Seven Little Tales by Terri Windling
“Once there was an oak child so young he was little more than a twig. He lived by a stream at the bottom of a hill not far from a small, sleepy village. Now in that village there were many children and they often played in the fields nearby, but never on the hill where the Oak People grew, for that hill was said to be haunted. The oak child knew birds and badgers and bees, and a bouncy black dog who lived close by, but he’d never laid eyes on a human child. And no human child had ever seen him – until one cold, bright winter’s day.
“Come close, and let me whisper in your ear. The story goes like this.. ..”
“Once there was an oak child so young he was little more than a twig. He lived by a stream at the bottom of a hill not far from a small, sleepy village. Now in that village there were many children and they often played in the fields nearby, but never on the hill where the Oak People grew, for that hill was said to be haunted. The oak child knew birds and badgers and bees, and a bouncy black dog who lived close by, but he’d never laid eyes on a human child. And no human child had ever seen him – until one cold, bright winter’s day.
“Come close, and let me whisper in your ear. The story goes like this.. ..”
SEVEN LITTLE TALES is a collection of poem-prayer-chants from the pen of internationally-esteemed author Terri Windling. Each of these seven small prose-poems takes the reader deeper into the leaf-mulch and humus of the story-forest, deeper into the place where myth and story and self become one tale being told. The other-than-human realm is speaking clearly; each tale invites the reader to hear the words being spoken, ever-more-urgently.
Terri Windling is a writer, editor, and artist specialising in folklore and fantasy literature. She’s published many books, receiving nine World Fantasy Awards, the Mythopoeic Award and the Solstice Award for Life Achievement. A former New Yorker, she now lives in a small English village surrounded by artists and sheep.
SEVEN LITTLE TALES is part of the Seven Doors in an Unyielding Stone series (see below for all the titles in the series) for Autumn 2018. The series is also available as a limited edition collectors' boxed set and a book-lovers' bundle of all seven books.
SEVEN LITTLE TALES is lithograph-printed for high quality on 100% recycled paper (140gsm internal, 280gsm cover) using veg-based inks in England, by Calverts, a workers' co-op and is professionally perfectbound.
The book is A6 size (4.2″x5.9″) and has 36 inner pages. This is the first printing. Publication date 31.10.18
ISBN: 978-1-9993065-6-4
Fiction; poetry; prayer
This series of pocket-sized books is new for Autumn 2018 and is an audacious step forward for Hedgespoken Press. Seven extraordinary authors, seven beautiful books. Seven ways to approach the unapproachable and speak about the unspeakable. See the SEVEN DOORS homepage for more information about the series.
The titles in the series are:
TWILIGHT – Jay Griffiths
BLACK HAT – Tom Hirons
WHEN I WAS FURTHEST FROM WATER – Joanna Hruby (with photography by Michaela Meadow)
BULL · POPPY · STAR – Sylvia V. Linsteadt
THE FIVE FATHOMS – Martin Shaw
NINE PRAISE RIDDLES – Rima Staines
SEVEN LITTLE TALES – Terri Windling
The seven titles are available singly (click on the titles) and as a collectors’ limited edition boxed set as well as a book-lovers’ bundle of all seven books. We hope you love them as much as we do.