Stories from the Borders of Sleep

14/10/2024

Happy days! Here's Episode 60 and it's Back to School! There's a new kid in class and he seems a bit odd, but things are about to get a whole lot stranger ...

https://www.bordersofsleep.com/2024/10/PillowPillarPortals.html

14/10/2024

This is a good sign!

17/07/2024

Does this mean I get to plant "award-winning" in front of the word "podcast" whenever I mention Borders of Sleep? 😅

Discover the top 14 Fantasy podcasts in 2024. Listen, review and see what Fantasy podcasts your friends are listening to. | Listen on Goodpods

27/06/2024

Here it is. Episode 59. Thanks for waiting!

https://www.bordersofsleep.com/2024/06/mother-voyage.html

This story emerged from reflections on the transitions between various life stages: the potential for new opportunities and experiences rather than a narrative of decline.

For the first time recently, I noticed an odd glitch in my author brain: just how many female characters have names beginning with "M"? It's odd and I don't have an explanation. I'll leave that as an amusing observation for now and I hope you enjoy the tale of the good ship Mariella's final journey and what lies ahead for her.

I previously put a version of this story on Aura. So, if you follow me on that app, it may sound familiar. Aura is an app on IOS and Android with a huge range of coaching material, meditation and sleep stories from many contributors who are all experts in their field. I have 12 stories (and more to come) on that platform, which also enables me to earn a trickle of royalties. If you're interested in taking it for a spin, here's a 30-day free guest pass on me: https://aurahealth.io/refer/aura-354s8/guest-pass

21/06/2024

There's something about frogs and banjos - I had to pass this on! Merry Midsummer one and all!

Happy MidSummer's Night!
"Starry eyes" Artist - Anna Seed

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,
Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight.
(Oberon, Act 2 Scene 1) (A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM - William Shakespeare)

25/04/2024

A wonderful listener asked me this week about which stories from the Borders of Sleep are based on dreams. I'd never stopped to count them so was intrigued to know the answer too. Most of the stories have fragments of dream material in them but several are essentially retellings of a single dream. Namely ...

The Prince and The Bird
Water in the Desert
One Stormy Night
Two Handkerchiefs (at least the beginning and ending)
Between Two Tides
Wild Blue Yonder
Subterranean
Returning Student
Thrice Buried
Chippie and Angus
The Librarian
Flea
The Boat Going Home

Many more to come, I promise.

06/04/2024

Several weeks ago I had the great pleasure of a conversation on the record with Barry Winbolt about my journey with writing, podcasting, health, and sleep in particular. Barry is top of the list of my go-to, trustworthy resources on all things mental well-being, human relating and flourishing, and I highly recommend the treasure trove that is his "Get a Better Handle on Life" podcast. Here's our episode in which, thanks to his astute questioning and observations, I get to riff on some favourite topics and share how my struggles and learnings have provided the impetus for Stories from the Borders of Sleep.

It takes a particularly creative and fertile kind of mind to write good fantasy fiction. Seymour Jacklin has an intriguing process for capturing the engaging stories he writes and presents in his podcast Stories from the Borders of Sleep. Seymour was born in Zimbabwe and enjoyed an African childhood...

14/03/2024

Episode 58 - that's what!

If you go down to the laundrette today, you'd better be in your party frock. Are you ready to enter the twilight world of washing machines and soap suds under the watchful eye of Mr. Aardvark. Yes! The Cicada Laundrette is open late and it's somebody's birthday.

https://www.bordersofsleep.com/2024/03/the-cicada-laundrette.html

22/02/2024

Genuinely, yes!

Fairy tales prepare us for having to face lives of irrational challenges. -- Michael Lipsey

29/01/2024

Who knew!? Hedgehogs are great swimmers! And this is excellent news for the plot of the current story I am working on 😅🦔

Did you know hedgehogs can swim? Hannah Stitfall visits a hedgehog rescue centre, learning about conservation efforts and helps administer some hydrotherapy ...

