Gareth Rees — The modern myths and folklore of place have always driven Gareth’s writing and he has contributed weird fiction and horror stories to numerous anthologies. His short stories have been selected for Best British Stories 2023 (Salt Publishing) and Best of British Fantasy 2019 (Newcon Press). His articles and essays have been published in Mount London (Penned in the Margins), An Unreliable Guide to London (Influx Press), The Guardian and The Quietus.
His new book is "Sunken Lands: a Journey Through Lost Kingdoms and Flooded Worlds," published by Elliott & Thompson.
"Sunken Lands" is an exploration of lost worlds, starting here in the UK, then going out to the Bay of Naples and the Louisiana wetlands. It is about how folklore and mythology cling to places and carry messages from the deep past in a time of climate change.
Gareth's first book was "Marshland," about a deep map of a semi-rural former industrial edgeland in the middle of London, blending factual writing with weird fiction. From a paranormal perspective there's cryptozoology in there, relating to the numerous bear sightings on the marshes and a suspected crocodile.
His second book, "The Stone Tide," is an autobiographical work about Hastings on the East Sussex coast, where he wrote about the mavericks who have gravitated there: Aleister Crowley, John Logie Baird, Alex Sanders, Teilhard De Chardin.
"Car Park Life." his third book, is about parking lots, where he explores the boring spaces around chain stores, superstores, retail parks. Even though there's nothing really paranormal in it but the process of extracting meaning from the mundane could be described as magical. Duncan Barford from the podcast "occult experiments in the home" writes: "Rees, and all psychogeographers, I think, are making this transition away from technic and into magick, focusing on the potential for meaning that these spaces provide, and resisting the function that has been imposed upon them and that might also be imposed upon us when we enter into them."
"Unofficial Britain," is about the magic and mystery of everyday urban space, from poltergeist hauntings in modern housing estates, to werewolves in industrial estates, and haunted electricity pylons. Gareth's fifth book is "Terminal Zones," is a collection of short stories.
Gareth also makes music and perform spoken word. His bandcamp page with a solo album based on Sunken lands. https://garetherees.bandcamp.com
YouTube Channel: Gareth Rees
Our cohost will be Tim Swartz.
Recording Date (including After The Paracast):
Wednesday, May 8th at 1:00 Pacific (4:00 PM Eastern)
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Broadcast and Streaming Date:
May 12, 2024