Carrie Birde
@carriebirde.bsky.social
A foot in two worlds–the real & the imaginary–citizenship in both. ISO fairy rings, concealed doors in hedges, thresholds where the veil between worlds thins. Author of "A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace", to be published 9/2025. Visit me at CarrieBirde.com.
I had a lovely conversation with Holly Gutwillinger about our shared love of Nature, writing, & creative expression. You can find it here:
open.substack.com/pub/hollybri...
open.substack.com/pub/hollybri...
Singing While You Work: How Wild Things Feed a Writer’s Soul
Episode Summary
open.substack.com
May 26, 2026 at 6:25 PM
I had a lovely conversation with Holly Gutwillinger about our shared love of Nature, writing, & creative expression. You can find it here:
open.substack.com/pub/hollybri...
open.substack.com/pub/hollybri...
Epic…
…Nahoko Uehashi’s 2022 “Kokun – The Girl from the West” (translated by Cathy Hirano) is an unexpected union of Japanese fiction and ecology. A powerful re-imagining of Japan’s past reworked against a fantastical backdrop, it nonetheless feels eerily familiar – a powerful dynastic
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…Nahoko Uehashi’s 2022 “Kokun – The Girl from the West” (translated by Cathy Hirano) is an unexpected union of Japanese fiction and ecology. A powerful re-imagining of Japan’s past reworked against a fantastical backdrop, it nonetheless feels eerily familiar – a powerful dynastic
(1 of 5)
April 13, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Epic…
…Nahoko Uehashi’s 2022 “Kokun – The Girl from the West” (translated by Cathy Hirano) is an unexpected union of Japanese fiction and ecology. A powerful re-imagining of Japan’s past reworked against a fantastical backdrop, it nonetheless feels eerily familiar – a powerful dynastic
(1 of 5)
…Nahoko Uehashi’s 2022 “Kokun – The Girl from the West” (translated by Cathy Hirano) is an unexpected union of Japanese fiction and ecology. A powerful re-imagining of Japan’s past reworked against a fantastical backdrop, it nonetheless feels eerily familiar – a powerful dynastic
(1 of 5)
...Grace spends a lot of time wandering in the forest... maybe we all should...
An excerpt from "A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace", written by me :)
#fiction #fairytale #cozyfantasy #ya #nature #environment
An excerpt from "A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace", written by me :)
#fiction #fairytale #cozyfantasy #ya #nature #environment
March 17, 2026 at 7:49 PM
...Grace spends a lot of time wandering in the forest... maybe we all should...
An excerpt from "A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace", written by me :)
#fiction #fairytale #cozyfantasy #ya #nature #environment
An excerpt from "A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace", written by me :)
#fiction #fairytale #cozyfantasy #ya #nature #environment
Leonora Carrington was primarily known for her surrealist paintings. Naturally, her writing embodies a similar feel & flair. Her novella, “The Stone Door” (written during the 1940’s but unpublished until 1976) reads like a hallucinatory
dream -- knotted with meaning specific to the
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dream -- knotted with meaning specific to the
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March 16, 2026 at 4:13 PM
Leonora Carrington was primarily known for her surrealist paintings. Naturally, her writing embodies a similar feel & flair. Her novella, “The Stone Door” (written during the 1940’s but unpublished until 1976) reads like a hallucinatory
dream -- knotted with meaning specific to the
(1 of 3)
dream -- knotted with meaning specific to the
(1 of 3)
Juelz the Horse has a small part in my novel, "A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace", but her wisdom is welcome ;)
(I took the photo of "Rattlesnake Meadow" in Tourne County Park.)
#fairytale #cozyfantasy #ya #animals #nature #VoicesOfTheBrightWood
(I took the photo of "Rattlesnake Meadow" in Tourne County Park.)
#fairytale #cozyfantasy #ya #animals #nature #VoicesOfTheBrightWood
March 12, 2026 at 6:38 PM
Juelz the Horse has a small part in my novel, "A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace", but her wisdom is welcome ;)
(I took the photo of "Rattlesnake Meadow" in Tourne County Park.)
#fairytale #cozyfantasy #ya #animals #nature #VoicesOfTheBrightWood
(I took the photo of "Rattlesnake Meadow" in Tourne County Park.)
