Feather, Leaf, Bark and Stone

Product Information

Each short text has been typed onto a small square of gold leaf, then photographed. There are 144 of these pieces arranged in a sequence which culminates in a glorious final section where the texts are typed directly onto leaves, bark and feathers.

The sunlit poems are a window into a private grief. In one, she laments how bereavement has paralysed her. Feather, Leaf, Bark & Stone is a book of poems and meditations with a difference. More than a hundred short texts have been typed onto small squares of gold leaf, then photographed. These pieces are arranged in a sequence which culminates in a glorious final section made up of texts typed directly onto leaves, bark and feathers. I will be talking about the book at Wealden Festival 25th June. Have a read here as to what they say about the book. The line-up of people for this festival is really rather fine. Really looking forward to going and I am on a promise of nightingales ( I am resisting all invitations away from my studio at the moment as I have such a massive amount of work to do, and, well, I would rather be home painting and walking and trying to re-establish a little fitness, so it was only with the offer of the chance to hear nightingales that Wealden lured me away. And I want to listen to so many of the talks also) There’s still time to buy direct from Unbound, and also if you are a bookshop, get in touch and let them know if you are interested. This was my ‘unwinding’ from the chaos of trying to work through a pandemic, the loss of my father, the worries, the fears. But it couldn’t be more different from The Unwinding.Morris, whose magical artworks for The Lost Words, a best-selling book of poems about nature created with Robert Macfarlane, won her the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for children’s book illustration, found herself without her usual coping mechanism. “My life has been painting but after he died, I couldn’t paint.” Another blow was to come. Sadly there isn’t a section in bookshops for ‘Lullabies in minor keys’….. ( I would love to curate a small part of a bookshop some day, to include such a section, in a quiet corner, with simple shelves and a chair to sit in to read, quietly, away from all the glare of celebrity books and cookery books, and celebrity cookery books with dinosaurs) Now comes the task of trying to help the book find readers. One of the ways to do this is to get the book in to the right category in a bookshop. Easy enough you might think…… If a bookshop is a cacophony of stories, all waiting to be heard, my hope is that FLB&S is a lullaby in a minor key.

Thefeminist fairytale retellingswere launched at the Cheltenham Festival over the weekend,when Morris was joined by her publisher John Mitchinson for an evening of live drawing and conversation about art, dreams, and fairytales. First is from Marry Waterson, who has made a few films with and for me ( we have one on the shortlist of a poetry film competition at the moment, a collaborative poem with Ian Duhig). This one features Michael Sheen, words by me, film by Marry and love how she has used my ink otters. Feather, Leaf, Bark & Stone is a book of poems and meditations with a difference. More than a hundred short texts have been typed onto small squares of gold leaf, then photographed. These pieces are arranged in a sequence which culminates in a glorious final section made up of texts typed directly onto leaves, bark and feathers. Morris was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2016, and won it in 2019 for her illustration of The Lost Words (Hamish Hamilton),which she co-authored with Robert Macfarlane. Alison O’ Toole, thedesigner behind The Lost Words and The Unwinding is set to design Feather, Leaf, Bark & Stone.The way that I made sense of things, or tried to, was through writing,” she explains. “It was like the spaces in between breaths, these small pieces of writing.”

Morris recently launched an Unbound funding campaign for Accordion Books,due for publication next autumn, a new series of folding gifts books featuring herpaintings of foxes, otters, hares and owls using antique watercolours, some from boxes which haven’t been opened for over 150 years.

Help

Again, if you enjoy the film please make a small donation to the Trussell Trust, but only if you can. Feather, Leaf, Bark & Stone is a book of poems and meditations with a difference. More than a hundred short texts have been typed onto small squares of gold leaf, then photographed. These pieces are arranged in a sequence which culminates in a glorious final section made up of texts typed directly onto leaves, bark and feathers. Unbound and Morris are planning to "honour" the bookshops thathave supported the book by leaving gifts of gilded stones in independent shops for readers to discover.

The same week her father died, her partner’s brother, Jeremy, died by suicide. “We were utterly raw, riddled with all kinds of guilt. The two things coming together in the same week were just devastating. In a thrilling and dangerous adventure they must all journey alone through the ice fields, forests and oceans of Rumyc to try to rescue each other and fulfil a mysterious promise about a lost island made to their mother.It was also Bookshop Day on Saturday and the Books are my Bag fox bags were released into the wild. They are limited edition, and again, available from all good bookshops ( who also sell online) so get yours while you can. And thank you so much for all the love that came my way from indies yesterday. The feeling is mutual. The other day, as I was working away in my studio, the postman arrived. He carried in his arms a heavy parcel. I didn’t realise until I opened it that it contained the printed proofs for the book. I guess it should be heavy. Much of it is typed on gold. Music has helped me through this past year. There’s a wonderful thing coming soon, as Johnny Flynn and Robert Macfarlane have been working together on the most amazing music. You can get the single now, and soon, soon, not soon enough, the complete collection. It is something rather wonderful. You know that feeling when you hear something for the first time, but you know its roots lie deep in your heart and soul? It’s like that. Michael had filmed a couple of pieces, and I sent the second to Seven Fables. Next morning Chris and Davina sent me this: Feather, Leaf, Bark & Stone is a book of poems and meditations with a difference. More than a hundred short texts have been typed onto small squares of gold leaf, then photographed. These pieces are arranged in a sequence which culminates in a glorious final section made up of texts typed directly onto leaves, bark and feathers.