Saturday, September 10, 2022

Faerie News

Dear Fey Friends,

First day of Spring,

a fairy died.

🦋
Fey Queen

Anne Atkins flew

from this mortal realm. 🌷

Anne opened Wonderwings Fairy Shop - first fairy shop in the world - 1980s in Richmond. 🧜🏿‍♂️🧜‍♀️She followed up with its more raucous, carnival sibling, Wonderwings Fairground. 🎪Countless similar venues opened around the globe by her inspiration, most closely and enduringly

Myths & Legends in Gisborne

with Wonderwings fairy Dee. 🦋

Anne was a patron and collaborator across ethereal arts, from music to sculpture. Many of us learned oral fairytale storytelling from Vic’s storytelling guild founder Nell Bell at Wonderwings.

A glass artist herself, Anne made exquisite wands. 🌟

Her legacy includes eco-mythos, with freshly gathered eucalyptus leaves strewn in the story garden.

In addition to catering for youngsters, there were also adult sessions, steeped in mythology and respect for diversity. 📘🦋

🦋

She is honoured in the anthology South of the Sun: Australian fairy tales for the 21st century.

Here is an earlier tribute I wrote at a Wonderwings reunion

More pics of beloved Anne across decades...

Fey Anne, you conjured Muses, embraced eccentricity, revelled in whimsy, kindness, passion, ebullience, glee; and all the way to Fairyland, the flowers know you.