#fairytale #cozyfantasy #ya #animals #nature #VoicesOfTheBrightWood
Nancy Mitford wrote her 1949 novel, “Love in a Cold Climate”, with a cool, appraising eye turned on 1930’s England’s ‘between wars’ societally privileged. We gain access to the Montdore family’s extravagance & narrow attitudes through Fanny who – despite her lack of status –
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March 12, 2026 at 6:22 PM
Nancy Mitford wrote her 1949 novel, “Love in a Cold Climate”, with a cool, appraising eye turned on 1930’s England’s ‘between wars’ societally privileged. We gain access to the Montdore family’s extravagance & narrow attitudes through Fanny who – despite her lack of status –
(1 of 4)
(1 of 4)
In his 2015 #memoir “The Penguin Lessons”, Tom Michell recalls his time at 23 years old, travelling & teaching in South America in 1975. Though most of the book takes place in Argentina during enormous political & economic upheaval, it was while visiting Uruguay that he encountered
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February 18, 2026 at 4:04 PM
In his 2015 #memoir “The Penguin Lessons”, Tom Michell recalls his time at 23 years old, travelling & teaching in South America in 1975. Though most of the book takes place in Argentina during enormous political & economic upheaval, it was while visiting Uruguay that he encountered
(1 of 4)
(1 of 4)
I'm so grateful to James Walters for the opportunity to converse with him on his amazing podcast, "A Quiet Rebellion" -- his calm, his insight, his intuitive questions made for a warm, welcoming experience -- give a listen!
www.ajoyfulrebellion.com/e/a-quiet-re...
#creativity #writing #novel
www.ajoyfulrebellion.com/e/a-quiet-re...
#creativity #writing #novel
A Quiet Rebellion- Carrie Birde on Shame, Voice, and Uncommon Grace | A Joyful Rebellion
Episode Summary
Some people rebel by getting louder. Carrie Birde rebelled by getting gentler.
After years of writing in secret—carrying shame, creative fear, and a persistent who am I to do this?—Car...
www.ajoyfulrebellion.com
February 11, 2026 at 6:23 PM
I'm so grateful to James Walters for the opportunity to converse with him on his amazing podcast, "A Quiet Rebellion" -- his calm, his insight, his intuitive questions made for a warm, welcoming experience -- give a listen!
www.ajoyfulrebellion.com/e/a-quiet-re...
#creativity #writing #novel
www.ajoyfulrebellion.com/e/a-quiet-re...
#creativity #writing #novel
No matter how well read we are, there remain books that slip past us unnoticed. Despite reading all the 'little girl' & 'animal' books in my grammar school library, Betty Brock’s 1970 “No Flying in the House” is a fine example. A sweet tale of young Annabel Tippens (accompanied by her
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February 5, 2026 at 8:31 PM
No matter how well read we are, there remain books that slip past us unnoticed. Despite reading all the 'little girl' & 'animal' books in my grammar school library, Betty Brock’s 1970 “No Flying in the House” is a fine example. A sweet tale of young Annabel Tippens (accompanied by her
(1 of 4)
(1 of 4)
"Notes"
Song sparrows scrawling
notes on January snow,
trilling for spring's thaw.
-- C.Birde, 1/26
#poetry #creativewriting #birds #snow
Song sparrows scrawling
notes on January snow,
trilling for spring's thaw.
-- C.Birde, 1/26
#poetry #creativewriting #birds #snow
February 4, 2026 at 6:05 PM
"Notes"
Song sparrows scrawling
notes on January snow,
trilling for spring's thaw.
-- C.Birde, 1/26
#poetry #creativewriting #birds #snow
Song sparrows scrawling
notes on January snow,
trilling for spring's thaw.
