Michele Burke May, 2009

Courtesy of Eliza Blanchard & Rocco Baviera

A Child’s Book of Blessings and Prayers by Eliza Blanchard has taken graces, blessings and prayers from around the world in a wondrous attempt to unite the children of the world through the common thread of spirituality. A Child’s Book of Blessings and Prayers is a must have for all children not only because of its beautiful illustration but its connection underlying connection to the oneness for us all.

* Available through the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations

Price: $12.00 – http://www.uuabookstore.org/productdetails.cfm?SKU=4753
Interview with Eliza Blanchard

Pagan Pages (PP): Who is Eliza Blanchard?

Eliza Blanchard (EB): I’ve worn a number of hats, but currently I’m a Unitarian Universalist minister, a helpmeet, and the mother of two young adults. I’ve loved reading, writing, religious questions and rituals since I was a child. I also enjoyed teaching, especially writing, to people from pre-kindergarten through adulthood.

PP: How did you come about writing the book, what was the inspiration behind it?

EB: I’ve taught religious education classes to children on and off since I was seventeen—like I said, I’ve been interested in religion for a long time and I enjoy sharing my enthusiasm. When my children were in high school I became the director of religious education for a Unitarian Universalist congregation. At a conference I got curious about the history and idea behind prayer. Since Unitarian Universalism is a non-creedal religion welcoming to atheists along with others, prayer has not been central in our more recent liturgies. During that time I also took part in a Unitarian Universalist woman’s group, female in theology, and we worked with blessings. So when a parent mentioned that she couldn’t find a U.U. book of prayers, it all came together.

PP: Why A Child’s Book of Blessings and Prayers?

EB: Later, when I became a minister, I wanted to know what I could do to support families with children in our tradition, and one parent in my congregation gave voice to a thought that had been brewing in me: Wouldn’t it be great to have a family resource to explore prayers and blessings? Why children? I think because children are especially interested in and needing guidance on questions of the spirit, like what can we do if we hurt someone,  where can we take our most joyful joys, how can we honor this gift of life, and where do we take our deepest sorrow.

PP: Why such a diverse collection?

EB: Given the Unitarian Universalist commitment to religious freedom and our embrace of a variety of sacred texts, my editor and I decided the book should include reflections of that diversity and our embrace of it. This collection offers parents and children a place to start a discussion, a place to begin a practice, and a plurality of languages and images with which to journey toward answers.

PP: How long have you been a Unitarian Universalist minister?

EB: I’ve been a minister for almost five years. I felt called to ministry in mid-life, yet I never felt that it was a radical change from teaching. Teaching is a part of any ministry, as is learning, and doing both in a religious community is stimulating. It’s an exciting journey.

PP: What led you to the Unitarian Universalist Association?

EB: Family. When my husband and I were ready to settle down and have children, we wanted to provide our children with a religious home as well. My husband suggested we try the Unitarian Universalist church in town because he felt we might find a community of fellow liberal religious seekers there. The congregation was welcoming and we laughed liberally during the first service we attended. That was a revelation! We knew we’d found what we were seeking for ourselves and our family.

PP: What was the most important thing to you when writing A Child’s Book of Blessings and Prayers?

EB: Most important to me was that this collection be diverse and yet accessible to families. That’s why some of the prayers and blessings, like the final “Day is done,” are familiar ones, while others, like the Jewish blessing “Be who you are,” may be new to readers. And that’s the reason I tried to find material that includes as many of the world’s religious traditions as possible. What was hardest was to leave some beautiful and helpful words out. Maybe there’s a sequel there!

PP: What do you hope will come from this book? Do you think that A Child’s Book of Blessings and Prayers will inspire the parents as well as the children into a more spiritual existence?

EB: I hope that people will enjoy and be comforted by this book. Rocco Baviera’s delightful illustrations draw us in, and the thoughts and feelings expressed bring forth that deep level of sharing that can nurture and sustain children and those who care for them.

Yes, experiencing prayers and blessings can be the start of a rich spiritual quest, an expansion of horizons and a greater appreciation for what we as human beings share in spite of different cultures and religions. We’ve included a bibliography at the back for anyone who wants to travel that path.

PP: Do you have any other works in progress? And if so will I get first shot at them? LOL

EB: I have several ideas, including writing a book of blessings and prayers for middle schoolers. In my research for this book, I found nothing that spoke to their moral and spiritual concerns. I am also planning to do a book of meditations on aging (and sage-ing). I will certainly let you know when they become a reality! And I want to thank you very much for this opportunity to share this books’ birth story.

Previous work:

The Paper Chain, by Eliza Blanchard, Kathy Parkinson and Claire Blake

Review from Amazon.com
“The Paper Chain is a wonderful book to help families cope with an ill parent. Beautifully illustrated with excellent coverage of the important issues, it is sensitive, realistic, insightful and practical. It is a book which would be helpful to many of the families we serve.” — Cancer Care, Inc. Carolyn Messner, ACSW Director of Education

Tags: A Child's Book of Blessings and Prayers, author, Eliza Blanchard, interview, paper chains

• Author Interviews & Reviews

Administrator November, 2008

Being a huge Fae Fan, when Nigel Suckling’s book Faeries of the Celtic Lands plopped on my desk I was very excited, but also very guarded.  Having read a variety of Faery books, I expected this book to be much the same….’historic’ tales of Faery encounters, a brief dictionary of the Fae & Fae Clans, a bit lacking and usually a bit wrong.  I was pleasantly surprised by Nigel Suckling’s Faeries.   Nigel takes us through the world of Fae that Fae Fans dream of entering.  So complete in his writing Nigel Suckling takes us through the world of Fae from historic records of their first appearance, to the Celtic deities related to the Fae, to details on each clan of Fae like other writers have failed to catch.   If you are looking for an excellent book on Fae & Celtic Mythology I whole heartedly suggest reading Nigel Sucklings Faeries of the Celtic Lands.  In a  world full of boring Faery encounter books & fraudulent faery books, Faeries of the Celtic Lands is a refreshingly, educational alternative!  Nigel Suckling is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers and having read one book I am already looking forward to his others.

