Magical Realism, Historical Fiction, C. S. Lewis, and the Bards

A modern writer who respects bards of old, like Taliesin, Aneurin, and Myrddin Wilt, combines storytelling, teaching, and compassion through both contemporary and historical themes. Bards of old were poets, musicians, and historians who preserved culture through oral performance. Maybe the reason I feel connected to bards is that, at four, I started studying music, later sang opera, and composed operas and songs to my own words. I have always studied history and believe that history should guide our lives.

Storytellers in the digital age share their stories through blogs, podcasts, social media threads, spoken word performances, and digital and print books. We act as memory keepers and harbingers of what is coming, good and bad.

Bards teach history’s lessons, relating them to modern life, social movements, the changing world, and personal struggles.

I like to use magical realism in my writing for middle-grade readers because it allows me to tell real-life stories with a touch of the mythical lurking in the shadows.