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Vampires, werewolves, fairies in culture. All narratives of the fantastic, the folkloric, and the magical, emphasising the sense of Gothic as enchantment. www.opengravesopenminds.com

DRAGONS WITHOUT WINGS Not all dragons have wings or fly, such as wyrms, and some magically breathe wisdom instead of fire!! Stunning Katsushika Hokusai wingless dragon illustrations c.1836

So sad to hear of the passing of actor #AnthonyHead, Giles, the Watcher & mentor to #Buffy. He was known for helping Buffy reflect on coping with loss & responsibility: "The big moments are gonna come. You can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that counts."(The Gift).

DEMONS ADMIRING THEMSELVES And they, so perfect in their misery, Not once perceive their foul disfigurement, But boast themselves more comely than before (From Comus, illustrated by Arthur Rackham, 1921)

RAVEN GOTHIC Raven couples appeared on Victorian Halloween invitations; the hoarse screech of the raven was seen as an omen of death & a source of power. Straddling the worlds of the living & the dead, the raven is an uncanny messenger between the two. 🎨Victorian Halloween card; Bill Mayer image.

BECKONING SHADOWS Rackham's folkloric fairy trees (1914) are unsettling and windblown calling forth the shadows to celebrate impending darkness - irresistibly gothic!

GOTHIC NATURE A small Yorkshire grave has fused with the mossy roots of a living tree. Only the letters E.M. remain visible above ground as I pass by. The tenant of the tomb has been sleeping deep in the earth for over one hundred years (or have they?)

Dark Enchantments: CFP and Keynote I am pleased to announce the CFP for Sheffield Gothic’s forthcoming conference Dark Enchantments: Gothic Folklore and the Monstrous Fairy Tale. The conference will take place in Sheffield, UK, on October 29-30, 2026. You can visit the Dark Enchantments website…

Dracula ballet doesn’t suck! – it’s rather good actually. Review of Joel Burke’s Dracula, by Daisy Butcher Dracula ballet doesn't suck! – it's rather good actually On Saturday, the 6th of June, 2026, I went to Joel Burke’s new ballet adaptation of Dracula at Sadler’s Wells in London. I have always…

I am pleased to announce the CFP for Sheffield Gothic’s forthcoming conference Dark Enchantments: Gothic Folklore and the Monstrous Fairy Tale. The conference will take place in Sheffield, UK, on October 29-30, 2026. You can visit the Dark Enchantments website and see the description on the image below for possible submissions and papers (deadline Friday, 31 July). The theme coheres well with OGOM’s research on Gothic Enchantment, and the material that has fed into our forthcoming book Gothic Enchantment with the Fairy Realm in Literature and Culture (Manchester University Press, forthcoming 2026/7).

Dracula ballet doesn't suck! – it's rather good actually On Saturday, the 6th of June, 2026, I went to Joel Burke’s new ballet adaptation of Dracula at Sadler’s Wells in London. I have always enjoyed ballet performances which explore themes of the supernatural, magical and the Gothic, so when tickets for a ballet revolving around the story of Dracula were announced, I booked right away. With the rise of vampire comedy, fans of the dramatic vampire in all its brooding glory have been under-served in recent times. Burke’s ballet is a refreshing return to the tragic romance of the vampire.