-- C.Birde, 1/26
#poetry #creativewriting #birds #snow
Fabulist…
… sensualist, sorceress of prose. Tanith Lee coaxes order from chaos & weaves not only worlds, but whole mythologies out of word & image & sheer, brilliant imagining. Her 1978 “Night’s Master – Tales from the Flat Earth: Book One” is a collection of short stories, connected
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… sensualist, sorceress of prose. Tanith Lee coaxes order from chaos & weaves not only worlds, but whole mythologies out of word & image & sheer, brilliant imagining. Her 1978 “Night’s Master – Tales from the Flat Earth: Book One” is a collection of short stories, connected
(1 of 4)
January 13, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Fabulist…
… sensualist, sorceress of prose. Tanith Lee coaxes order from chaos & weaves not only worlds, but whole mythologies out of word & image & sheer, brilliant imagining. Her 1978 “Night’s Master – Tales from the Flat Earth: Book One” is a collection of short stories, connected
(1 of 4)
… sensualist, sorceress of prose. Tanith Lee coaxes order from chaos & weaves not only worlds, but whole mythologies out of word & image & sheer, brilliant imagining. Her 1978 “Night’s Master – Tales from the Flat Earth: Book One” is a collection of short stories, connected
(1 of 4)
I'm still tiptoeing my way back to drawing, still chasing the relationships of line, this time, with a little fox mischief. These small works are a balance between creative need & physical restraints, which don't rouse much complaint from my hand's/arm's delicate tendons & ligaments.
#sketch #fox
#sketch #fox
January 8, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Born in 1900 in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Sandor Marai gained literary fame there in the 1930s. Though he survived WWII, Communist persecution that followed forced him to flee Hungary in 1948. His novel, “Embers” (written in 1941 and translated into English in 2001) is a taut meditation
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January 8, 2026 at 6:57 PM
Born in 1900 in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Sandor Marai gained literary fame there in the 1930s. Though he survived WWII, Communist persecution that followed forced him to flee Hungary in 1948. His novel, “Embers” (written in 1941 and translated into English in 2001) is a taut meditation
(1 of 3)
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"Receding"
That white-laced edge
where snow recedes from
sallow grasses --
White-throated Sparrows.
-- C.Birde, 1/26
(The temps reach unlikely Jan. warmth, & I distract myself from anxiety by watching the birds' activities...)
#poetry #birds #compassion #create
That white-laced edge
where snow recedes from
sallow grasses --
White-throated Sparrows.
-- C.Birde, 1/26
(The temps reach unlikely Jan. warmth, & I distract myself from anxiety by watching the birds' activities...)
#poetry #birds #compassion #create
January 8, 2026 at 6:51 PM
"Receding"
That white-laced edge
where snow recedes from
sallow grasses --
White-throated Sparrows.
-- C.Birde, 1/26
(The temps reach unlikely Jan. warmth, & I distract myself from anxiety by watching the birds' activities...)
#poetry #birds #compassion #create
That white-laced edge
where snow recedes from
sallow grasses --
White-throated Sparrows.
-- C.Birde, 1/26
(The temps reach unlikely Jan. warmth, & I distract myself from anxiety by watching the birds' activities...)
#poetry #birds #compassion #create
...I injured my arm (permanently) some years ago & am trying to find my way back into drawing. To limit anxiety, I sketch on scrap paper w/a mechanical pencil to de-emphasize outcome. Here, I followed a correspondence of line, how they meet & overlap to form the idea of "deer".
#sketch #create
#sketch #create
December 23, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Reposted by Carrie Birde
Yesterday, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released the latest round of sage grouse plans. Urge Congress to restore ESA protections for the Greater Sage-Grouse, maintain critical conservation funding & uphold a strong Endangered Species Act. Act now: act.abcbirds.org/a/take-actio...
December 23, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Yesterday, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released the latest round of sage grouse plans. Urge Congress to restore ESA protections for the Greater Sage-Grouse, maintain critical conservation funding & uphold a strong Endangered Species Act. Act now: act.abcbirds.org/a/take-actio...
Sarah Arthur confesses admiration for C.S.Lewis & J.R.R.Tolkien, & her affection shines through the pages of her 2024 novel “Once a Queen”. Arthur has not only written a spell-binding story in which her young heroine, Eva,
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December 23, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Sarah Arthur confesses admiration for C.S.Lewis & J.R.R.Tolkien, & her affection shines through the pages of her 2024 novel “Once a Queen”. Arthur has not only written a spell-binding story in which her young heroine, Eva,
(1 of 3)
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Last Sunday, I read an excerpt of my book, "A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace," to an intimate gathering at The Sanctuary -- it was a warm & engaging evening of q&a and conversation. I'm grateful to those who braved the frigid night to join in!
