I love learning and teaching and performing and I hope you do as well.  I love feedback.  I love questions.  I regularly update my class packets before teaching them again, so check back for the updated packets as time goes on. Please feel free to utilize my work, but remember to respect it as well.  I copyright all of my songs, poetry, and classes.  

Current Classes

Bog Bodies: Braille for the Creeping Influences: We discuss the internment, discovery, recovery, and cultural and archaeological significance of bog bodies deposited around Europe during the Bronze and Iron Ages. 
Atlantia University, virtual: September 19, 2021
Rising Stone, Meridies Virtual A&S: August 19, 2021
Atlantia University, virtual: February 13, 2021
Roxbury Mill, Atlantia Virtual A&S:  January 20, 2021
Current packet

Yr Hengerdd/Early Medieval Welsh Poetry: Learn about the poetry of Taliesin and Aneirin, composed in the 6th to 8th C CE and the use of cynghanedd (chiming verse) and early Welsh metrical forms. Bonus material: a fantastic lullaby written for a baby prince clothed in ermine. 
Atlantia University, virtual: February 5, 2022
Roxbury Mill virtual A&S: June 9, 2021
Current packet

Sic Semper Tyrannus, Lanea v. Rome
Roxbury Mill, Atlantia Virtual A&S:  November 11, 2020

Translating ancient texts to build performance pieces: Lanea will teach the most awkward and frustrating thing she can: the process of creating a literal English translation of an ancient text, and then rewriting that translation into poetic English for use as a performance piece. Our exemplar is a 9th C Irish tale about the lucky man who owned both the best hound and the best pig that ever were, and how his richness led to anarchy and mayhem. We will discuss dealing with declensions, outmoded prose and poetic forms, seeking poetic brevity and power, and understanding the cultural shifts between the original audience and the one you would like to reach with your translations. Figuratively speaking, we will make a great feast from a dead boar and a funny story from a murderous grudge match, and we’ll laugh while it happens.
Atlantia University, Virtual: September 12, 2020
Atlantia University, Dun Carraig (St. Mary’s City, MD): February 1, 2020
Current Packet

Fundamentals of Bardic Performance:  Learn more about the mechanics of singing and projection, inhabiting a character, reading an audience, and more. 
Roxbury Mill virtual A&S: June 30, 2020
Atlantia University, virtual: March 18, 2020
Atlantia University, Caer Mear (Mineral, VA): February 2, 2019
Current packet

The Academic Bard: Learn about melding historical and mythological research, the traditions and happenings in your kingdom or household, and your innate musical ability and style to write and perform Bardic pieces at events.  I will share translation methods, information about finding great musical and poetic inspiration and training, excellent historical sources, and hints for deciding what to sing when.
Current Packet
Atlantia University, Caer Mear (Mineral, VA): February 2, 2019
Roxbury Mill A&S night (Germantown, MD): September 12, 2018
Midwinter Bardic Revel, Caer Mear (Richmond, VA): February 13, 2016
Menhir, Rising Stone (Nashville, TN): January 23 2016 (Cancelled due to weather)
Gulf Wars, Early Period Life (Lumberton, MS): March 2014

Early Period Bardic Solar: Join us as we discuss early period songs and spoken pieces, composition, research methods, mythology, translation, practice techniques, hosting circles and competitions, etc.
Gulf Wars, Early Period Life (Lumberton, MS): March 2018
Early Period A&S, Clanne Preachain Camp, Pennsic: August 2017

Hats of the Ancient World: Learn about early period hats from Rome, the Steppes, Scandinavia, Insular Celts, and everywhere in between.  We’ll also discuss methods to make, embellish, and care for reproduction hats.
Current Packet
Slides
Roxbury Mill virtual A&S: October 28, 2020
Atlantia University, Dun Carraig (St. Mary’s City, MD): February 1, 2020
Gulf Wars, Early Period Life (Lumberton, MS): March 2018
Atlantia University, Caer Mear: September 2017
Gulf Wars, Early Period Life (Lumberton, MS): March 2017

Early Period Embroidery: Learn about early period embroidery motifs and the techniques necessary to recreate them for use in the SCA.  We’ll discuss the fabrics, embroidery threads, and dyes commonly used in different regions of Europe and how to work with the period materials or approximate them where the original sources are unavailable.  We’ll also discuss transferring designs to a garment, appliqueing separate embroidered pieces to garments, troubleshooting when your threads turn on you, and making beautiful embroidered garments that will hold up to camping, laundering, and fighting.
Current Packet
Slides
Roxbury Mill virtual A&S: March 24, 2021
Atlantia University, Caer Mear: September 2017
Atlantia University, Dun Caraig: September 2016
Nacht in der Stadt, Lochmere: April 2016
Gulf Wars, Early Period Life (Lumberton, MS): March 2014
Gulf Wars, Early Period Life (Lumberton, MS): March 2013
Pennsic, Clanne Preachain’s Early Period A&S Day (Slippery Rock, PA): August 2013

