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Comedy writer and columnist Jack Bernhardt parodies the use of forests in American slasher movies, as he asks what they are meant to symbolise in a new commission for The Verb called 鈥楾he Opening Scene of Every Single Slasher Movie Set in the Forest Ever鈥�. Why is every detail of a forest, even a duck鈥檚 quack, portrayed as spooky in such films?

Kate Arnold is the frontwoman of the UK鈥檚 leading dulcimer band, 鈥楩ear of the Forest鈥�. She has also coined a special genre - 鈥榙ulcimer-core鈥�. Kate explains how her background in Medieval French literature influences the music she makes ( especially the writing of Marie De France), and performs 鈥楩airy Tale Ending鈥�, which explores what it means to be rescued from the forest.

Kate Arnold鈥檚 performance includes new poetry by Claire Tr茅vien, who grew up in Brittany. Claire鈥檚 poem is inspired by the idea of rescue in Kate Arnold鈥檚 song 鈥楩airy Tale Ending鈥� and by the names of Breton trees. In this newly commissioned work, Claire imagines a forest as a 鈥榝looding鈥� and plays with the Ogham alphabet 鈥� said to have been used by Druids 鈥� which has its roots in tree species. Claire鈥檚 2016 聽collection, 聽础蝉迟茅谤辞苍测尘别蝉 聽is published by Penned in the Margins聽

The Amazon rainforest is a place of conflict and healing in Pascale Petit鈥檚 collection 鈥楳ama Amazonica鈥� (Bloodaxe). The metaphor of the rainforest is used by Pascale to explore what it means to be mentally ill, and what it means to be a daughter to a mother who has been deeply damaged by her experiences. 聽The Amazon rainforest is very dear to Pascale, and she explains what happened when she brought two ideas together - her loved but difficult mother, and the rainforest itself. Mama Amazonica was the winner of the 2018 RSL Ondaatje Prize, and is published by Bloodaxe.

Terry Deary is the author of the publishing phenomenon 鈥楬orrible Histories鈥�, which is now 25 years old. Terry celebrates the 鈥榠rrational鈥� forest writing of G.K. Chesterton, and in our new series 鈥楶oetry Portal鈥�, he recalls a Rudyard Kipling poem 鈥楾he Way Through the Woods鈥� 聽that he was made to learn at school as a punishment. His latest book is 鈥榃iggott's Wonderful Waxworld: Terror Train鈥� (Scholastic).