Nigel was nice enough to take time to bless us with a wonderful interview delving into his personal life and his work.  Talking with him the past month, I found him to be as great a person as his books are.  Here is the interview:

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us & Our readers!

First tell us about yourself, Nigel Suckling.  Where are you from, etc…

I was born in Southern Africa in the closing days of the British Empire. I came to England at just 16 with the intention of finishing my education as quickly as possible and getting back out there, but within a couple of years I was seduced by the place and have happily stayed ever since, living halfway between London and the south coast.

How many books, to date, have you published? Can you tell us briefly about them & on what subjects they are.

I’ve lost count of the number of books overall because many involved interviewing artists for the texts of what were essentially their books rather than mine. But of those in which the writing played an equal or greater part I think it’s coming up for about twenty. The first book on which I was given a completely free hand by my publishers was one about unicorns which I wrote for the artists Linda and Roger Garland to illustrate. It remains one of my favourites.

I have read your book Faeries of the Celtic Lands, the first question I am sure, readers will want to know is do you believe in Faeries?

Tricky question, but the short answer is yes of course because otherwise why would I write about them?

Have you had any experiences with them or seen them?

Apart from at the Faery Ball in Penzance last year, I can’t really say I’ve bumped into many that I could pass the time of day with . Nor can I say I’ve ever seen one in the flesh for certain, but there have certainly been many times and places when I have felt their presence and would not have been at all surprised if one had suddenly materialized in front of me.

Of all the Fae around the world what drew you to Celtic mythology & Fae?

My mother’s family were Irish, despite having lived in India for several generations as members of the British Raj, so I grew up believing absolutely in leprechauns and crocks of gold at the end of rainbows and so on. Even when that faded I was left with curiosity about Celtic mythology which leads inevitably to the Fae. There is a quite distinct quality to the Celtic attitude towards faeries that gets you much closer to them than, say through Greek or even Nordic mythology, even though the faeries themselves are essentially the same everywhere.

What compelled you to write Faeries of the Celtic Lands?  You mention in the prologue your fascination with Fae and Fae Lore, where does it stem from?

The main impulse was that in the many years I spent delving into Celtic mythology I could find no clear overview so that is what I wanted to do with this book. My fascination with Fae lore in general I can’t really explain, it’s just always been there.

When discussing Faeries, Pagan Lore & Beliefs always pop up, are you yourself Pagan?

A few years ago I had to go into hospital for an operation and at some point a nurse asked what religion I was. I was tempted to say ‘pantheist’ but then realized that of course she only wanted to know what kind of priest to call if it all went wrong, so I just said ‘none’. Pagan is probably the best description of what I am but I find the mystical aspects of all religions fascinating, including the Bible faiths. They’re all trying to unravel the same mysteries.

Do you follow a Celtic Path?

Above my desk I have a detailed schematic of the Celtic year which is kind of my road map to life.

Does your spiritual path affect you as a writer?

Absolutely.

We’d like to know a bit more about you, the person.

You’d have to ask my wife really, although when someone did that the other day she said that after thirty years of marriage she still has no idea what makes me tick.  Perhaps that’s why we’re still together.

What drew you to your profession?  Have you always wanted to be an author?

Pretty much, from the age of about 20 anyway. Before that it was just one of several possibilities. I was interested but it didn’t seem a very practical way of making a living. Which is true enough, but I went for it anyway because for me there’s no feeling like the arrival of the first copies of a new book. Not just the physical sensations like the smell of freshly printed pages, but that feeling of having just plucked ideas from the ether and turned them into something concrete that complete strangers can pick up and share.

If you could choose any other profession, what would it be and why?

An artist maybe. Originally I was equally interested in art and writing but only the writing proved popular. I did draw the Celtic picture border in Faeries though, and all my books have a lot of art in them.

How do you decide your topics for your books?

Given the choice, I just go for whatever’s at the top of my list of interests at the time, which was the case with Celtic Faeries and its follow-up Book of the Vampire. There are always several possible books hovering at the back of my mind and many more sketched out in the Ideas file. Publishers quite often approach me with an idea though, and if it excites me I’ll happily go with that. So far they’ve always been topics I’ve wanted to tackle anyway.

Do you have a favorite book/author?

Closely rivalling Tolkien is Canadian author Robertson Davies whose Deptford trilogy completely astonished me when I first came across it by chance in the late 80s, attracted purely by the cover. He produced a string of equally wonderful novels up until his death in 1995. What I love is his ability to bring out the magic and wonder in the everyday world.

Do you have any “Rituals” for when you write?

Of course, but nothing very formal. Washing up, for instance, is an almost necessary stage in clearing the mind for a day’s writing and a useful therapy for whenever I get stuck. A friend called round once and asked why I was doing the washing up when I was supposed to be sweating on a tight deadline, but often it’s more fruitful than just hammering away pointlessly at the keyboard.

Are you working on anything currently?

Several things. A couple of projects are far too fragile to talk about yet, but one is another book on fairies, much more light-hearted this time. With Celtic Faeries I wanted to look into the deeper, serious side of Fae but of course there is also a purely fun side which is what I’m now exploring. It’s a kind of practical guide to fairy-spotting.

Thank you so much Nigel.  I look forward to reading your upcoming books!!

If you would like to know more about or read updates on Nigel Suckling, you can visit him on his site:

http://www.unicorngarden.com/welcome2.htm

Tags: author, interview, nigel suckling, review

• Interviews