In Conversation with Hellebore Zine
Hellebore represents some of the best small press magazine publishing in the realm of contemporary occult & folklore. Hellebore was founded in 2019 by writer and editor Maria J. Pérez Cuervo, with art direction by Nathaniel Hébert. Exploring and examining topics primarily concerned with British folk horror and occultism, the magazine remains eminently popular within numerous concerned circles. Hellebore have also published works adjacent to the magazine, including a travel guide entitled, The Hellebore Guide to Occult Britain, a card game entitled, The Magical Card Battle of Britain, and a special edition of the periodical entitled, Yuletide Hauntings. Hellebore was honored as a World Fantasy Awards finalist in 2022, and a British Fantasy Awards finalist in 2024. The magazine has been featured and reviewed positively by some of the most notable voices in the field.
Select covers of Hellebore.
OL: Hello Maria. Thank you for taking the time to sit down with us today to discuss your work. Hellebore is a special work: while contemporary and fresh, it is situated both thematically and formally in a tradition of similar periodicals and artistic expressions of days gone by. To what extent was this traditional context weighing on you when developing the magazine, and were there any predecessor publications or zines which you turned to for inspiration?
MC: Thank you for taking the interest. Before founding Hellebore, I was a regular contributor to Fortean Times and The Daily Grail, and I was involved in a lively online community of folklore and folk horror fans, such as Folklore Thursday and Folk Horror Revival. I’ve always loved print media, and Hellebore was a direct reflection of my personal interests, as well as a reaction to the “fast production, fast consumption” model that currently reigns online.
The idea was to produce a beautiful object that people could treasure and enjoy at leisure. I contacted Nathaniel Hébert, who became the art director, sharing a Pinterest board with my visual references (largely, Czech and Polish film posters from the 60s and 70s, surrealism, psychedelia, and the Victorian/Edwardian revival from the 60s). I specifically wanted Hellebore to sit in the tradition of the occult revivals of the 60s and of the Victorian and Edwardian era, but with a modern twist.
Melissa Edmunson’s essay Pagan in My Blood, illustrated by Joe Gough, and found within the No. 2 “Wild Gods” Beltane issue of Hellebore.
OL: With all of this considered, the past 10 or so years have seen a fantastic span of zines arise and expand. Works like Fiddler’s Green, Weird Walk, and Hwaet! Have likewise garnered a devoted readership through their rich writing. To what extent do you maintain relationships with aligned publications & periodicals?
MC: It’s lovely to be part of such a creative and enterprising scene. I speak to many of these creators regularly: Clint Marsh from Fiddler’s Green has been very supportive from the beginning. Elizabeth Sulis Kim (from Cunning Folk) and I exchange tips; she has written for Hellebore before, and there’s some crossover between our contributors too. Both magazines have a similar theme, but they’re actually quite different. Lally Macbeth and Matthew Shaw, from Stone Club and The Folk Review, have also written for Hellebore and they have invited me to a few of their events. We recently had a magical day out visiting stone circles and fougous in Cornwall. I’m online friends with Bunty May and George from Hwaet! And also Paul Watson, whose Rituals & Declarations launched roughly at the same time as Hellebore. We exchanged contributions too: his photo “Come Unto the Corn” was our very first cover.
OL: Nathaniel’s art direction lends itself flawlessly to the content of the magazine, and you have previously spoken about the influence of Czech film posters, psychedelia, and countercultural forms coming from the British folk milieu. Were there any challenges in utilizing 20th-century designs, offering them new expression in the current era? What do you find lends these forms so well to your written work?
MC: If you analyse psychedelic posters from the 1960s, it becomes obvious that the artists borrowed heavily from previous expressions, such as Art Nouveau. For Hellebore, Nathaniel looked at both psychedelic art and Nouveau, Deco, and adjacent movements such as Jugendstil, Mondernisme, or Sezessionstil. These styles reflect an interest in the Romantic, the irrational, and the occult. They often use Pagan themes and visionary imagery.
Artistic details seen on the left hails from the Elizabeth Dearnley essay Into the Dark Woods, from Hellebore No. 12, “The Storytelling Issue.”
OL: Both The Hellebore Guide to Occult Britain and The Magical Card Battle of Britain serve as expanded expressions of your work. What led to their development, and what were some notable moments compiling the materials for these works?
MC: The Hellebore Guide to Occult Britain was a product of lockdown, ironically: a travel book created when our time outside was very limited. It was born from a necessity: I had used the Reader’s Digest book Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain as a travel guide many times, but very often there was nothing exciting to see in the location of the legend, so I thought of producing a travel guide specifically to fulfil the curiosity of people like me.
The Hellebore Guide to Occult Britain
The Magical Card Battle of Britain was created after having handmade endless top-trump style card games with my son: dinosaurs, Godzilla monsters, carnivorous plants… I thought it would be fun to have a Hellebore version including fictional and historical characters connected to magic and the occult.
The Magical Card Battle of Britain
OL: You maintain a unique vantage point within both periodical publishing and the study of British folklore, folk horror, and occultism. What do you feel is the pull that keeps readers and seekers so enamored with this facet of British culture and history?
MC: I’ve said this before, but I consider this to be the essence of Britain. Its landscape, its magic and legends—they have informed its counterculture, which has been deeply influential. Despite the secularisation of contemporary western society, people still crave the feeling of awe brought by the sublime and the numinous, they want to reconnect with a mystical side that has been pushed away but refuses to stay hidden.
OL: Hellebore was honored as a World Fantasy Awards finalist in 2022, and a British Fantasy Awards finalist in 2024. This is a tremendous accomplishment. How did these honors translate to your work going forward? Was a greater sense of possibility offered, and did you feel any reaffirmation to continue your work exactly as you have?
MC: Thank you very much. Hellebore has allowed me to reflect at length on the creative act. I think it’s important to meditate on it and respect your vision. Many artists and creators have articulated this before me, but when we’re creating something we are instruments of something bigger than us, and we need our self-doubt and our fragile egos to get out of the way in order to channel this energy.
This is how I feel when I approach something creatively—it never is about yourself, it is about something else. Or perhaps it is about yourself, about your true essence and your true expression. I have always tried to be true to myself, publish the things I’m interested in, honour the spirit of Hellebore. It is a great privilege to do what you want to do and find an audience. Many readers have come to me to say kind, genuine words, and it’s very moving to see there’s people who connect with it. Awards and recognition are nice, but they’re not what moves me.
Cover of the Hellebore No. 11, “The Animal Issue.”
OL: Finally, in the spirit of librarianship and archives, have you made any efforts to have your work accessioned into institutional collections, libraries, or archives? How do you hope to preserve the legacy of Hellebore?
MC: I know the whole collection is available at York St John’s University, at the British Library, and some issues at least at the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic.
OL: Thank you so much for your time and unique insights. We look forward to seeing more magic from Hellebore.
MC: Thank you, it’s been a pleasure.
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