Fairies of New England: The Little People of the Hills and Forests

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  • My childhood brushes with ghost lore

    Despite writing about supernatural folklore, I rarely think about my childhood brushes with ghostly stories. I thought I might rectify that here—by reflecting on two examples of ghost lore I was exposed to in my youth. Before I begin, I should point out that children’s folklore is just as vital and dynamic a phenomenon as…

  • Fairies of Northern Appalachia: Cover reveal!

    I’m so excited to reveal the cover of my next book, Fairies of Northern Appalachia: A History of the Little People of the Mountains, which covers fairy stories and beliefs from Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, and Kentucky. I thought John Anster Fitzgerald’s painting “The Fairies’ Favourite” was the perfect cover for this…

  • Conversation with Paranormal 360

    I recently discussed the existence of the fairy realm in North America with Dave Schrader of the radio show Paranormal 360. You can catch our conversation below in two parts. Topics include:

  • Ghostly love in the folk ballad tradition

    In the modern day, we tend to think of ghosts as autonomous entities or “traces,” existing independently of those who observe them. This idea is especially common in the paranormal community, where people tend to investigate ghosts as if they were verifiable objects of study. The British folk ballad tradition teaches something quite different. Rather…

  • My travels in search of Appalachian fairies

    In spring of 2025, I set out on a long journey through Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, West Virginia, and eastern Ohio in search of stories about fairies in the Northern Appalachian Mountains. My findings will be revealed in the book Fairies of Northern Appalachia: A History of the Little People of the Mountains, which releases on…

  • Conversation with the Paranormal Historians Podcast

    This week, I had the pleasure of joining Anthony Simonelli, Jennie Colluci, and Kimm Guyer on the Seekers Chronicles: Paranormal Historians podcast. Check out our conversation above! Topics covered included:

  • My closest thing to a “fairy encounter”

    At book talks and signings, I’ve been quite open with people about the fact that I’ve never seen a fairy and that I’m agnostic as to their existence. In my books, I treat fairy folklore as a set of stories, practices, ideas, and beliefs propagated through oral and written culture. This helps me keep my…

  • Washington Irving’s “imps and devils” (kaboutermannekin)

    In my book New York Fairies, I’ve tried to recreate the folkloric atmosphere of the Hudson Valley, which Washington Irving must have drawn on when writing stories like “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Storm-Ship” in the early nineteenth century. The theory is that Irving’s depiction of the Heer of Dunderberg (a goblin king) and his…

  • Fairy as a “third power”: Natural magic or serpent-knowledge?

    For many centuries, people have been aware of a “third power” that depends neither on the power of virtue nor the power of evil. In the ballad “Thomas the Rhymer,” the Queen of Elfland shows Thomas of Erceldoune three paths, corresponding to three spiritual powers: the path of virtue (filled with “thorns and briars”); the…

  • The Little Old Men of the Berkshires

    Some years ago I read about the legend of the “old men of the mountains” who supposedly inhabit the Berkshires in northwestern Connecticut (also called the Litchfield Hills). These little men have apparently been seen since Colonial times and are described as wearing flowing gray robes. Whenever someone lays eyes on them, they immediately disappear.…