Liz Williams in conversation with Claire O’Callaghan for an evening of exploration into folk customs, transgression and alternative Britain.
Rough Music explores transgression and shame in British folklore and customs from ancient Britain to the present day. From Bonfire Night to Wassail, Morris dancing, Mari Lwyd and Twelfth Night, along with events like street football and the Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, Liz Williams reveals the roots and roles of violence, mockery, protest and public shaming. She also looks at alternative culture and modern protests, such as the Battle of the Beanfield and the Stonehenge Free Festival, as well as the emergence of all-female Morris sides.This engaging book offers an entertaining and revealing look at British folklore and culture.
Liz Williams is a science fiction and fantasy writer living in Glastonbury, England, where she is co-director of a witchcraft supply business. She has been published by Bantam Spectra (US) and Tor Macmillan (UK), also Night Shade Press and appears regularly in Asimov's and other magazines. She has been involved with the Milford SF Writers' Workshop for over 25 years, and also teaches creative writing at a local college for Further Education.
Dr Claire O’Callaghan is the author of Emily Brontë Reappraised, the most up-to-date biography of the enigmatic writer. She has written extensively about Gothic Literature and is an expert on the lives and works of the Brontës and in the writing of the contemporary historical novelist, Sarah Waters, an author known and celebrated for her delightfully haunting texts. She is also the editor-in-chief of Brontë Studies: the foremost academic journal on the lives and works of the Brontë family.
