Mycelium Parish News

The Mycelium Parish News

Earlier this year, on a walk with James Burt, he proposed that the two of us produce a “parish newsletter”, to let our friends know what our other friends have been up to.

James and I first met on the Cerne to CERN pilgrimage. Between us and the other 69 pilgrims exist fecund networks of creative folks. But none of those folks has a full picture of what all the others have been up to.

James suggested we publish a newsletter, listing as much of the good stuff as we could track down. The result is The Mycelium Parish News. It features 2022's books, podcasts, radio, TV, exhibitions, theatre, videos, newsletters and more.  Here's James's introduction: 

WTF is a mycelium?

The mycelium refers to a network of countercultural groups and events, and it’s a term we first heard through theatre-maker Daisy Campbell. In nature, a mycelial network is the inter-connections that grow between fungi. Also known as the wood-wide web, these networks allow communication between different plants in a forest. It is a brilliant metaphor for culture: the fungal threads are often hidden underground, but when they cross, then a mushroom can appear.

Our particular mycelium includes a whole jumble of things, including arts labs, Festival 23 and the Cosmic Trigger crew, as well as various fellow travellers. Common touchstones include the KLF, Robert Anton Wilson, and Discordianism (which is either a joke disguised as a religion or a religion disguised as a joke). 

That explanation may not make you any the wiser. Regardless, this zine lists the work of many amazing people over the last year, and you will definitely find something of value inside that you didn’t know about before.

 

Somewhat wonderfully, we managed to keep the price of the magazine to £2.30, including UK postage (or £5 if you're outside the UK). So there's no excuse for not buying one now.

If you want a downloadable version, you'll have to wait; this zine was designed to be a thing, a thing to hold, to read, and to love, and to attract tea-stains.

Here are some spreads from the 44-page zine:

Introduction and editorial

Feature on The Lost Doctor

Some miscellaneous podcast appearances

Some books published this year

Some videos published this year

Advertising Shits In Your Head

New stuff in't store

 

Gespenwald

A very quick post to say that I have added two new products to my online store and both are currently on special offer: Learning to Draw Trees is a 44-page book documenting my attempt to, well, learn to draw trees. Contains drawings, photos, thoughts and tips. Gespenwald, meanwhile, is a free-form TTRPG adventure, my entry to the Forests of Another Name game jam for Cairn. 

Nanodeities

 

A small god by Richard Tingley

Have you seen my Twitter bot, @deitygalaxy?

When the nose of Iohraï-ses, god of turtles in the hamlet of Nether Opthowichmoor-by-the-Water, grows significantly more turtle-like, it is usually a sign that they are feeling perceptive.

Iohraï-ses is needy. Reply to him please? #Iohraïses #turtles

— All the Deities (@deitygalaxy) January 27, 2022

 Deity Galaxy, AKA All The Deities, invents new gods, goddesses and goddexxes. Tiny, eeny-weeny deities. Deities so small that they may not even have any followers. Deities who are desperate for somebody to notice them, accept them, worship them. The idea was inspired, in part, by the Terry Pratchett book Small Gods, in which the Great God Om finds himself without any divine powers, due to a distinct lack of anyone who is the slightest bit interested in him any more.

I'm happy to announce that I am planning to publish a book based upon Deity Galaxy, called nanodeities. Nanodeities will contain a collection of small gods, all of them generated at random by the bot. For each there will be a portrait by Richard Tingley, a descriptive backstory written by me, and a set of stats, should you want to include this deity in your D&D or OSR game.

Look Mum, I'm on Kickstarter!

 

Who's afraid of a toad?

I have just launched my first ever Kickstarter project, Mostly Harnless Meetings. It's a zine full of whimsical random encounters in the countryside, inspired by English flora, fauna and folklore. Here's a an example:

Oak: A circle of twisted, ancient oaks. The ground inside the circle, and the bottom halves of the tree, are covered in soft, thick moss an almost unnaturally bright green. This place has a good feeling about it, and would be an ideal spot to camp for the night. Anyone doing so sleeps very deeply, as will anyone who tries to stay awake and keep watch. They will awake feeling more invigorated than they have in years. However, in the night, fairies have been playing practical jokes, a different one on each person who slept here. They may find their shoelaces tied together; their hair plaited with nettles or braided together with somebody else's; clothes may be swapped around, or altered with incredibly fine needlework: perhaps sleeve-ends are sewn up, gussets are removed or tightened, or the words "KICK ME" embroidered upon somebody's back. A very detailed search may reveal the fairies sleeping in acorn cups scattered among the trees.

For more examples, and to pledge me your money, head over to the Kickstarter page:   https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dansumption/mostly-harmless-meetings-a-zine-of-countryside-encounters