"One of the best releases we had this year" - Review of "Tales from the Black Meadow" the album. Musicblob.

Lovely article from Musicblob about the alt-folk renaissance features many great artists including...

The Soulless Party

"Even if it’s quite unexpected to find such a project on this list, the use they make of flutes, orchestral arrangements and the minor chord progressions allow this music to be considered as a branch of the recent alt-folk scenario. To be clear, the music The Soulless Party plays could be labeled as rural psychedelia, evoking landscapes full of gnomes, wizards and ghostly creatures. The background sound fields give the sensation of a wide landscape, most likely experienced at the sunset. Based on an omnipresent organ sound and celestial choirs, the recent Tales From The Black Meadow is one of the best releases we had this year, with ten marvellous compositions to state it."

For the full article click here.

Black Meadow Talk at Todmorden Library - Saturday 25th January - 7.30pm

If you can get yourself across, down or up to Todmorden Library and have a gander at "Tales from the Black Meadow" and the wonderful Folklore Tapes in an evening organised by James Glossop for Wyrd Britannia. The countdown starts now!

Who do I buy "Tales from the Black Meadow" for?

Hello!

A few days to go before you'll have bought your online pressies. So may I recommend this for one of the following people. You are bound to know one of them... You can buy it here...

A northerner
A southerner who hankers for the north
A meteorologist
A fog collector
A child of mist
An inhabitant of a remote village
A museum curator
A storyteller
A rambler
A wizard
A dreamer
A collector of fairy tales
A goth
A priest
A milkmaid
A mythogeographer
A librarian
An owner of a black Labrador
A coalman
A pumpkin king
An artist
A witch
A horror junkie
A surly teenager
A bookshop proprietor
A folklorist
A ghost hunter
A ghost
A short story lover
A port drinker
A meadow hag
A sitter in front of the fire
A vampire
A lover of the macabre
A monochrome enthusiast

Review of "Tales from the Black Meadow" - Jim Moon - Hypnobobs "A banquet of weirdness"

An excellent and on the nose review of "Tales from the Black Meadow" book and CD in Jim Moon's Hypnobob's latest podcast.

Jim Moon reviews a selection of spooky books including works by Jeremy Dyson and M.R. James.

"Tales from the Black Meadow is a wonderful exercise in English strangeness. It taps into not only authentic British folklore but it is also mining the same vein of English eeriness that we find in odd 70's TV shows such as "The Owl Service" and "Children of the Stones"...

"A banquet of weirdness..."

"...marvellously atmospheric collection... a great book to have by the arm chair on the long winter nights..."

"very atmospheric black and white illustrations courtesy of Mr Nigel Wilson"

"...as you'll discover when you sample all the delights Professor Mullins brought back from the Black Meadow,  different poems stories and songs do interweave in a subtle way giving you a sense of a distinct mythology that while uniting all of the material also remains just tantalisingly out of reach."

Listen here.

Check out Jim Moon's blog here - there is much to read and savour here.

http://hypnogoria.blogspot.co.uk/

Review of "Tales from the Black Meadow" by Crab Man - Mythogeography

Crab Man aka Phil smith (Author of Counter-Tourism The Handbook, Counter-Tourism - The Pocket Book - 50 Odd Things to do in a Heritage Site, A Sardine Street Box of Tricks and Mythogeography: A Guide to Walking Sideways) has written a review of "Tales from the Black Meadow". 

 It is reprinted in all of it's glory below.

Tales from the Black Meadow Chris Lambert Exiled Publishing (Reading, UK) (with double CD ‘Tales from the Black Meadow’). 

 Chris Lambert has made a world. Like those of many a demiurge, his is more flawed than floored. Around the Black Meadow you are always in danger of having the earth, let alone the carpet, pulled from beneath your feet. There, it is far from easy to tell a divine spark from a black sphere.

 ‘Tales from the Black Meadow’ is neatly framed, Machen-like, in their collection by a lay historian, the fictitious Roger Mullins. From the off we are somewhere unmapped between the realunreal and the unrealreal. Among the tales gathered by Mullins are those of bodies of fog and blackberry and rags, floating eyes, a psychic litter bin (a standing stone), boy to foal and vagabond to apple tree transformations, and a stepping stone that does what it says on the tin. Told in prose that sits somewhere between storytelling and antiquarianism, visceral dread slowly rises from its mustiness, catching the reader in complacency. Thinking you stand safely outside the mythology, you come to read: “[M]any of the tales of the Black Meadow try to explain how the world disappears from its borders... to the world it is the village that vanishes but this is of course a simple matter of perspective” and then you grasp that this pseudo-place’s perspective has quickly made a “simple matter” of you. Its floating eyes are in your head now.

