Ellen Forkin

What are you reading today?

I won The Wives of Halycon by Eirinie Lapidaki a while ago, after the author kindly did a giveaway, but was too poorly to share it at the time. I just started this yesterday and I’m hooked! The characters are complex, believable and oh so intriguing… Absolutely loving it! #BookSky #LoveToRead

Researching historical witch trials and it never gets any less horrifying 💔 I wish I could make it to see these books, the exhibition looks fantastic. #WitchesOfScotland

Very pleased my poem ‘Ritual’ has now found a home at @oatleafpoetry.bsky.social 😊✨ They are new to Substack - I’d love to see them grow as they are great! 🧡 #PoetrySky #Poem oatleaf.substack.com/p/ritual?r=1...

These flowers are a joyful poem in a vase 💛🤍💛 #Happiness #Flowers #Bloomscrolling

Just a regular reminder to please support your local bookstore, café, theatre, bakery, and library. Without us, they can't survive. Without them, neither can we.

new new: "Gossamer," by Erin Calabria: wigleaf.com

A quick, messy sketch of a slow, fluffy creature! He’s tired, I’m tired, Raffy my dog is tired - life is pretty exhausting. Snuggling up with thirteen books, three podcasts, five unread Substack articles, and two audiobooks is really the only answer. We’ll all doze off, but at least we’re trying 💛📚🎧

The otherworldly beauty of Copinsay in the morning sunlight. A calm day in Orkney, with many seals and epic skies and rainbows glisking here and there 🌊🦭🌈 #Orkney #IslandLife #OctoberMood

I love the weirdness of this whole book! Ghostlore is a fantastic guide to all manner of ghosts around the world. Well-researched whilst being accessible and fun to read. The illustrations are absolutely incredible too! 💚🖤💛 @icysedgwick.bsky.social #Ghosts #Folkore #BookSky

Ooh, this sounds fun! I definitely will try to join in if I’m able - so much Scottish literature to love! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿📚 #ReadingScotland26

Happy Monday, all! Let’s do this! - Michael

The folklore custom to cover mirrors when a person dies in the household originated in #Orkney. The fear was the newly departed soul would be distracted by reflections instead of moving on - resulting in a ghost caught in the mirror 👻🪞 #SpookySunday #Ghosts #Folklore

#SpookySunday tomorrow so please do feel free to join the feed. Use the hashtag to contribute posts on all things ghostly: #folklore, fiction, poetry, art, info on haunted locations and #ghosts in popular culture. I'm looking forward to another day of phantom fun! #31DaysOfHalloween #ghost

A free digital anthology featuring a story from our own Shonaleigh Cumbers – with lesser-known names Sir Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, the Beano and Mairi Kidd. Six-Minute Reads cityofliterature.com/current-proj... launches on World Mental Health Day to promote the mental health benefits of reading.

🩸 Self Heal 'was one of the most trusted wound herbs in the medieval apothecary's kit'. 🛌 Dried Ladies Bedstraw was used as a flea repellent in mattresses. 🔗 Learn the history behind the herbs in our Planters Project: shorturl.at/6YHjl

Many of the plants growing on our pier were traditionally used as healing and household remedies. ❤️‍🩹 🩹 Kidney Vetch was used for cuts and sores, hence the folk name "Woundwort". 🥛 Sea Pink or Thrift roots boiled with milk was an Orcadian remedy for pulmonary consumption. 🔗 shorturl.at/6YHjl

A brilliant, clever, thought-provoking poetry collection! I loved each bold and uncanny voice in every poem - fantastic work 🖤 @helenivory.bsky.social #BookSky #PoetrySky #Witches

A brilliant start to the day - finishing this spooky gem of a book! I loved Saltwater by @elainethomson123.bsky.social - weird ghosts, atmospheric setting, little pieces of folklore… A book I’ll treasure 💙 #BookSky #Ghosts

A calm, gentle birthday for my mum and I today. I’ll be trying to notice each tiny joy - for the world is full of glimmers ✨💜✨

It’s the 7th Oct which means it’s time to be reading in Scotland! For my #WeeRead pledge, I couldn’t resist starting a new novel by a Scottish author - borrowed from @orkneylibrary.bsky.social 💜 Check out weeread.scot who smashed their goal! Now, let’s start this book…

Today it's the #WeeRead - a campaign to get people all across Scotland READING TOGETHER on 7th October! Join us by reading something today - reading for just 6 minutes can reduce stress and improve mental health! Find out more and pledge to read at: weeread.scot

It’s Monday once more, so must be time for a new book! - Michael

A little girl and her little white dog. #kidlitart

The face when marmite-flavoured coffee isn’t on the human cafe’s menu board. No, he doesn’t want pumpkin spice latte. Or lavender matcha. Or salted caramel hot chocolate with hazelnut syrup. Sigh. He’ll have a cuppa, then, milk and seven sugars, please. #ArtSky

Happy #NationalPoetryDay! 'Orpheus in Spring' by Jenny George celebrates this year's theme "wonder," describing the human impulse to collect treasures, and the opposite action of admiring the world without taking. The poem is from The Poetry Review, official publication of @poetrysociety.org.uk.

For #NationalPoetryDay, @byleaveswelive.bsky.social brings you six short poetry films in Gaelic & English by contemporary writers, all of whom have been part of Scotland’s Next Generation Young Makars programme. #poetry www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/national-poe...

Ooh, exciting! I love Lit Mags, so this looks like a fun week ahead 💛 #LitMagWeek

A joyous fat bear week to all 🐻

A delightful day at the bookshop - I actually did I tiny wiggly dance when I saw these books … Feeling incredibly happy 🥰📚 @icysedgwick.bsky.social @profaliceroberts.bsky.social #BookSky #Folklore #Anthropology

🎙️ NEW SPL PODCAST! Its the 1st of the month which means our monthly poetry podcast NOTHING BUT THE POEM is let loose, this time with host @samueltongue.bsky.social taking a deep dive into two poems by the wonderful Imtiaz Dharker www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/podcast/noth...

1/2: The Overlapping Illness Alliance has written to The Telegraph in response to their article, How having a disability became cool, published on 5 September 2026. Read the letter: https://www.overlappingillnessalliance.org.uk/resources/#open-letter #MECFS

Trying to choose the perfect moment to start this lush-looking book: ‘Widdershins’ by Allyson Shaw. I know I’m in for a real Orkney folklore inspired treat! Plus there’s a map and little illustrations… what’s not to love? #Orkney #BookSky #IndieAuthor @allysonshaw.bsky.social

Utterly brilliant. I will be thinking about Helm for a long, long time…

Raffy when on holiday - just look at the wind blowing his fluffy ears! #Orkney #Sanday #PetSky