A local couple is bringing the art form of the bard to Cortes this summer.

Otis Bell and Rue McDonald will be spearheading an extensive series of bard classes for kids hosted through the SCCA’s Summer Youth Recreation Program. The classes are being offered as a weekly gathering and will continue through the summer. 

Bell describes the meaning of being a bard.

"I call myself a 'bard,' similar to how my grandfather called himself a 'bard.' It's a way of describing a creative and inspired walk through the world with one eye open to the awakened creative spirit in life and in nature."

Bell and McDonald are enthusiastic about the new format for the programming, and Bell describes the eclectic class they will be teaching for youth, like a song.

“Storytelling, ancestral cosmology and culture; ancestral folk, herbalism, astrology, song catching, divination, ecology, mystical botany… We love that we have a basis in something ancient, ancestral and also cutting edge. Which is becoming more and more popular and necessary for the next generations,” Bell said.

McDonald and Bell have a wide scope of experience in the healing arts, and McDonald is also well versed in theatrical performance and music. 

“Rue is a theater person, so we are going to be doing combination of movement, dance, singing, expressive arts of all kinds in connection with animist ancestral culture," Bell explained. "So that means the world is gonna be re-enchanted and brought to life as a sentient entity. ”

StarSeed Theatre Camp with Rue MacDonald and Thomas Basil is every Wednesday beginning July 19. Bell and MacDonald will also offer a workshop called Wild Artists, in the traditional format of SYRP for four days beginning July 24. They intend to continue the weekly workshops on Wednesday into the fall.

To hear more about the bard classes and youth programming, listen to the CKTZ News Update below: