The Gilder Folk, the Gilder Folk,
If it weren't for us, the world be broke
Hair of human drowned at sea
The storm provides for the Gilders We.
Skin and Shell, Fungi and feather,
Claw and moss, we bind together.
Minerals Munched by a wise worm’s daughter
Add heat and frost and pure rain water.
Catch them, mash them, splash them in dew,
Mix well with thunder and lightning too.
And by the rosy light of dawn
A fresh layer of earth will have been born.
Welcome to Wild Isle.
Uninhabited by humans this island is a haven for the wilder ones. But it is not a peaceful place. Many species compete for territory and the Gilder Folk, the earthy sprites are no different.
Fearing that the land they have crafted is being stolen by Old Wada-The Big Blue, the spirit of water, the Gilder folk are on a mission to save their island from falling into the sea. This constant battle between land and water underscores our story.
On a Spring Storm another threat arrives, Alfred Youngblood, a shipwrecked runaway who dreams of industry and progress away from his own dying island.
The Gilders know his kind from the old days and set out to turn Alfred into soil.
But other beings, namely Threads Bob-tail, Frod the Slower and Fir-witt the Snaggle-fanged Growler recognise in Alfred the possibility that this human might be able to help them restore some kind of balance.
Can this unlikely alliance calm the spirits of the Wild Isle or will they cause even more destruction?
The Sprit of Wild Island is an adventure story about finding friendship, purpose and peace within the wilder world.
About the R&D
The purpose of this R&D is to finish the story in manuscript form and to explore different ways of presenting the story, through audio, animation, immersive installation and print.
I will be conducting research and spending some wild time on Arnøya island in Arctic Circle as part of an Artist's Residency with Starlight & Storm in June 2026. This time spent writing, drawing and documenting with my camera will enable me to develop the story and on my return I will start exploring how to tell it.
Why Now
I have spent the last ten years working with woodlands, seashores, towns and cities, with writers, communities, scientists and environmentalists to explore our relationship with the wild within the context of the climate crisis. In that time I have gotten to know the earth sprites who bite at my ankles asking for their story to be told.
This story will consider how being in relationship to all beings might be the most powerful way to address the crises of our time.
This story is for everyone, not just for children, and not only for adults.
The aim for this story is to bring people together with each other and with the wild.
To know that we are all together in the hard times and we are together under the same starlit sky as our ancestors of the past and of the future.
Inspiration
In his introduction to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz L.Frank Baum stated:
“It aspires to be a modernised fairy tale in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out.”
Similarly this story sets our to be a modernised fairy tale that makes strange the familiar real world and allows the reader to experience it again with wonder and joy.
Dorothy and her friend's the Tin Woodman, The Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion feel radical even now and their adventure, despite Baum's statement explores heartache and nightmarish scenarios but Baum uses wonderment and joy as a balm for fear and trouble.
For my story, whilst it will also deal with heartache and nightmares, the nature on Wild Isle contains all the potential for wonderment and joy to give the story the same balance that a timeless tale like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is able to give the reader.
Tove Jansson's Moomin stories grew out of the 1940's; war, poverty and no place for children. She created characters with deep philosophical views of the world, nature and creativity. The adventures she takes them on are perilous and exciting, and where friendship and found family are always the answer to any problems.
Melissa Harrison's stories for children and adults, steeped in English landscape and lore consistently provide encouragement that spending time writing about rekindling our lost relationship with nature is time well spent. .
Shakespeare's poetry and language, his acknowledgement of contemporary problems through historical or fantastical stories and the structure of his plays fuels my boldness as a writer to play with form and style.
Why Me
I have been telling stories since the very beginning. I landed in Norfolk and under the vast skies above the flint and chalk I told stories with my friends in the village where I grew and have been doing that ever since. The medium has changed over time from theatre to film to audio and I use these skills to explore how best to reach ears, eyes and hearts for the story I want to tell.
Over the last four years I have been deepening my understanding of ecology, psychology and spirituality in relation to the climate crisis and have been exploring how story can play a vital role in grounding, supporting and inspiring those attempting to change systems, ways of thinking and ways of being. Through the Twin Trail at Embercombe, the Bioleadership Fellowship and the constant learning from working with CHANGE Festival, the story that needs to be shared is clear and I'm keen to use all my experience to explore how to tell it.
And my friends
This R&D will be conducted with support from some wild thinkers, storytellers, scientists and singers. It will also welcome knowledge and expertise from the wilder folk of Arnøya in Norway, the Scottish Hebrides, the Norfolk flatlands and the London tarmac.
Experts include scientist and writer Dr Gina Maffey and producer environmentalist and storyteller Becky Burchell