ORWELL, P.E.I. — P.E.I. author Marian Bruce will launch her new book, “Listening for the Dead Bells”, on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2-4 p.m., at the Sir Andrew Macphail Homestead in Orwell.
This collection of folklore aims to nurture the storytelling tradition on P.E.I. and inspire others to collect local tales before they are forgotten.
“Listening for the Dead Bells” is published by Island Studies Press at UPEI.
Bruce will be joined at the launch by fiddler Amy Swenson.
Mysterious lights, howling dogs, ringing sounds in the ear – these omens of death are part of a treasury of supernatural beliefs handed down through centuries and across the Atlantic Ocean.
Part memoir, part oral history, “Listening for the Dead Bells” reflects on stories about bad fairies, witch control, bòcans, second sight, divination, healing incantations, attitudes toward death and other links between P.E.I. and the Highlands and islands of Scotland.
Bruce, a former journalist, is the author of six books, including “Remembering Old Dan” which won the P.E.I. Book of the Year Award for non-fiction in 2012.
A descendant of 19th-century immigrants from the Isle of Skye, Bruce grew up in a P.E.I. community influenced by Highland customs, beliefs, music and supernatural tales. After decades of working in cities across Canada, she now lives in the High Bank farmhouse where she was born and raised.
For more information about the book or the launch, contact Bren at [email protected] or 902-566-0386.
