SLIDE SHOWS AND TALKS

Jill Smith has been giving inspiring slide shows and talks since 1990.

Drawn from her extensive repertoire of poetry, written from the early ‘80s until the mid-‘90s, especially from her 10-year stay in the Hebrides, each selection and performance can be custom-built to suit particular venues and audiences. The poems are matched with slides of Jill’s beautiful art-work and images taken by her of actual places, all to illustrate the poems, topics and moods to which she refers.

She can also give more conventional talks and slide shows about aspects of life in the Hebrides, its landscape, sacred sites, customs and folklore, and about life there today.

She has two main shows available, apart from those which are custom-built.

A CIRCLE FOR CALLANISH

Similar to, if not exactly the same as, the poem selection on her CD, this beautiful cycle follows the circle of the year as she turned it in the Hebrides; year after year over the decade 1986 –’96. It describes the times she spent at the ancient and sacred sites of the Islands for the special points on the year: the Solstices and Equinoxes and the Celtic Festivals of Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane and Lammas, as well as the day-to-day life she lived there with her then-young son Taliesin. She also links the poems with fascinating information, putting each into its context.

The slides are of her art-work, beautifully complementing the poems, and of other images taken by her in the Islands.

MOTHER OF THE ISLES

Linked to her book of the same title, this talk tells many of the stories and myths she came upon while researching the book: stories that are linked to the landscape and the spirit of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

She talks of many of the conclusions she reached while writing the book and of Brighde of the Isles, the Cailleach Bheure, creation myths, Callanish, the Sleeping Beauty Mountain (from whose body the moon is reborn every 19 years), the Sheela-na-Gig of Rodel, Scathac, and the Amazon Woman of St.Kilda.

She talks also from her own experience of these places and beings and is an inspiration, giving much food for thought.

 

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Requirements: Room with complete blackout, slide projector with remote control, tables to display books, cards, prints etc for sale, Publicity.

For further information, fees and to discuss booking, please contact by
e-mail or post.

Jill’s slide shows have been presented in: BRIGHTON, MALVERN fringe festival, LEEDS, NOTTINGHAM, NORWICH, BRISTOL, CROMARTY, HEBDEN BRIDGE, STORNOWAY, EDINBURGH, BARVAS, LINCOLN, PENZANCE, GLASTONBURY, YORK, ST.AUSTELL, WAKEFIELD, SCARBOROUGH, GREAT MALVERN, BATH, BODMIN, NESS, ISLE OF LEWIS.

content and original artwork © Jill Smith