Choosing modern commercial fabric for early period costuming: Learn about  fibers, weave structures, and dyes used in Early period cultures in Europe and how to best find or replicate period fabrics for use in SCA costuming.  We will discuss what to look for, where to find it, and how to alter modern commercial fabrics to more closely match period textile finds.  We will also discuss how to clean and care for wools, linens, and silks so that your garb lasts for years.
Current Packet
Slides
Atlantia University, Dun Caraig: September 2016
Nacht in der Stadt, Lochmere: April 2016
Gulf Wars, Early Period Life (Lumberton MS): March 2015
Pennsic, Clanne Preachain’s Early Period A&S Day: August 2015 

Construction and embellishment techniques for Early Period Garb: We will discuss working with wool, linen, and silk fabrics and embroidery threads to make flattering, durable early period garb. Lanea will discuss fabric preparation, options for seam finishing, reinforcing weak points, repairs, embroidery, period trims, and laundering and care for finished garments.
Current Packet
Gulf Wars, Early Period Life (Lumberton, MS): March 2018
Early Period A&S, Clanne Preachain Camp, Pennsic: August 2016

How to Plan and Run a Period Encampment: Many of us have found homes in the SCA with households or other groups that share our interests in a particular period of history or a particular culture.  We can use that shared interest to form the basis of a period encampment.  We will discuss how to organize and run an early period encampment so that it looks fantastic and runs smoothly but is also a safe, enjoyable, and a fun place to camp.  We will discuss public works, tent options, assigning jobs, cooking, allocating space for individuals and for public use, hiding the modern necessities, and doing it all without creating any tyrants or serfs.
Current Packet
Gulf Wars, Early Period Life (Lumberton, MS): March 2015

Making and using early period sewing and fiber arts kits: Do you want your kit to look as amazing as the beautiful garments you make?  We will review period examples of sewing, spinning, weaving, and other fiber arts tools and discuss how to create a kit for your own use at events.
Current packet
Gulf Wars, Early Period Life (Lumberton, MS): 2016

Planned Classes

Early Period Trivia: I run a trivia game at our early period A&S Day or in EPL every once in a while and it’s a blast.  I provide questions in several categories and seek a number of donated prizes for the winners. I obviously can’t repeat the same sets of questions to the same crowd, so I don’t share the notes for this one.
Pennsic, Clanne Preachain Early Period A&S Day (Slippery Rock, PA): 2016
Gulf Wars, Early Period Life (Lumberton, MS): 2016

Archived Classes

Beyond the Bog Dress: I taught this at several events through the late 1990s and early 2000s. It basically covers how to make flattering early period women’s clothing. I could resurrect it if folks are interested.

Ask a Master Celticist: This grew out of some of the really eye-opening questions we would get from the public at living history demos–particularly Potomac Celtic Fest and the Alexandria Scottish Games. Our demos relied on several of us  having unusual levels of expertise in one topic or another and then sharing information so we were better able to talk to people who viewed our displays. I picked Cellagh’s, Richard’s, and Vortigern’s brain for metal information; they asked me about fiber arts and mythology, we all asked Virginia about early coilwork pottery, etc. And when there was something that seemed to need further research, that generally fell to me because I have the academic background and access to some amazing scholars. I could see turning this into a web-based series if I had the time.

Early Medieval Welsh and Irish Poetic Forms: This was one of my favorite classes to research but was not widely attended. The focus was relatively narrow, and many people are put off by the difficulty of translating Old Irish in particular. Declensions are scary, and the rhyming structure is daunting even for an expert. Recurrent thematic tropes in Irish and Welsh Myth: This is another class that is fascinating to me but maybe not so much for people from outside academia.

Tethera performances with question periods: For several years, I led a trio of Bards called Tethera who performed for the general public at Celtic Festivals. Ideally, Etaine, Anubh and I all performed a mixture of sung and spoken pieces together in full early period costume. Because what we do is so unusual–particularly outside of the SCA–we always included question and answer periods in our performances to differentiate between historical forms, translations, original pieces, etc. I can expand this sort of hybrid performance/class into something more appropriate for the SCA.

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