Biographies

Hi

we proposed to write (auto) biogs in a way that related to the four main festivals of the Celtic Year.

Please find my version below ... and know that I haven't done much about cutting a long story short ...

Fi
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How do you relate to Samhain – how do you rest and refresh yourself, how has your life-path led you to this point, what are your spiritual and cultural roots, who or what do you listen or attend to for guidance, who are your mentors? Do the night-time and darkness figure in your life, inspire you; and if so, how?

I rest and refresh myself by visiting my special places, and the pursuance of joy.
Walking recharges me.
I take part in body harmony and spiritual healing sessions to further my spiritual practice and for spiritual support
I attend to the natural landscapes for guidance, my recent mentors have been within the animal medicine cards, the I Ching, Sacred Path cards and my mam's Angel cards
I try and make sure that whenever it's needed I nurture the stillness within by having plenty of solitude and creative play

My life path has been journeys through wild and abundant spiritual landscapes, and through rocky ground, and I wouldn't be the person that I am if it hadn't been for the balance of the both


How do you relate to Imbolc – what are you wishing to bring out in the new growth cycle ahead, what are your plans, hopes and aspirations. Do sacred waters, streams, wells and flowing waters figure in your life, inspire you; and if so, how?

My aspirations include …

Completing and promoting the anthology of sketches 'From Wear to Wye'

'Sending out' my full-feature screenplay Vorland

Playing with the newly-discovered (to me) Lyric Essay as a form of expression

Experimenting with different ways to present my text within an exhibition

Starting to write performance poetry and performing it well.

Participating in CFOW events

Leading my literary promenade for the Wye AONB

I grew up on the coast and have deep love of the sea.
Rivers have always been close by to where I lived (Tyne and Wear, Severn and Wye and Lyd) and special to me


How do you relate to Beltain – what have you recently put into place, what new projects have you activated, where are you putting your energies at the moment? Do stones, trees, plants and place figure in your life, inspire you; and if so, how?

I enjoy site-specific work and since working for the Sculpture Trust as a PA for their Projects Manager and then as Community & Outreach Officer, working alongside site-specific visual and multi-media artists was a great inspiration.

I'm interested in the imprints in and around old buildings. I'd like one day to explore further the history of the 18th century cottage where I've lived for over 20 years.

From my garden I have an open view of a wooded valley which always refreshes me. Living in an ancient forest means that I have lots of choice for My Favourite Trees, a collection which I add to constantly

We grow our own vegetables, have mature fruit trees, and my particular favourite the herb beds (I have 23 varieties, the same as had P L Travers who wrote the Mary Poppins' books …)

Special places that I visit often include …

The Forest of Dean 'itself', so many personal tracks and paths
Dean Heritage Museum
Tintern Abbey
Garden Café, Lydbrook
Ross on Wye – especially the areas around Palace Pound, St Mary's Church (especially when they're doing bell practice on Tuesday evenings), the Phoenix Theatre
Riverbanks by the Kerne Bridge, Goodrich; at Ross on Wye; & Symonds Yat
Wye Valley from the Bigsweir Bridge to Tintern
Monmouth – from the Bridges, past the Monnow Bridge, to the Blake Theatre, to the avenue leading to Church Street
My childhood beaches on the north-sea coasts of Sunderland and South Shields, from the Roker Marina, Cat 'n Dog Stairs, Seaburn, Whitburn Bents and cliff top
The coastlands between Whitburn and Shields, the Marsden Grotto, Frenchman's Cove
The Boardwalk Hotel and conservatory alongside the harbour on one side and the sculptural Gossipers on the other
The Winter Gardens in Mowbray Park

College Green in Bristol, the canals and wharfs, St George's Tower and surrounding park

Gloucester Cathedral and Gloucester Docks area;
the Playsets room at the top of the Music and Drama library overlooking St Mary's churchyard;

The Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham

Bridges and staircases and railway stations, especially old ones like Kemble and Stroud

The monumental Larkin Angel in Sunderland Cemetery
Fetternear graveyard in Aberdeen
Sculpture Trail


How do you relate to Lammas – how do you celebrate your successes, what especial communities do you belong to, who do you share your ideas with and how? Do fairs and festivals figure in your life, inspire you; and if so, how?

Fairs & Festivals that have inspired me:

Coleford Festival of Words CFOW
Hay on Wye festival
Cheltenham Literary festival

Who do you share your ideas with, collaborations & communities

Online community with the Celtic Year Project
With Roger – on our virtual rail journey project
With Sally and Nigel
With RIO (Real Ideas Organisation) artist partnerships – Littledean and the Cinderford Town Trail; Longlevens school doing website content.


The Training Assistants' programme – the students in their schools. I do some work for Glos College, based in Cheltenham, involved with the training of Teaching Assistants. I get to visit lots of classrooms and watch trainee TAs at their work, and enjoy the enthusiasms of the TAs and have made some good friends from college staff
WAC group – online community of professional women writers, they raise my game
Forest Bookshop – I'm a supporter of this independent book store and have made or been reunited with friends through events and dropping into the store.
Storytelling circles – although intermittent … in Forest, Stroud

Healing communities – including Bridges in Monmouth, at the Quaker House Healing Scheme in Sunderland

I celebrate my successes by: sharing them with the WAC group and with creative friends in and around the Forest.
Reading the collection of autobiog sketches
I am particularly enjoying the company of a group of about 10 friends who regularly attend the monthly Cabarets down the Garden Café

I have also begun a blog, which is at … http://fi-benson.blogspot.com

I have created some promotional material – post cards and business cards that I really like, and intend to start giving out at the CFOW

I am to be included in the Local Authors exhibition at the Dean Heritage Museum, and at the Old Signal Box, Tintern in July.