The Place of the Song-Dream

About Fiddler’s Green Peculiar Parish

Fiddler’s Green Peculiar Parish Magazine was born of a languid afternoon of conversation on a sunny tavern lawn. Taking its name from the pleasant afterlife dreamed into being by sailors, cavalrymen, and other adventurous spirits, Fiddler’s Green gathers friends, good cheer, and a bit of magic to create a better world not someday, but now.

In ecclesiastical terms, the word “peculiar” refers to a district outside the jurisdiction of the Church. It’s also a good word for describing my own view of reality, and likely yours as well. And so here is a “peculiar parish magazine” for anyone who doesn’t feel the need to have their inner life directed by others. If it is peculiar that we wish to govern our bodies and souls ourselves, then let us be peculiar.

The conversation continues, and there is room for you in it. Each of us is on our own journey, both in this world and whatever lies beyond it. Sometimes the path is well lit; at other times it is obscured. Your wanderings have brought you here, and I hope you’ll stray for a while with me and the other souls gathered at Fiddler’s Green.

Clint Marsh [Publisher]

Description

A Fiddler's Green Leaflet by Clint Marsh & Timothy Renner.

A missing child prompts two friends to set off on a moonlit rescue mission down an enigmatic river. What they discover by night’s end will change their lives forever.

This illustrated essay explores the profound mystery of “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,” the central chapter of Kenneth Grahame’s masterpiece The Wind in the Willows, a beloved book bridging the worlds of animal and man. ­Grahame’s chapter is a subtle and moving account of friendship, perception, and humility. In it he establishes a mysticism which, ­although original to the animal kingdom, is accessible to mankind if only we will pause long enough to listen and look.

Clint Marsh uses elements of myth, magic, folklore, and humor to help people navigate everyday life. He is the author of a number of books and pamphlets, and is a winner of the Bookseller/Diagram Prize.

Timothy Renner is an artist, writer, and musician drawn to the shady side of the woodland path. He is the ­author of Beyond the Seventh Gate, a book examining legends of rural Pennsylvania.