Episode 61: Martin Shaw ~ Mythteller: Looking to the Wild in the Time of the Spyglass

Dr. Martin Shaw speaks about his new book, Smoke Hole: Looking to the Wild in the Time of the Spyglass. At a time when we are all confronted by not one, but many crossroads in our lives, Dr. Shaw delivers a work of literary tonic. In Smoke Hole, Martin shares three ancient stories that are metaphors for our world today, a world where we are losing our sense of direction. With extraordinary poignancy, Smoke Hole illuminates the complexities of contemporary life and–through story–a way forward. Martin Shaw is widely regarded as one of the most exciting teachers of the mythic imagination. Author of the award-winning Mythteller trilogy (A Branch from the Lightning Tree, Snowy Tower, Scatterlings), he founded the Oral Tradition and Mythic Life courses at Stanford University, and is director of the Westcountry School of Myth in the UK. He has introduced thousands of people to mythology, and for twenty years Shaw has been a wilderness rites of passage guide, working with at-risk youth, those who are unwell, returning veterans as well as many women and men seeking a deeper life. His translations of Gaelic poetry and folklore (with Tony Hoagland) have been published in Orion Magazine, Poetry International, and Poetry magazine. Dr. Shaw's work has received top praise from the likes of Malidoma Somé, Stephen Jenkinson, Coleman Barks, Robert Densmore, and Robert Bly. His essay and conversation with Ai Weiwei on myth and migration was released by the Marciano Arts foundation.