I recently attended a panel hosted by Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman of Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic. The topic was “Folklore and Resistance,” and the last speaker to read their paper was Terri Windling.

This year I wanted to try something a little different: a summer decorating theme inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream, especially Titania’s faerie bower.

I enjoy decorating with fake flowers. Yes, I’ll admit it. I know they’ve long had the reputation for being 1980s dusty hideous relics of your grandmother’s cozy but a bit dowdy style, but they absolutely don’t have to be.

I believe in magic. And by magic, I mean not only the big things, like faeries and miraculous wonders, but also the small daily magics, like synchronicity, messages from nature, the sound of a crow to remind you to pay attention.

I couldn’t neglect telling you that I just finished my dear friend Shveta Thakrar’s new book, The Dream Runners, and it is a lush and immersive delight!