Bronwen Forbes, 1963-2011
It is with great sadness that I write these words… author Bronwen Forbes died on the night of April 10th, 2011 from a heart attack. She was undergoing chemotherapy for inflammatory breast cancer and it is believed that the chemo drugs were a major contributing factor in her death. She was only 48 and left behind her husband Alex and their kindergarten-aged daughter Rose.
Bronwen Forbes
Alex tells me she was an extrovert and loved what she did and loved the Pagan community. These words will ring true for anyone who knew her or corresponded with her. She wrote articles for Circle Magazine and WitchVox that were warm and witty; she blogged on LiveJournal and Facebook; she made and sold witchy crafts on Etsy; she co-founded Free Spirit Alliance; she wrote a lovely book about mummers’ plays and seasonal songs and dances; and most recently, she surveyed or interviewed scores of Pagans to compile her latest book about Pagans living in small towns. She even set up a Yahoo group for discussions on the topic which she will, sadly, not be around to moderate. Tributes are already coming in on that group’s list.
She touched many, many lives, and died in her husband’s arms.
Re-reading her emails and her latest manuscript, I’m reminded of how positive and kind she always was. She was a delight to work with, always on the ball. If you read her forthcoming book which was already at press when the sad news arrived, you’ll feel her love for both her community and her husband and daughter on almost every page.
The family has not designated any particular charity, but suggests that if mourners feel the urge to make a donation in her memory, they seek out their own local cancer prevention and treatment program.
As Jason Pitzl-Waters of the Wild Hunt blog has said of this and other passings:
May she rest in the arms of the Goddess.
Blessed be, Bronwen.
My condolences to her friends and family. In my heart I believe in the Bardo, the passage into summer lands, here after, the next stage of life.
Goddess bless and take her through to the greatness that we become, and are part of.
This was how my old Irish Granny put it:
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there… I do not sleep.
I am the thousand winds that blow…
I am the diamond glints on snow…
I am the sunlight on ripened grain…
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you waken in the morning’s hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of gentle birds in circling flight…
I am the soft star that shines at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry—
I am not there… I did not die…
I’m very very sad to hear this news. I read her articles on WitchVox often and loved her down to earth, humor filled approach. My heart goes out to her family and friends-she will be missed by many who loved her as well as those of us who only knew her from afar. Goddess Blessings.
May her beautiful spirit live on and in all the hearts of her loved ones and readers. She will be greatly missed.
Everything you will ever read about Bronwen is true. The website listed here is my blog about her, if you so choose to check it out. Elysia was kind enough to grant me permission to post it here. Blessings
I, too, was very saddened when I heard this. She was one of the wittiest, funniest and open hearted people involved in this path that I knew, even if it wasn’t in person. It was an honor for me to participate in the book that will release in June, and I wish her family much love and a swift recovery to the extent possible under such unexpected circumstances! She will indeed be missed by all she touched!
May the shining spirit of this mother be kept alive through the memories of her daughter, into the next generation.
I was very disturbed to hear this sad news! As a seeker only a few years ago, I found Bronwen’s articles posted on Witchvox, and enjoyed them so much, especially for their frank and thorough explanations of the basics, and for their warm and welcoming tone, both of which I truly appreciated as someone turning to the articles posted there for guidance and knowledge as I started out on my new path. I began to look forward in anticipation each week for the next article she posted, and she quickly became one of my favorite contemporary Pagan writers.
As a solitary seeker with a very small opportunity for a local Pagan community, I really came to rely on sites like Witchvox as my virtual community, and I didn’t fully realize the impact Bronwen has had on my path until I heard the news of her passing. Though I never met or corresponded with her, I considered her a part of my community, and I will miss her greatly!
Bronwen, thank you for your contribution of wisdom and wit to the greater Pagan community! May your journey to Summerland be easy and restful. My condolences to her family and friends.
This is shocking news . Such a wonderful lady . Me and her occassionaly e-mailed eachother on Witchvox . She always answerd back . I had tears when I found out . She will be very much missed . Such a young age . Best wishes to the family .
I am reading her book that JUST came out and went looking for her to say how MUCH I appreciate her and found this!!!!! I feel sad. But I will also recommend her book to ANYONE I know. Great advice and good writing.
I never knew bronwen, but i loved the warm, down to earth tone of her books. I send my love and light to her family.
[…] is no longer with us may in fact be the author, as there are parts of it that remind me of the late Bronwen Forbes, author of The Small-Town Pagan’s Survival Guide. It sounds very much like something she […]