29/12/2023

Aw ... It's always nice to get recommended in a roundup of 'top' sleep podcasts. There are a few others here that listeners may be interested in:

Discover the best bedtime stories podcast for kids! Soothe your little ones to sleep with enchanting tales, calming stories, and gentle lullabies.

24/12/2023

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Blessed Yuletide to all of you. Here's Episode 57: a special festively themed story for you. However you may celebrate this time of year or not, this tale is for you with my heartfelt wish that peace and goodwill would descend upon you and your loved ones and stay throughout the coming year. I have attempted to create something for you in the long tradition of wintertime storytelling around Christmas and I hope it lifts the spirits.

https://www.bordersofsleep.com/2023/12/blog-post.html

04/12/2023

Aaaaand we're rolling again! Episode 56 is up. This tale brings us back into the realm that kind of feels like the geographical centre of the Borders of Sleep lands: woodland and nature doing its magic, that sort of thing. I hope you enjoy it and sleep well tonight.

https://www.bordersofsleep.com/2023/12/the-copse.html

17/07/2023

Just to reassure you, patient listeners, the next episode is well nigh ready and, all being well, it shall be in your ears this coming weekend. Here's a taste:

24/06/2023

I emerged from sleep this morning to hear the voice of the composer John Luther Adams on the radio. It was quite magical, and I thought there couldn't be a more perfect elicitation of my own hope and vision for the Stories from the Borders of Sleep. As soon as I could, I found a replay and transcribed the words. How have I not heard of his work before? Here's what he said:

"You and I will never meet but you are always with me. When I'm walking alone, when I'm working in my studio, when I lie awake in the night, I think of you. The tenderness I feel for you gives meaning to my days. Imagining the world you will inhabit, the changes to the earth, the struggles you will face in your life, I can only hope that, in the life that remains to me, I may be able to leave something that may be of use to you. As you confront what seems to lie ahead, you will celebrate what it means to be human. You will remember that we are also animals and that our true nature lies and creation. You will reclaim imagination. You will remember truths that we have forgotten. You will speak ancient wisdom in new words. You will discover music that I cannot imagine. My dream has been to walk on the edge of this culture of decay to try and imagine a culture of renewal that I will not live to see and to listen to the music of the earth, to learn from the birds and the wind and the ground beneath my feet, to feel my small, fleeting presence within the immensity of deep time, to come home. In the music I've been given, I hope you may hear some echo of this world I have known and loved so well. And perhaps that music may encourage you toward new visions of how the world might be and how we might find our true place in the mysterious matrix of life. Imperfect music and a few rough words are all that I have to offer you. I am a man writing love letters to someone I will never know. I seal these notes in bottles and toss them into a churning sea hoping that one day they may find you."

Provided to YouTube by NAXOS of AmericaCanticles of the Sky: IV. Sky with Endless Stars · Northwestern University Cello EnsembleThe Wind in High Places℗ 2015...

06/04/2023

Happy full moon, dear listeners! Do you like poetry? I have some for you, as explained in this video.

Here's the link I mention too:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/bordersofsleep/e/127671

21/03/2023

Episode 55! Yay! Happy New Moon, dear listeners!

My apologies for the rather long wait. I have been working up some life changes to enable me to give more time to writing and creating, but oh so many moving parts to negotiate.

Still, I hope this is the first of a good crop this year. Thank you all for making this something worth doing 🥰

A semi-regular podcast since March 2011, featuring original stories, fantastic fables and curious tales written and read by your host, Seymour Jacklin. Each episode and takes the listener on an imaginative and thought provoking journey. Aimed at adults but very suitable for children, too.

03/07/2022

Hey! I'm back, and Episode 54 is up. This was a really sweet dream for me, and I'm delighted to share it with you, dear listeners, at last. Thank you for listening, and enjoy 😊💜

https://www.bordersofsleep.com/2022/07/the-boat-going-home.html