‘Tales from the Black Meadow’, with its accompanying double cd (including a fine spoof Radio 4 documentary) sits well with similar recent cultural productions like the music of Belbury Poly, Emily Jones’s ‘The Book of the Lost’ album and the movie ‘The Paranormal Diaries: Clophill’ which is soon to spawn its own book by its writer Kevin Gates. They wed a Hammer-like sensibility for a polluted rurality to a pseudo-local history; wildly flagging their falseness they lure us pleasurably onto an ambiguous ground where the question of ground itself, frozen and vaporous, can be asked. The ‘land’ becomes an agent here; one with a “sacred relationship with those who toil upon it and those why live by it”, one who comes a-calling, who gives birth, who snarls at the door.

 “Will you take our hands in yours?
Wake our fairest land.”
 Crab Man

Amazon Review of "Tales from the Black Meadow" - "A fine piece of British hauntology"

A fine piece of British hauntology 4 Oct 2013 By Gareth This is a beautiful, compelling book of folklore. What's most haunting about this book is that the stories feel like they've been lingering at the back of your mind all your life. The sparse, propulsive prose gives it this sense of timelesness. This is Britain's past reimagined so vividly that it becomes as real as a memory, albeit one shrouded in speculation, rumour and mystery. A fine piece of hauntology but also good storytelling with lots of twists in the tale. It gets grizzly, absurd and murderous in parts, if you like that kind of thing, which I do.

Amazon Review of "Tales from the Black Meadow" - "Little gem of a book"

Tales from the Black Meadow 3 Oct 2013 By Mervyn Williams `Tales from the Black Meadow', by Chris Lambert, is a little gem of a book which exploits and revels in the concept of `gothic' to the very full. The way the book is structured around a collection of ` would be' sinister stories, and extracts from a fanciful array of macabre sources, is a witty pastiche on more established publications. Such is the brevity of each tale, and the clarity of writing, Chris Lambert provides the reader with no refuge from his ceaseless accounts of the grotesque and inexplicable. Lambert's clear skill in `spooky' narration is accentuated by a clear relish for dark humour and the unexpected. The book is illustrated by some equally haunting and evocative images created by Nigel Wilson. Whether in the schoolroom or by the fireside on a dark cold night, `Tales from the Black Meadow' is an essential short read. Mervyn Williams

Amazon Review of "Tales from the Black Meadow" - "An absolute treat of a book."

5.0 out of 5 stars Send a shiver down your spine........ 24 Sep 2013 By Kerensa Faragher I literally could not put this book down. It will make you gasp, laugh, cry and will send a little shiver down your spine. Although a series of poems and short stories that could be dipped in and out of, I read it from cover to cover in an evening. The wonderful illustrations do this book great justice and my personal favourite, Beyond The Moor, made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The Fog House and The Rag and Bone Man were fascinating pieces of macabre literary works. An absolute treat of a book and I, for one, cannot wait to see more from this author.

Amazon Review of "Tales from the Black Meadow" - "I couldn't put it down..."

5.0 out of 5 stars Good old fashioned scary tales... 24 Sep 2013 By Michelle Walsh Although this book of tales can potentially be read in short bursts, I couldn't put it down. At times I went from a shocked gasp to a private giggle in just one paragraph. The unexpected twists and turn of events are delightful and left me thinking about them long after I put the book down. The traditional looking illustrations really set the scene and made me feel that these tales had been recounted and retold over many years and therefore must hold an element of truth, which makes them all the more eerie. I personally shall be watching this author as I can't wait for more.

Black Meadow at the Ryedale Book Festival - Saturday 19th October 2013 - The Mystic Moors

I was very nervous.

We arrived early and set out a stall in the main hall at the fabulous Milton Rooms in Malton.

At about ten to 12 we set up in a black box studio theatre to the side of the hall.

We set the ambiance with the first few tracks of "Tales from the Black Meadow".

I.R. Johnson went first with readings from his fascinating book "The Witcher Keys". He spoke of how he had witnessed the effects of elementals whilst working in this area. I was struck by his vivid descriptions of landscape and atmosphere. I look forward to settling down in the the coming winter months with this book.

Of course by now I was getting even more nervous.