#debut #author #fairytale #cozyfantasy #ya #fiction
#debut #author #fairytale #cozyfantasy #ya #fiction
December 16, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Last Sunday, I read an excerpt of my book, "A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace," to an intimate gathering at The Sanctuary -- it was a warm & engaging evening of q&a and conversation. I'm grateful to those who braved the frigid night to join in!
#debut #author #fairytale #cozyfantasy #ya #fiction
#debut #author #fairytale #cozyfantasy #ya #fiction
Enchanting…
When Robert MacFarlane learned the Oxford University Press had dropped scores of nature-themed words from its pages & replaced them with those more technologically themed, he did what we hope any motivated creative might
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When Robert MacFarlane learned the Oxford University Press had dropped scores of nature-themed words from its pages & replaced them with those more technologically themed, he did what we hope any motivated creative might
(1 of 3)
December 16, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Enchanting…
When Robert MacFarlane learned the Oxford University Press had dropped scores of nature-themed words from its pages & replaced them with those more technologically themed, he did what we hope any motivated creative might
(1 of 3)
When Robert MacFarlane learned the Oxford University Press had dropped scores of nature-themed words from its pages & replaced them with those more technologically themed, he did what we hope any motivated creative might
(1 of 3)
Poetical... When L.M.Montgomery began “Anne of Green Gables” in 1907, she later reflected that she “did not for a moment dream” the book would bring the fame & success she had dreamed of, & that this freedom from “writing up to any particular reputation or style” allowed the opening
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December 9, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Poetical... When L.M.Montgomery began “Anne of Green Gables” in 1907, she later reflected that she “did not for a moment dream” the book would bring the fame & success she had dreamed of, & that this freedom from “writing up to any particular reputation or style” allowed the opening
(1 of 3)
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Shirley Jackson enjoyed placing extreme personalities in extreme situations. Her 1958 #novella, “The Sundial”, uncomfortably settles three generations of the wealthy Halloran family – all at odds with one another – in a palatial home. Opening with a death (that may have been a
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November 23, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Shirley Jackson enjoyed placing extreme personalities in extreme situations. Her 1958 #novella, “The Sundial”, uncomfortably settles three generations of the wealthy Halloran family – all at odds with one another – in a palatial home. Opening with a death (that may have been a
(1 of 3)
(1 of 3)
As I #write, I make small #thumbnail #sketches to remind myself where I've placed objects. An example below, for my newly published #fairytale "A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace" - Grace's home, with garden arch & brick path, clothesline & henhouse, even the distant bee skep.
#fiction #ya #cozyfantasy
#fiction #ya #cozyfantasy
November 19, 2025 at 7:01 PM
As I #write, I make small #thumbnail #sketches to remind myself where I've placed objects. An example below, for my newly published #fairytale "A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace" - Grace's home, with garden arch & brick path, clothesline & henhouse, even the distant bee skep.
#fiction #ya #cozyfantasy
#fiction #ya #cozyfantasy
Reposted by Carrie Birde
November 15, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Chilling…
Stephen King cites Henry James’ 1898 gothic horror “The Turn of the Screw” as one of two “most important” ghost stories, for good reason. James wrote the novella while experiencing great personal loss. This is reflected in the melancholic atmosphere, as well as its main character’s –
Stephen King cites Henry James’ 1898 gothic horror “The Turn of the Screw” as one of two “most important” ghost stories, for good reason. James wrote the novella while experiencing great personal loss. This is reflected in the melancholic atmosphere, as well as its main character’s –
November 12, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Chilling…
Stephen King cites Henry James’ 1898 gothic horror “The Turn of the Screw” as one of two “most important” ghost stories, for good reason. James wrote the novella while experiencing great personal loss. This is reflected in the melancholic atmosphere, as well as its main character’s –
Stephen King cites Henry James’ 1898 gothic horror “The Turn of the Screw” as one of two “most important” ghost stories, for good reason. James wrote the novella while experiencing great personal loss. This is reflected in the melancholic atmosphere, as well as its main character’s –
It's been a while! On Oct. 11, I had my #debut #novel's #book launch! What a wonderful, warm, welcoming experience -- I'm fortunate to have the support of exceptional friends & an amazing community. I hope "A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace" finds its way to those who will cherish it❣️
November 6, 2025 at 4:53 PM