of some of the wonderful articles, poems, and stories I’ve discovered on Substack (and other places) and more importantly the beautiful souls behind the works.

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Please take a few moments to read the works of these authors, artists, and creators and if you find their work as life-affirming and life changing as I do, then please let them know. We need to support and cherish these voices.

You can meet some of my other friends in the previous instalments: 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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This is a very interesting idea - a semi-interactive democratic novel. Black Knight finished each chapter with a poll and a choice of possible plot directions. This offers exciting possibilities for both author and audience, and I think is an interesting approach to one of the biggest conundrums in the modern publishing landscape. How do writers and artists engage and involve an audience while staying true to their intuition and vision? While we may have missed the interactive period we are still left with a cracking story, which I will talk about momentarily. I just wanted to point out Black Knight’s versatility and creativity as an author. I very much hope he takes this approach again in the future.

The story opens with beautiful John Keats-esque descriptions of a gorgeous village arising out of the landscape. The narrative moves into stranger territory as we realise we are in an alien world in a distant future, as opposed to the 1950s Kent countryside, still the reassuringly beautiful prose sweeps us along… Even as the poetically harmonious, visually delightful writing starts describing (possibly cybernetic) shock troops. The juxtaposition is ingenious and thrusts us deep into the mindset of the (intentionally?) oblivious villagers. As an aside I think it’s a trick Orwell missed - a passage or two of a still indoctrinated Winston gleefully celebrating his existence of constant surveillance and thought control, could have cranked the tension even higher in Nineteen Eighty Four.

However, just as we are beginning to fear and loathe the military presence something even worse appears. A band of Space Pirates terrorising a young family. The pirates are realised in terrifying detail, their ramshackle yet futuristic equipment capable of horrifying effects on their victims: motorised rapidly vibrating swords, laser pistols capable of reducing rooms full of people to ash, and heat rays capable of destroying any armour. Their dialogue oozes with casual cruelty and malevolence. It is clear they have subjected many to this treatment, danger palpable in every line from the pirates’ brutally minimalist dialogue, to the young woman’s screams of terror, and the descriptions of the pirates’ dreadful appearance and weaponry.

The soldier we were led to believe to be a brute a few moments ago is revealed to be a noble, caring Knight frantically searching for a way to save the endangered family. This is where we (the audience) are first asked to intervene. We are given a list of detailed strategies that the Morale Officer (the protector’s designation). These are presented confidentially with detailed descriptions of martial arts moves, enemy reactions, and possible consequences. Black Knight has clearly put a great deal of thought into this process. This gives the choices weight and forces readers to fully engage with the process. The stakes are incredibly high and each scenario is loaded with potential heroism and very real potential failure with anxious descriptions of just how things could go very wrong. This is a fun, exciting and truly collaborative approach to storytelling.

To go further into plot details would be a spoiler (and as previous readers know I cannot abide spoilers, especially when the writing is worthy). So I’d like to talk about the writing itself, and there’s a lot to talk about. The world building is immense - this is a living, breathing planet with sprawling, appropriately messy histories. Warring factions steeped in prejudices, competing (often questionable) philosophies vying for dominance. The characters’ behaviours and speech call back to medieval and feudal periods of history which gives the dialogue a timeless richness and makes perfect sense. Such customs were born in times of chaotic violence bringing forth both the best and worst in human nature. Rich honour and chivalry battles with greed, avarice, and Machiavellian cruelty. It also stirs the imagination to wonder how such callbacks to historic values came about. Fragmented histories partially collected from remains of an abandoned Earth? A renaissance (or degradation) of societal structures in a society endowed or burdened by omnipresent technologies?

On the subject of technology - everything feels grounded while still exciting and wondrous. The innovations feel useful and within the realm of possibility, if still far off from our current era. Amazing as the various devices may be, characters are still forced to make do and mend - cobbling together mismatched tech, and falling foul of opponents more advanced or with greater resources. This is not a world of Star Trek-esque wonders and miracle devices. It is one of powerful, advanced circuitry and incredible motorisation, but caked in sand and dirt, and close to burning out.

The interactions and relationships of the characters are touching, funny, and sometimes tragic. In a world of relentless danger and loss - we see intense bonds of brotherhood, friendship, and family love. Just like the tech and environments - these bonds are rich, fiery, messy and real. The triumphs and losses hit deep and hit hard. The characters have complex motivations, surprising depths and contradictions that unfold over time drawing you deeper into their world.

This story is an impressive piece of work - in its depth of lore, thrilling action, touching relationships, and creative presentation. I certainly enjoyed the finished product, but would be absolutely delighted if Black Knight went down this communal interactive road again. Highly recommended — please enjoy!

Shadows and Space

The province of Terrans

Fellow Terrans, our brand new, Substack exclusive vote your own adventure story is finally here! Every Sci-Friday you will enjoy another chapter and guide the protagonist. Each chapter will sport three distinct options to chose from; thus you, the reader, can cast a vote and direct the story…

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2 years ago · 46 likes · 46 comments · The Black Knight

I hope you enjoy this beautiful works as much as I enjoyed reading and writing about it.

You can meet some of my other friends in the previous instalments: 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Substack has proven to be a treasure trove and I already have a few more gifted writers lined up for my next review newsletter.

P.S Subscribe for your chance to get your work reviewed here! You can also claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks.

If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me a Coffee

(Click to see full size with greater detail)

Another piece from my New Book "Chantry Circuitry". It is a series of poetic calls and incantations to Mystical and Archetypal figures. The Mandalas are meditation tools constructed from manipulated  images of the poetry.

Something new this week! I recorded the audio in my own voice  - I really feel a bit shy about this so please be gentle about my rasping croak in the comments lol

Print and Kindle Version of "Chantry Circuitry" Now Available 

Hardback Print Edition

Amazon Kindle Edition

Call To Silence
I call to you, O Silence 
Below waking, outside dream. 
I hang in your embrace, 
The players dress the scene. 

Thoughts run wild and loose 
Observed by my silent sentinel. 
I stand aside and choose 
If they fade or face potential. 

Calm, unburdened observer, 
Neither action nor intention. 
The denial and the driver, 
Turning point of revolution. 

Silence, I have kept you far, 
Fleeing danger, chasing value. 
Your kindness kept the door ajar 
To where all things are possible.

Happy Tomes Tuesday

Other serial writers here on Substack are listed below. Take a look and see what stories are being weaved by these teller of tales:

Print and Kindle Version of “Chantry Circuitry” Now Available

Hardback Print Edition

Amazon Kindle Edition

If you enjoyed this poem and artwork - have a look at the various print options available from redbubble.com.

https://www.redbubble.com/i/poster/Call-To-Silence-by-Graeme-McA/177760336.LVTDI

Thank you for your time as always
Graeme

Subscribe to Claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks. Subscribing also gives you the chance to have YOUR WORK featured in my “McAllister’s Mates” review section.

PS If you enjoyed this, and want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering) - consider clicking the button below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.

Buy Me A Coffee