The Folklore Podcast

In this special episode of The Folklore Podcast, recorded live on location at The Bookery, a community-owned bookshop in Crediton, Devon, host Mark Norman talks with BBC Radio 6 Music's Zakia Sewell about her book Finding Albion. Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction, the book is an exploration of British identity, folk culture and myth and grew out of a documentary series Zakia made for BBC Radio 4.

Find Zakia online at www.zakiasewell.co.uk

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In this episode of The Folklore Podcast, host Mark Norman is joined by special guest Bar Fridman-Tell about her debut novel 'Honeysuckle'.

Part horror, part fantasy, part magic but completely engaging, the story in an unholy alliance between the flower woman of Welsh mythology and a creation of Victor Frankenstein!

Bar talks about her inspirations, the treatment of the original story and the ways in which she combines real-world folklore with her own imagination. You can also hear a short extract from the audiobook, courtesy of the publisher.

You can find Honeysuckle wherever books are sold, and visit Bar on the web at https://www.barfridmantell.com/

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The second of two episodes featuring interviews recorded live at the UK Ghost Story Festival in Derby in February 2026.

In this second part, host Mark Norman meets two more of the presenters from the event. You will hear:

MELANIE ATKINSON: On horror and ghost story writing

SUSANNAH WISE: On the tangential way that ghosts appear in her writing, and writing from screen as well as novels.

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Folklorist and author Mark Norman, the creator of The Folklore Podcast, looks at the imagery of the fairy, in conversation with illustrator and folklore enthusiast Tamsin Rosewell.

As well as chatting with Tamsin about her past, and her interest in folklore and the fairy world more generally, the episode takes a close look at the fairy in art, literature and culture.

We also want your views! What are your early memories of fairy images? How do you think the fairy will change over time? Please fill out our micro survey which will inform a future episode on this subject. You will find a short form on this link:

https://forms.gle/RQ2C8KiX5XDpDAfz5

Thank you for giving us your views.

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The first of two episodes featuring interviews recorded live at the UK Ghost Story Festival in Derby in February 2026.

In this first part, host Mark Norman meets four presenters from the festival to discuss their particular areas of interest. You will hear:

DAN WEBBER discussing queer readings of Dracula and theatrical adaptations of ghost stories

TRACY FAHEY on Irish ghosts and the idea of ghost estates

ANTHONY KERRIGAN talking about fairy folklore and its links to abduction cases

RICHARD FARREN BARBER answering the question 'What mkaes an effective ghost?'

Support the Folklore Podcast on Patreon and get free exclusive bonus material. Join as a free member or on a paid tier at www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast