Ellen Forkin

@ellenforkin.bsky.social

541 Followers 673 Following

I’m a chronically ill artist, writer and poet living in beautiful Orkney with a passion for folklore, myth and magic. Visit my website: www.ellenforkin.co.uk

A colour photo of the beach on a sunny day. A wrecked ship is in the sea.
A digital drawing of a smiling goblin holding her hands together and crisscrossing her feet. Signature: Ellen Forkin.
A digital drawing of a goblin drawing a huge swirling line with her left hand. Signature: Ellen Forkin.
A digital drawing of a goblin holding a cupcake. She is very seriously looking down it. She has frizzy hair, a pointed hat and stones hanging off her dress. Signature: Ellen Forkin.
A photo of Ellen and her Dad, Nick, sat on a rock by the sea.
A photo of Ellen smiling, holding the book Stonework, in front of a bookcase.
A painting of a raven flying on a bright blue sky. Dark purple words read: Exciting news! The Orcadian are publishing my book! Ellen Forkin.
A colour digital drawing of a goblin wrapped up in a red blanket reading a big yellow book. Signature: Ellen Forkin.
A photo of chains with multi-coloured writing on top. It reads: Haunted UK Fiction Presents Rattle Chains by Ellen Forkin.
A screenshot of the Haunted UK Fiction podcast on Spotify. Episode 05 - Rattle Chains by Ellen Forkin.
A graphic of hands in chains with multicoloured writing. It reads: Haunted UK Fiction Coming Soon… Rattle Chains By Ellen Forkin.
A white background with grey writing. Before Dawn Ellen Forkin The blue-dark of the not-quite dawn The day ahead a yawning Silent scream-song-gargle-sigh The maw of possibilities Blinking with the softness of first light Do not stare-nor close your eyes Glance out from the safety of the lightbulb Let colour wash over you, and begin
The book Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq on a bookshelf full of books.
A black and white photo of Raffy, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, looking just beyond the camera on the back of a sofa.
Black writing on a white background. Internet Poetry I never thought In times such as these That slow, slow fall Into hate-filled cruelty That internet poetry And skies, fierce blue Pizza and doughnuts And songs on repeat In your ever-whirring mind An owl, swooping silent A meme sent by a friend A book, heavy in your hand The sun tingling your cheek mAnd the bright sweetness Of a mango-delicious Would continue to exist But exist they do We must hold on-tightly To these stars in the choke Of the gathering night For the night has beauty And there is always the moon And the dawn, thereafter Ellen Forkin
Sheets of printed poetry overlaying each other. A coral pink pen and navy pen is lying on top.
A kune kune pig slurping from a blue barrel water trough.
A photo of a beach, the sun sparkling on the sea, and an island on the horizon.
A digital drawing of a large greenish troll wearing a big brown jumper, looking a little nervous. Signature: Ellen Forkin.
A digital drawing of a goblin holding a large cup of coffee with ‘Ko-fi’ written on it. She has bunches, a green and pink dress and a big smile with her tongue peeking out. Signature: Ellen Forkin.
A smiling yellow goblin with a three-pointed hat on a mottled tan background. Signature: Ellen Forkin.
A photo of a palette of bright watercolour paints, coloured pencils on a desk with other arty things.
Raffy, a tri colour Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, looking at the camera.
A digital rough-sketch drawing of a green goblin grinning widely and holding his hands in the air. Signature: Ellen Forkin.
A purple graphic with white writing: 13 Wondrous Witchy Books. Plus two book covers: Sycorax; Hex.
A purple graphic with white writing: 13 Wondrous Witchy Books. Plus a book cover: The Witch in the Well.
A purple graphic with white writing: 13 Wondrous Witchy Books. Plus two book covers: The Book of Witching; The King’s Witches.
A purple graphic with white writing: 13 Wondrous Witchy Books. Plus two book covers: The Familiars; Threadneedle.
A purple graphic with white writing: 13 Wondrous Witchy Books. Plus two book covers: The Bear and the Nightingale; The Mercies.
A purple graphic with white writing: 13 Wondrous Witchy Books. Plus two book covers: The Manningtree Witches; The Witching Tide.
A purple graphic with white writing: 13 Wondrous Witchy Books. Plus two book covers: Circe; Now She Is Witch.
A purple graphic with white writing: 13 Wondrous Witchy Books.
A photo of a colourful abstract pastel drawing. There are smudged colours, lines and dots and wiggly shapes.
A digital drawing on a photo. Two tiny goblins on a photo of a tree trunk, one swinging from his arm, one peeping. Signature: Ellen Forkin.
A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel nose booping a hag stone (stone with a natural hole in it).
A book bundle on a check blanket: Dark Crescent book by Lyndsey Croal, hag stone, bookmark, stickers, and postcard.
A bee hovering and feeding off pink flowers.
A digital drawing of a worried goblin face with wide, frightened eyes and a down-turned mouth. Mottled tan background. Signature: Ellen Forkin.
A ghost mug being held up in front of a bookcase full of books.
A purple striped notebook with a pink pen upon a blue patterned blanket.
A green graphic with white writing. Storyteller The story—always funny Stutters in its telling As a word, a single word Flits from his head Gone—away in a whirl He looks at me then My Dad—always funny Eyes of mischief, now Searching my very own I take a guess, a gamble Yes—that’s it! He points At me in appreciation The story—still funny Scoots off his tongue I watch, I laugh, I learn But mostly I listen For I carry his vocabulary As well as my own Ellen Forkin.
A digital drawing of a bright pink fluffy creature looking at its own tail. The creature has a pink snout, fangs and pink hands and feet. Background mottled light tan. Signature: Ellen Forkin.
A book on a patterned book-beanie. The book is: The Many Days, Selected Poems of Norman MacCaig.
A blue paper jar with a puffin drawn on it surrounded by pencils and a pen. The puffin has done a little poo!
Jellyfish made from card, wool and pipe cleaners hanging on a wall.
A group of children and Ellen holding up artworks.
A white graphic with black writing. To Be Chronically Ill There is an ache to living A fatigue to my days—my movements A tiredness beyond tiredness So draining, my head sits low On my neck, my shoulders—spine curved At night my back sings in agony By day, each movement a curse And I must rest, feet up—or else collapse My heart thumps fast, persistent My vision blurs, my words slurring My brain a beat behind—a mind of fog Blood pooling in my purple feet There is little hope, no cure Chronic illness is a lifetime—a whole life That is not without small gifts Time in a world constantly rushing Perspective—what is really worth doing? Wisdom to celebrate small wins Still, I wish there wasn’t that ache That heavy fatigue—slow, fuzzy thoughts I have learnt: now let me live Ellen Forkin
A white graphic with black writing. To Be Chronically Ill There is an ache to living A fatigue to my days—my movements A tiredness beyond tiredness So draining, my head sits low On my neck, my shoulders—spine curved At night my back sings in agony By day, each movement a curse And I must rest, feet up—or else collapse My heart thumps fast, persistent My vision blurs, my words slurring My brain a beat behind—a mind of fog Blood pooling in my purple feet There is little hope, no cure Chronic illness is a lifetime—a whole life That is not without small gifts Time in a world constantly rushing Perspective—what is really worth doing? Wisdom to celebrate small wins Still, I wish there wasn’t that ache That heavy fatigue—slow, fuzzy thoughts I have learnt: now let me live Ellen Forkin.
A notebook lying open with a blue pen and handwritten poem on the right page.
Two books overlapping on a blue and grey patterned blanket. The books are: The Book of Forgotten Witches by Balázs Tátrai, illustrated by Lilla Bölecz; Butter by Asako Yuzuki.
A blue and white poster with a puffin holding a pencil. It reads: The Shoogly Pencil Club at Orkney Library with Ellen Forkin Orkney Nature Festival Special Session 17th May 2025 11am-12 noon For ages P3-P6 To book your place, phone the library at 873166 or email library@orkney.gov.uk Let's shoogle some pencils!
A digital drawing of a mermaid with her hands in her hair and her tail curved underneath. The mermaid is coloured mottled brown and the background is mottled tan. Signature: Ellen Forkin.
A sky blue graphic with white writing. The Call of Corvids The bleariness Of blankets The mattress A heaviness I hear the familiar Croak and craa Hooded crows Ravens and rooks Sometimes the sharp Jab of a jackdaw’s cry On endless sky and fields Casting long-flit shadows A lightness of wing A darkness of feather Craa and cry and croak Into the gloom, I smile A world outwith my room Ellen Forkin.
A screenshot of the album Spell Songs and a list of its songs on Spotify.
Three books propped up in front of a blue patterned blanket. The books: Death of a Naturalist by Seamus Heaney; The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews; Who Wants Normal? The Disabled Girls’ Guide to Life by Frances Ryan.
A blue graphic with white writing. Lyrical Crosslegged, I write A forgetting My mind powering word After lyrical word Fingers tapping life Onto smudged blankness Until it is complete A breath-released And I uncross my legs Knees singing In sharpest agony My breathing staggers Eyes watery, lips a tightness But I glance at the words For they sing also With deeper lungs Ellen Forkin.
A pencil drawing in a notebook with a pencil. The drawing is of a smiling goblin with a long, pointy nose and a curly-twirly hat. Signature: Ellen Forkin.