Theresa Tomlinson was next and she read extracts from "A Swarming of Bees" an intriguing and exciting Anglo-Saxon set murder mystery. She and Ian were both charming and excellent in their delivery.

Now it was my turn.

A roomful of strangers and I had dared to write a book set in their home county. 

My mouth was dry and I asked for water. Ana our gracious host and MC obliged.

I thought I'd try smiling which seemed to help.

I spoke of our journey from Whitby to Malton across the misty moor by RAF Fylingdales and how we thought we could see the horsemen dancing and hints of roof and chimney through the mist.

I talked of the tragedies and mysteries of Black Meadow.

I read "Can you tell me Maiden Fair". The audience were silent.

I spoke of the folklore surrounding the disappearance and reappearance of the village.

I performed "The Devil and the Yoked Man", Nigel and Kev providing the voices of The Devil and TheYoked Man from behind the audience.

I finished off with "The Horsemen" which provoked laughter and gasps.

Once it was all over we were asked questions about Black Meadow.

People seemed confused and shocked that they hadn't heard of it before.

Then I sold quite a few books and Kev Oyston sold quite a few CDs too.

A wonderful day.

Malton is a beautiful town and the Ryedale Book Festival a very welcoming and exciting event.

Coalman and the Creature - Christmas Card - Spook up your Christmas!

Click here to buy the card! 

 

Make someone very scared this Christmas...

Lambert the Writer: A day out on the Black Meadow

Lambert the Writer: A day out on the Black Meadow: Kev Oyston and Chris Lambert - Black Meadow Collaborators Just before appearing at the Ryedale Book Festival on October 19th October, ...

Tales from the Black Meadow - The Launch - Article in Reading Post

Amazon Review of "Tales from the Black Meadow" - "Groundbreaking new concept..."

5.0 out of 5 stars
Ground-breaking new concept.,
7 Sep 2013 By MR N H WILSON

This review is from: Tales from the Black Meadow (Paperback) 

Wonderful stories, richly illustrated, which describe strange happenings in and around a fictitious(?) location in a real part of North Yorkshire. Cleverly written to convince you it is recounting established, but rarely spoken of, folklore. There is even a separately available CD with haunting compositions by Kev Oyston and a "documentary" giving added authenticity to the tales. Can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, depending on their ability to deal with creepy material.

17 Days to Halloween - The Black Meadow Pumpkin

How to make a Black Meadow Pumpkin...

1. Find a pumpkin.
2. Cut off the top.
3. Hollow out the innards.
4. If you don't have an artistic bone in your body (like me) print out a design and stick it to the outside of the pumpkin. Use Gaffer tape (sellotape tends to fall off).

 

5. Using a pumpkin saw from a pumpkin carving kit cut out the largest bits of the design.

6. Remove the paper and gaffer tape.

7. Put a tealight inside. Light it.

8. Display in window on a dark night when the mist is high.

9. Read "The Land Spheres" and then "The Horsemen" to your lit pumpkin. You can find these here.

Chris Lambert Author Page on Amazon

Check out my Author page on Amazon.

Some fascinating facts on there!

Chris Lambert has been writing since 1991, creating plays for Tilt, Voice, Workswell Productions and his own company Exiled Theatre. He is currently working on his second novel, a time-travelling religious satire. He won the 2012 Reading playwright competition, Off the Block. Chris has been working with Yorkshire musician Kev Oyston on a musical collaboration called "Tales from the Black Meadow" inspired by the strange folk tales surrounding the North York Moors. Chris is also a secondary school Head of Drama and works as a sound artist.

Highlights of his artistic career so far include:

Turning St Mary's Minster into a massive jukebox playing sounds captured from the area.

Mixing fiction, lies and truth in the ghost play "Deadman's Lane" set in the Theale road of the same name.

Recording the "Whispered Hopes" of over a thousand individuals in the creation of a sound installation.

Writing and recording a song about his new moustache for Movember.

Writing and touring the "Official" prequel to "King Lear" - "Edmund Son of Gloucester"

Collaborating with the writer Jonathan Shelley on Shakespearean romp "Kill the Messenger", black supernatural comedy "Vampire Hospital", Poe adaptation "Some words with a Mummy" and portmanteau homage "Detention of Terror".

For more visit the page!

22 Days to Halloween - Reading to Kids

On the 15th October Chris Lambert will be reading extracts from "Tales from the Black Meadow" to students between the ages of 11 and 18 at Theale Library.

Please can you help him by answering the following two questions.

