Overview: Bog Witch is a semi-mystical immersion into wild wetland habitats of the bog witches: their myths, magic, and meaning.

From fens to peatlands, mires to marshes, swamps to lagoons, these diverse habitats are more than just mud​, ​offer​ing​ a richesse of flora and fauna, herbs and healing plants, as well as an unusual opportunity for our own inner healing and spiritual growth.

Verdict: Encompassing nature writing, life writing, poetry, and magical memoir from a working-class woman’s perspective whilst drawing from history, science, mythology and folklore, Bog Witch by Mab Jones is one of those fascinating books that you may only have just errantly stumbled into, but simply cannot put down.

With a structure inspired by the chant of the three witches in Macbeth - which features a host of native wetland flora and fauna - Bog Witch leads its readers into the gloam of these seemingly gloomy spots, enlightening them​,​ endeavoring to entertain, explore, explain, and enrich, all at the very same time.

So, what do we know about these bog witches, the entity, as a whole? Well, and typically, the term refers to a fictional character or archetype often seen in folklore, fantasy literature, and other forms of popular culture. A bog witch is often portrayed as a mysterious, powerful, and sometimes malevolent figure who resides in a bog or swamp.

Furthermore, bog witches are usually associated with dark magic, herbalism, and nature-based rituals. They are often depicted as solitary beings who have a deep connection to the natural world and possess knowledge of herbs, potions, and spells. In some stories, bog witches are portrayed as wise and helpful figures, while in others they are depicted as dangerous and unpredictable.

Indeed, the image of a bog witch can vary depending on the context in which it is used, but common elements often include a connection to nature, a sense of mystery, and a mastery of magical arts.

Thus here within this most diligent prose from Mab, she brings us lovingly into their world, their habitats, in a way that is both thought-provoking and highly informative.

Allowing us to see, if our eyes, and more importantly our minds, are fully open, a world where the beauty and mystery of nature combine all around us to poetically create a veritably forgotten, long since realized world that evolves around the wetlands of Cardiff.

So come join poet Mab Jones on her journey into the wilds and learn how brightness and beauty, birdsong and brilliance, exist even in the darkest, most misunderstood places.

About the Author - Mab teaches creative writing at Cardiff University, has written for the New York Times, and has presented three recent poetry programmes on BBC Radio 4. Two of these were Radio 4 Pick of the Week and one - Hiraeth - is still available on BBC Sounds. Mab previously coordinated International Dylan Thomas Day, and now runs the social media for world famous writer Wilbur Smith. She lives in Penarth, Wales.

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