The combined creative talents, tenacity and passion of two Shropshire women has fulfilled a mutual ambition – to publish their own work.
Talking Trees Books was set up by Anne-Marie Lagram and Christine Thompson in 2011. Their aim was to fulfill a mutual ambition of passing on gems of wisdom and information that the duo have amassed over the years coupled with a desire to maintain their our cultural heritage by reminding people of the sayings, ways and celebrations that were once such a big part of many people’s everyday life.
Anne-Marie said "seasonality, nature, green living, folklore and country wisdom are a big part of our lives as we have realised life is for living in a gentle and respectful way to our earth".
Their first publication was printed in 2011; a Country Wisdom and Folklore Diary.
"Our ancestors lived lives that needed to be in tune with the seasons and nature to enable them to survive", Anne-Marie said. "They developed beliefs and explanations for everyday occurrences and special traditions to mark the passing of the year. Nowadays we have lost that crucial link and many feel that there is something missing from their lives and want to reconnect with our past and with the natural cycle".
Country wisdom and folklore is something that has always been a big part of Anne-Marie's life "I have accumulated information that has been passed down in my family particularly from my mother’s line and is now passed down to my own daughter, enabling the cycle to continue".
From the age of three, Anne-Marie went on walks to find 'faeries and folk of the hedgerow', she was told tales of the supernatural and was taken to places of history which shaped her personality.
With a green ethos behind the production of the publications produced by Talking Trees Books, recycled paper and vegetable based inks are used, and the print and finishing of their items takes place locally.
Christine's interest for 'celebrating being outdoors' developed from childhood holidays with her family. "For two weeks every summer, we would picnic every day regardless of the weather and explore beaches collecting shells, pick through old quarries and cuttings looking for fossils, explore castles and go on lots of healthy walks up hills and through forests and woods." Christine said "I love exploring Britain’s woodlands, mountains, and rugged coasts and identifying our great wealth of trees, wildflowers, butterflies and birds.
With the Country Wisdom and Folklore Diary and a Yule Calendar, Talking Trees Books are hoping to increase their range gradually.
Anne-Marie continued "within the diary, we have included snippets of folklore and wisdom and we suggest things to participate in, places to visit and things to do". The Diary as well as being functional informs and engages the reader with seasonality, the journey of the sun and moon and the wheel of the year through the medium of images and text.
Artists Anne-Marie and Christine have included a selection of mixed media artwork, as well as black and white illustrations throughout.
Christine said, "It feels great to be published. Knowing that our writing and artwork is 'out there' and that people want to buy what we've created gives us such a buzz. It inspires our creativity and makes us want to crack-on with new ideas that we've been working on. We're so pleased that other people enjoy what we've done and hope that they in turn pass on the 'old wisdom' to their friends so that the cycle continues and this knowledge is not lost."
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