Katherine Arden: It's a great time for female fantasy writers

From CNET:

Katherine Arden's new book, "The Girl in the Tower," is an evocative fairy tale for adults set in medieval Russia. The novel is a sequel to Arden's acclaimed debut, "The Bear and the Nightingale" and is the second part of her Winternight trilogy. 

Nicholas Tufnell spoke to Arden about folklore, her writing process and why female fantasy writers are getting recognised in a way they haven't before.

The final Winternight book. It's called "The Winter of the Witch" and should be out late 2018.

The History of Medicine in Armenia

In Armenia, folk remedies aren’t just offhand suggestions from your grandmother. When it comes to minor illnesses, trained doctors are not shy about recommending them either. And you can find all kinds of packaged herbs and natural oils in Armenian pharmacies, sitting inconspicuously on shelves next to conventional pharmaceuticals.

Historian Stella Vardanyan notes this interaction in her book The History of Medicine in Armenia. According to her research, folk medicine in Armenia dates back nearly three millennia. The herbs of the Armenian highland were especially well-reputed among ancient writers, like the Greek physician Galen or the famed Islamic philosopher Ibn Sina, who wrote on the healing properties of Armenia’s clay in his treatise The Canon of Medicine: “Armenian or Ani clay has a remarkable influence on wounds. It is especially beneficial against tuberculosis and the plague. Many people were saved during great epidemics, since they were in the habit of drinking it in wine diluted with water.”

Read more here @ Smithsonian Magazine 

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