If you can recall even a single dream, this book can demonstrate how you become an artist as you sleep. All those vibrant colours, challenging characters, sights and sounds, are your own creations. For inspiration, enjoy the numerous examples of fantastic stories that arise from the depths of human imagination in this poetic exploration of dreams and related folktales. Dream poetry by Tanis MacDonald adds to the feast. Like exotic plants, dreams rise from the ordinary soil of our mundane lives; some are perennial, some annual, some occasional volunteers that drop in unexpectedly and disappear. And quite a few of them are just plain weeds, but even weeds have their value. Dreams grow more luxurious with some mindful care, and can produce astounding blooms in glorious shapes and colours and scents. "To keep this garden growing, I draw on my academic training as a professional folklorist, my sporadic efforts as an amateur artist, and my on-going experiences as a performing storyteller"—from the introduction.

Kay Stone, retired professor of oral literature (folklore and storytelling) at the University of Winnipeg, has been telling and writing about stories and storytelling for two decades. As a dedicated dreamer, she brings her academic and artistic training into the dreamworld. Her previous book, Burning Brightly: New Lights on Old Tales Told Today, explored contemporary professional storytelling.

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