1. Which stories suit Halloween the most?
2. Which stories do you think are suitable for a younger audience?

23 Days to Halloween - Make Black Meadow Jam

The main crop from Black Meadow used to be blackberries. Tales such as "Children of the Black Meadow", "The Blackberry Ghost" and "The Blackberry Swim" all celebrate this busy little industry.

So if you have any blackberries left (I'm sure many of you popped your spares in the freezer) then follow the recipe here and stick this label on your jar.

Alternatively buy a jar, steam off the label and replace it with this one!

24 Days to Halloween - The Black Meadow Wordsearch

Everybody loves a wordsearch.

So treat yourself to a little brain stretching and see how many spooky and strange things you can find.

You can download a lovely pdf of the wordsearch here...

25 Days to Halloween - Listen to "A Tale of Witches, Woodland and half Remembered Melodies..."

With a copy of "Tales of the Black Meadow" in one hand, a glass of port in the other, fire crackling in the grate I settle into my horsehair stuffed chaise longue and listen to the haunting sounds of Melmoth the Wanderer.

The wonderful Melmoth (aka Jim Peters) created a fantastic mix for the launch of Black Meadow that those of us who were lucky enough to attend were able to download.

So as we prepare for the creepiest festival of the year, make yourself comfortable and listen...

A Tale of Witches, Woodland and half-remembered melodies... by Melmoth_The_Wanderer on Mixcloud

26 Days to Halloween - Today write a review of Tales from the Black Meadow

26 Days to go to Halloween.

Now you've got through your copy of Black Meadow you could have a go at writing a review on Amazon.

Click on this link here scroll down to "Customer Reviews" and it will show you how...

Thank you

30 Days to Halloween - Tales from the Black Meadow

30 Days to Halloween - Can you think of someone that you could give "Tales from the Black Meadow" to as a perfect spooky gift?

Tales of the Black Meadow - For Dogs

"Papa, if you don't read The Black Dog immediately Caesar will bite off our faces."

If you have a dog we have the following advice...

It is a well known fact that all pets enjoy the Black Meadow Tales. For canine companions I would of course suggest "The Black Dog" to begin with. Many dogs have also expressed a great fondness for "The long walk to Scarry Wood" for obvious reasons.

Tales from the Black Meadow Number 2 - By Popularity - Fantasy Short Stories

Let's try to keep it up there.

Exciting times.

Review of "Tales of the Black Meadow" launch - Excuses and Half Truths

A lovely review of the launch last week.

Check it out here.

What does it feel like to get lost in time?

The magnificent Forest Punk wrote this review of "Tales from the Black Meadow" the album a few months back. Give it a read.

Tales from the Black Meadow - Higher in the charts

Starting to now make an impression on the myths and fairy stories charts we see Tales of the Black Meadow holding its own with Tolkien and others at number 53. Nice to see it next to Don Quixote...

Interestingly it is even higher in the fantasy short stories now at number 8.

It will need to stay in the top 100 for a while to get noticed, but this is a great start!

For more up to date Black Meadow goodness join the Facebook page.

First meeting of the "Tales from the Black Meadow" Facebook Group yesterday.

Now the launch is done why not join the "Tales from the Black Meadow" Facebook group for up to the minute information on events and special deals and tunes.

Here are the rules:

It is important to have rules.

Otherwise there will be anarchy.

Health and Safety regulations will follow soon...

The first rule of "Tales from the Black Meadow Group" is talk about "Tales from the Black Meadow".

The second rule of "Tales from the Black Meadow Group" is talk about "Tales from the Black Meadow".

The third rule of "Tales from the Black Meadow Group" is there is no third rule.

The fourth rule of "Tales from the Black Meadow Group" is read "Tales from the Black Meadow".

The fifth rule of "Tales from the Black Meadow Group" is buy "Tales from the Black Meadow" for yourself.

The sixth rule of "Tales of the Black Meadow Group" is buy "Tales from the Black Meadow" for someone you like.

The seventh rule of "Tales from the Black Meadow Group" is buy "Tales from the Black Meadow" for someone you hate.

The eighth rule of "Tales from the Black Meadow Group" is read "Tales from the Black Meadow" in public.

The ninth rule of "Tales from the Black Meadow Group" is the same as the third.

The tenth rule of "Tales from the Black Meadow Group" is do not stray into the mist.

The eleventh rule of "Tales from the Black Meadow Group" is talk about "Tales from the Black Meadow".

https://www.facebook.com/groups/231078163713535/permalink/231082630379755/

Test Transmission: Tales From the Black Meadow Book & CD

For a great write-up of this exciting event check out the Test Transmission blog by Keith Seatman.

