Cherry Gilchrist is an award-winning author whose themes include mythology, alchemy, family history, life stories, and Russian culture.
'I have been writing since childhood, and began to have stories, articles and poetry published in my teenage years. I settled into my stride in my thirties, and have had around thirty books published, with leading such as Weiser, Piatkus, Arkana, Penguin and Barefoot Books. Luck, persistence and keeping a philosophical outlook in the face of publishing ups and downs have all helped to shape my work as an author over the last forty years!' Her range of titles includes books both for adults and children, such as the popular Stories from the Silk Road, and the well-known Alchemy, the Great Work, which has never been out of print since first published in 1984. The ground-breaking Circle of Nine, exploring feminine archetypes in the everyday life of women has recently been revised and republished. . Russian Magic is an insider's look at Russian myths and folklore, based on Cherry's many visits to Russia, and her book Tarot Triumphs explores the rich symbolism of traditional Tarot cards. Cherry is a graduate of Cambridge University, with a post-graduate diploma from the University of Bath Spa. She is also an experienced lecturer and writing tutor. 'I love research, and find that the real learning comes when you delve into a subject as if beating a path through the undergrowth! Formal education prepared me for this, but when it comes down to it, I'm a freelance explorer!' She lives in the old town of Topsham on the River Exe, with her husband, artist Robert Lee-Wade, two black cats for luck, and two granddaughters growing up fast nearby. Current news
I'm delighted to say that after a long pandemic delay, the latest edition of 'Kabbalah: The Tree of Life Oracle' is now available from Welbeck Publishing, as a set of cards, book, and layout sheet. It's great to have it back in circulation again, with a little updating of design and title. You can order it through a bookseller or Amazon
Join one of my courses - I'm back teaching creative writing online! Courses I'm tutoring for the University of Oxford include Getting Started in Creative Writing, Writing Fiction, and Writing Lives. I love the interaction with students of all ages, from all over the world - and it helps me focus more on understanding the whole process of writing, and what makes it effective. You'll find the complete list of literary courses that Oxford offers here. There are a range of tutors at work on these, but you'll be in good hands with any of them. Check with admin if you'd particularly like to join one of mine!
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Cherry's Blogs Since April 2020, I've been writing a separate blog at www.cherrycache.org where ‘Cherry Gilchrist author shares her stories, treasures and travels with you’. However, I've saved a selection of 'classic posts' at www.cherrygilchrist.co.uk, which you can find on the blog page here. I hope you'll enjoy them! Topics range from the Silk Road to Struan Harvest Bread, and the Isle of Wight Festival, 1969. And more recently, there's 'Exeter Dreaming' , William Blake and the Moravians, and an entertaining School Reunion. In Cherry's Cache, the most popular post so far has been 'Pangur Ban and the Old Irish Cats', featuring a beautiful poem written by a medieval monk to his cat. 
Soho Tree of Life I’ve also been writing elsewhere, with a colleague, Rod Thorn. 'Soho Tree' is a website which celebrates and investigates the early days of a group of young people meeting in Soho cafes in the 1950s to study Kabbalah, astrology and meditation. This is the line of teaching that I eventually joined in the 1970s, and have been associated with ever since. Coffee bars, skiffle, homeless poets, midnight meetings – it’s all there! Talks and Projects
I am an experienced professional lecturer, tutor and leader of workshops. I've given workshops and courses at the Cheltenham Festival of Literature, Marlborough Summer School, and have spent over ten years as a writing tutor of online courses for the Universities of Oxford and of Exeter. I also completed 12 years as an approved lecturer for the Arts Society, UK, and lectured in venues such as i the Temenos Academy, and the Open Centre, New York. My subjects range, broadly speaking, across those of my books and also the skills of writing itself. If you would like to enquire about availability, please contact me via this website. |