Writers in Enchanted England

  • A woman wearing a hat and brown shirt leaning on a large rolled hay bale in an open field with more hay bales and trees in the background on a sunny day.

    Sarah Keen - Illustrator and writer

    I am inspired by the English countryside.
    Hampshire’s chalky, flinty fields and gentle countryside unlocked memories of my childhood growing up in the Chilterns where I had been surrounded by books and artists. I studied for an MA in Creative & Critical Writing with the University of Winchester and this gave me the confidence to write and illustrate.

    Through my writing and artwork I discovered Enchanted England; a magical, creative land that inspired the collections here for you today.

    Author of: Salt Marsh House,
    Runa’s Ghost and Other Stories

    Illustrator/book designer for all the books in Enchanted England.

    Blogs & website design and content


  • Simon Harmer Folk Arts Performer

    Simon Harmer -Folk arts performer and teacher specialising in Step Dance

    Simon Harmer’s meticulous research brings to life the songs, dances and Gypsy culture collected by Alice Gillington from Romany families in the New Forest 100 years ago.

    With long and distinguished careers in dance performance, education and research, both Simon and his wife Jo have made immeasurable contributions to the validity and depth of the step dancing traditions they love, with a wide-reaching impact both within and outside the folk world, in Hampshire and nationally.

    Author of: A Traveller’s Heart Goes Home

  • A colorful watercolor illustration of a forest scene with a person dressed as the Earth holding a sword aloft, sunlight shining behind the sword, and a hare sitting on the ground in front of them.

    Lady May - Retired Nurse & Herbalist

    Lady May lives and works in Hampshire. She is a qualified herbalist and follows a way of life that has been passed down through her family for generations.
    Fully initiated through the traditional three degrees of the Craft to become a High Priestess and Witch Queen.

    Author of: The Hare & The Sword and Blessed Be - an illustrated walk through the English countryside.

  • Father Tom Grufferty

    Fr. Tom Grufferty

    Catholic Priest

    Growing up in Southern Ireland, Father Tom was lucky enough to have a family who taught him to love literature, arts and see the beauty of the natural world.

    As he says ‘When I finally left home for the UK…I took with me a love words, how engaging they are, what colours one can paint with figuratively speaking and I suppose, how powerful they can be.

    Author of: Echoes of a Parish Priest & We are pilgrims, not travellers.

  • An elderly woman with glasses, wearing a black sweater and blue skirt, sits on a wooden chair with a high backrest, hands clasped. There is a map or antique document on an inclined stand behind her and part of a bed with a red blanket on the right.

    Jean Paira Pemberton

    Jean Paira Pemberton (1931 -2021)

    Is my aunt and I have included her presence here as I am so truly grateful to her. Jean has been writing poetry over a lifetime and is a published poet.

    Jean taught me from an early age both to love words and respect their great power. If I can write at all, it is because of her influence and example.

    My aunt writes “that as a child I could think of nothing more normal to be, than a poet”

    Selected Poems by Jean Paira-Pemberton is published by the  Universite de Strasbourg:

    ISBN: 978-2-35410-011-7