Test Transmission: Tales From the Black Meadow Book & CD: Went to the book launch of Tales of the Black Meadow the other night with my friend Mr Palmer . This event was held at The Reading Cent...

"Tales from the Black Meadow" - Number 25 in the Fantasy Short Story Bestseller list!

For more details on how to purchase this book click here.

"Tales from the Black Meadow" is available to buy from Amazon.

"Can you tell me, maiden fair

Can you tell me if or where

I shall see my child again

Walk upon the fields of men?

Will she ever stumble back

 From the meadow all a’black?"

Show More

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16 days prior to the launch of "Tales of the Black Meadow" and our good friends at Amazon have the book ready to buy.

Retailing at £5.55 and eligible for Super Saver delivery (so there are no postage and packing costs if you click that option).

Join us here...

Tales From the Black Meadow - Press Release for Launch

… PRESS RELEASE … PRESS RELEASE … PRESS RELEASE …

Tales from the Black Meadow

A new book of Supernatural short stories is being published in September.

It is written by local author Chris Lambert and illustrated by local artist Nigel Wilson.

This book explores the legendary “lost” village of Black Meadow. A mysterious place on the North Yorkshire Moors that is described as the “root of strange occurrences, nightmares and disappearances”.

The book will be launched at Reading Central Library on September 19^th at 7pm. Entrance is free.

The launch will be an evening of drama, music, film, readings and refreshments.

There will be a performance of “The Devil and the Yoked Man” an adaptation of one of the short stories, a lecture about the mystery surrounding Black Meadow as well as a new film adaptation of “Curse of the Black Meadow”.

Do not go into the mist.

Do not dance with the horsemen.

Do not listen to the cry of the Rag and Bone Man.

 

Chris Lambert began investigating Black Meadow in collaboration with Kev Oyston, a composer from Yorkshire. Kev Oyston created an album of music for a “lost” Radio 4 Documentary “Curse of the Black Meadow” that Chris helped to resurrect. Each track on the CD inspired Chris to write a poem or story. It is a very exciting project that spans counties and shows the creative opportunities that the internet provides.

Tales from the Black Meadow is available to buy from Amazon and bookshops in Reading and Yorkshire.

The album is available to buy from Amazon.

 … PRESS RELEASE … PRESS RELEASE … PRESS RELEASE …

Tales from the Black Meadow - Launch Countdown

 

Press Release for Launch of "Tales from the Black Meadow" - Come Along

Tales from the Black Meadow

A new book of Supernatural short stories is being published in September.

It is written by local author Chris Lambert and illustrated by local artist Nigel Wilson.

This book explores the legendary “lost” village of Black Meadow. 

A mysterious place on the North Yorkshire Moors that is described as the “root of strange occurrences, nightmares and disappearances”.

The book will be launched at Reading Central Library on September 19th at 7pm. 

Entrance is free.

The launch will be an evening of drama, music, film, readings and refreshments.

There will be a performance of “The Devil and the Yoked Man” an adaptation of one of the short stories, a lecture about the mystery surrounding Black Meadow as well as a new film adaptation of “Curse of the Black Meadow”.

Do not go into the mist.Do not dance with the horsemen.Do not listen to the cry of the Rag and Bone Man.


Chris Lambert began investigating Black Meadow in collaboration with Kev Oyston, a composer from Yorkshire. Kev Oyston created an album of music for a “lost” Radio 4 Documentary “Curse of the Black Meadow” that Chris helped to resurrect. Each track on the CD inspired Chris to write a poem or story. It is a very exciting project that spans counties and shows the creative opportunities that the internet provides.

Tales from the Black Meadow is available to buy from Amazon and bookshops in Reading and Yorkshire.

The album is available to buy from Amazon.

Tales From the Black Meadow - Launch - Poster

Tales from the Black Meadow - Launch Date Announced

Tales from the Black Meadow will be launched at Reading Central Library on Thursday 19th September at 7pm.

Coming Soon

Exiled Publications are proud to announce the publication of its first title.

"Tales from the Black Meadow"

by Chris Lambert

Based on the lost stories of a mysterious Yorkshire Moor. This is published to coincide with the release of a music album of the same name.

Each story links to a track from the album.

Light a fire

Turn up the music

Read the book

Welcome to Exiled Publications

Set in the sprawling town of Reading, Exiled Publications strives to bring you new and exciting works in a variety of genres.