I am so excited to be collaborating with Joanna Ebenstein and the amazing team at Morbid Anatomy! Joanna's book Death: A Graveside Companion is an inspiration, and is only the tip of this creepy, quirky, deeply fascinating iceberg. Morbid Anatomy surveys the interstices of art and medicine, death and culture through a rich offering of online classes, workshops, and more, including the Morbid Anatomy Library in Brooklyn, New York.

The best way to enjoy their offerings is to become a Patreon Member. You'll enjoy exclusive content, including access to over a hundred previous lectures (including mine!). It's very inexpensive and your mind will be blown by the range of speakers and subjects.

As a resident mythologist, I've presented several lectures and workshops over the past few years, and continue to develop new programming with the Morbid Anatomy team. Please watch this space for updates!

Join us for the first gathering of the Folk Horror Film Club! Do you enjoy venturing off the beaten path, reconnecting with pagan folk traditions, and spilling a little blood along the way? Are you a fan of The Wicker Man (1973), An American Werewolf in London (1981), and Midsommer (2019) and wish you had more friends to talk to about why you find these films so exciting? Folk Horror Film Club welcomes you!

While all movies have the capacity to move their audiences, horror films are one of the more polarizing genres precisely because of their ability to elicit strong emotions. The subgenre of folk horror is particularly well-suited to engage viewers in catharsis and emotional release due to its deep connections to mythic and folkloric symbolism. The first session of the Folk Horror Film Club will focus on the work of Robert Eggers. One of the most unique filmmakers working today, Eggers’ films are steeped in mythic imagery and folklore, inviting us into the darkest corners of the unconscious. To date, he has written and directed four feature films, each of which are visually striking, deeply researched, and meticulously directed. 

Each session will focus on one of Eggers’ four films (The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman, Nosferatu) and will include a richly illustrated lecture exploring the film’s mythic and symbolic dimensions and bringing in other examples from the folk horror genre where relevant. There will also be ample opportunity for participants to engage in conversation and bring their own interpretations to the discussion. Participants will want to make sure they have access to each film (or have seen the films relatively recently) so they can engage in each week’s conversation. All four films are currently available on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.

Mondays: January 26, February 2, 9, 23
4pm - 5:30pm (PST) / 7pm - 8:30pm (EST)
TICKETS are $85 (Patreon members) / $100 (regular admission)
All sessions will be recorded for registrants.

Robert Eggers, Nosferatu, 2024

Summon the Great God Pan in his many manifestations over the millennia in this interactive workshop designed to deepen our connection with this ancient nature deity. Revered, repressed, and resurrected, Pan reflects our changing relationship with the natural world and our own bestial natures. When we are more connected to nature, he appears as a celebration of earthiness, sensuality, and instinct. He is recognized as a necessary part of life, including both the beauty and the horror, and is respected—even worshipped—as a god. When we become disconnected from nature, we misperceive him as evil, frightening, perverse, or as a temptation to be resisted. Explore all of these pathways to Pan (and more) over the course of five weeks packed with lectures, conversation, readings, activities, and share outs. 

Each session will begin by summoning Pan through reflection and conversation around key artworks from antiquity to the present day. Participants will have the opportunity to explore their personal relationship with Pan during class conversations through the lenses of Pan as Ancient God, Horned God, Fertility God, and Nature God. Additional readings provided.

Mondays: March 16, 23, 30 & April 6, 13
4pm - 5:30pm (PST) / 7pm - 8:30pm (EST)
TICKETS are $110 (Patreon members) / $125 (regular admission)
All sessions will be recorded for registrants.

Satyr & Nymph Worshipping Pan, John Allen St. John, early 20th century

Medusa has been revered as both monster and goddess, protector and destroyer for over two thousand years, but what does she mean to us today? That sensuous snaky hair, that grimacing mouth, and that stone-cold stare still hold power and continue to be reinterpreted for purposes both good and ill. This 5-week workshop will provide an opportunity for deep exploration of Medusa and her Gorgon sisters, bringing her to life and highlighting her insistent and persistent relevance across the millennia.

Each session will begin by calling in Medusa through reflection and conversation around key artworks from antiquity through the 21st century. Participants will be guided through lectures and discussion around Medusa as Monster, Goddess, Protector, and Destroyer, and will be invited to consider their own relationship with Medusa and/or other mythological hybrid creatures who speak to them personally. Additional readings provided.

Bronze Mirror, Greek, 500-480 BCE (JPGM)

Muses of the Underworld: The Sirens of Ancient Greece
Syracuse, New York
Presented May 6, 2023

And Darkness Covered His Eyes: The Nature of Dying in the Iliad
Aesthetic Dimensions of Ancient Warfare
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
Presented July 10, 2024