The Idyllegy – An Unravelling

The Idyllegy – An Unravelling was a one-night only event on July 24th 2024 at St Bride’s Foundation, off Fleet Street. Tickets were free, 100 spaces available.

It was a lecture … of sorts. An exploration of ideas and themes blossoming from my Arcadian book The Idyllegy.

If you follow this link to a Google doc, you’ll can read the lecture element. I co-wrote this with Ellie Robins. Ellie is a brilliant writer whose work circles imagination, the otherworld, and the great female mystics. You should definitely subscribe to her Substack.

I say lecture element because at the event this academic exploration of Arcadia, pastorals, Pan, fragments and the unravelling of The Idyllegy, was surrounded and interrupted by very non-academic music, sound and ritual.

I created this happening with a powerful group of collaborators. Will of Margaret, Sarah Kershaw, Francesca Way and Mata.

Towards the end of the lecture I quote Robert Graves’s The White Goddess. He is talking about the Sun god erasing and rewriting the Moon goddess’s verses.

‘… with that poetry becomes academic and decays until the Muse chooses to reassert her power in what are called Romantic revivals.’

That describes the experiment as well as anything.

Attendees said …

“One of the best events I’ve ever been to. I felt completely overwhelmed on every level – intellectual, aesthetic, spiritual, emotional.”

“Every aspect was intoxicating. Absolutely beautiful.”

“Magical evening … wonderful incantations to the gods … beautiful Luna.”

“Last night was wonderful. I love hearing you read your poetry. I felt like I was sitting in an in-between world and I’m still there today.”

“A beautiful and wild offering. Hope there will be more to come.”

“Thank you for such a life-filled evening. I felt flooded with abundance, generosity and authenticity, as well as not a small amount of playfulness.”