Meet the author is a series of articles intended to introduce you to our wonderful authors. Learn about the books they’ve written, the spiritual pathways they’ve traversed and some fun little tidbits… introducing Steve Andrews!

Tell us a bit about yourself…

My name is Steve Andrews, also known as The Bard of Ely, a title I was given by Big Issue Cymru when I was a columnist back in 1998 and lived in Cardiff, which is where I am originally from. I lived in Tenerife for nine years but these days I live in Portugal. I am an author, singer-songwriter, poet, naturalist and activist. I have been called a “Famous Cardiffian,” and am known for many things, including having once been featured on Britain’s Got Talent. I performed “Stand By Me” but Simon Cowell couldn’t handle it when I got a lot of the audience up on stage with me.

What books have you written?

Herbs of the Northern Shaman, Pagan Portals: Herbs of the Sun, Moon and Planets, Herbs of the Southern Shaman, Earth Spirit: Saving Mother Ocean and The Magic of Butterflies and Moths.

How would you describe your spiritual pathway?

Druid, as a Quest Knight and Bard of the Loyal Arthurian Warband, which is King Arthur Pendragon’s Druid Order.

What is something fun and quirky about yourself?

I have a green beard. I first dyed it this colour for the Green Man Festival back in 2003 I was a compere and performer and I thought a green beard would work well for the event. It proved very popular with festival goers and back in my daily life so I kept it. It helps get me known and reflects my love for nature. I say “Most people go grey but I go green!”

Where can people find you?

Just Google Bard of Ely or Steve Andrews or both together. I am all over the place online and on all the social media platforms. My linktree is
https://linktr.ee/steveandrews

What tips do you have for folk beginning their spiritual journey?

Treat life as a learning journey and adventure. There is always more to discover about ourselves and the amazing universe we are in.

Which deity or deities would you love to have dinner with?

I think it would be Bast because I am very much a “Cat Man!” There are four in my daily life. Cuddly is an 11-year-old tuxedo tom, Mum is a formerly feral calico at least seven years old, Manx is a Manx Cat tabby and belongs to some neighbours but is here every day, and Simon is a tabby stray tom.

What magical items would you take with you if you had to live on an island for a year?

I am not a witch and don’t use any “magical items” as such, but I think it would be an athame because it would come in handy for cutting stuff up and other tasks. Perhaps a cauldron not for magical purposes but to put my food in. I would become a hunter-gatherer and a forager for edible plants, fruits, fungi, nuts and seaweed. Of course, I would have to be very careful only to collect species I know are safe.

Steve Andrews was born in Cardiff, Wales but is now based in Portugal, after living in Tenerife for nine years. He is known as the Bard of Ely, a name dubbed by Big Issue Cymru back in the late ’90s, when he was a columnist for the publication, and it refers not only to where he had been living but also to his work as a singer-songwriter, performer and poet. As the Bard of Ely he has played at Glastonbury Festival and the Green Man Festival and has two of his songs on the Green Man Festival CD album on Double Snazzy. In 2017, he was featured on Britain’s Got Talent.

Andrews has written for many publications including Kindred Spirit, Celtic Life International, Prediction, Living Tenerife, Welsh Coastal Life, Mediterranean Gardening and Outdoor Living, Bee Culture: The Magazine of American Beekeeping and Permaculture magazines, as well as having been a contributor to the Tenerife Weekly, Tenerife Sun and Tenerife News newspapers.

In the late ’90s he worked as a TV presenter on the BBC Choice magazine series In Full View in which he was out and about in the countryside looking at the plants and animals. He has also appeared on many other TV programmes including Weird Wales on HTV Wales, Roll Over Beethoven on BBC2 and The Slate on BBC1.

For more details: https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/moon-books/authors/steve-andrews