Season 8 · Episode 19
Classical Stories and Fantasy: The Birder and Other Tales
Mythmakers · Brian Boyd
January 15, 202629m 50s
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Show Notes
<p class="MsoNormal">What do the classical stories of myths and legends mean to us today? In this episode of Mythmakers, Dr. Lorna Robinson—founder of the Iris Project and director of the Rumble Museum at Cheney School in Oxford—joins Julia Golding to discuss her quest to bring these timeless tales to young people.<br><br>The conversation explores Lorna’s reinterpretation of Ovid's <em>Metamorphoses</em> in <em>The Birder</em>, a magical realism novel built around the idea that, as in the myths, people don’t die—they transform into other creatures or things.<br><br>The Birder is available now at <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Birder-Dr-Lorna-Robinson/dp/B0DNC7V79X">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Birder-Dr-Lorna-Robinson/dp/B0DNC7V79X</a>, alternatively you can ask your local bookshop to order a copy for you.<br><br>(00:05) Introducing Mythmakers and Dr Lorna Robinson<br data-start="2158" data-end="2161">(05:40) Widening Access to Myths Through Education<br data-start="2211" data-end="2214">(09:30) Young Readers, Modern Media, and Classical Stories<br data-start="2272" data-end="2275">(13:40) Cultural Literacy and Why Myths Still Matter<br data-start="2327" data-end="2330">(16:10) Writing <em data-start="2346" data-end="2358">The Birder</em> and Imagining Metamorphosis<br data-start="2386" data-end="2389">(20:10) Ovid, Magical Realism, and Belief in Ancient Stories<br data-start="2449" data-end="2452">(23:20) Environmental Themes and Future Writing Projects<br data-start="2508" data-end="2511">(25:00) Reading Ovid Today and Modern Retellings<br><br><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: black; background: white;">For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit:</span></p>
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