Upcoming Events
Below are some upcoming events that Ben will be appearing at, both in-person and virtually. Please check out the Classes and Presentations page for previous appearances and talks.
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If you would like to host Ben at your event, please visit MEDIA KIT for details on booking, policies, and other information.
Salem Witch Fest 2025
Online Presentation:
Resilience Magic of Urban Folk Culture: Modern Stories for Modern Issues
In this hour and a half long virtual offering for the Salem Folklore and Witchcraft Festival we will explore a potent form of historiola: urban folklore. So often modern Witches rely on the stories of old to gain inspiration and power, while ignoring modern urban legends. In this modern political climate, fear and hate are being wielded as weapons of control. Modern witches and magical users can fight this tool of oppression by connecting in with the spirits and stories of urban legend that already speak to our fears and panic. Witches are no strangers to the liminal and the outside edge, and it is here that urban legends exist. We will explore various urban legends from the past forty years and new innovations from the Internet, and how these can be harnessed for magical practices and spellwork.
August 19th, 20th & 24th, 2025
OBOD Hearth Event
Online Presentation:
A Sacred Fourth Wall: Parasocial Relationships to the Stories of the Lands Over the Hill
In 2025, OBOD member Benjamin Stimpson returned to the UK after thirty years living in Canada. His experience of the landscape of Britain was primarily from a diasporic experience, having memories from childhood and the few times he visited but mostly through the lens of stories set in this land. As OBOD has become a worldwide tradition, a large majority of members come from many different lands all united by the ancient stories and folklore of Britain found in OBOD's gwers and the popular Celtic traditions often drawn upon by OBOD members. This hour and a half long workshop and presentation will discuss and explore the concept of parasocial relationship to landscape through the medium of stories. Benjamin's work primarily focusses on folklores' relationship to landscape, and ancestral work. In this presentation we will explore both of these areas as they relate to Druidry as a landscape based relationship, particularly for those in diaspora. We will look at questions such as: How does one connect with a story from an ancient landscape that might not exist anymore? How do we prepare ourselves for encountering modern landscapes that our stories originate from? How does story from one cultural space fit into the landscapes we find ourselves? Ultimately, is story necessarily so tied to landscape that it becomes irrelevant in other places, does it even matter?
September 11th, 2025
Exclusive Event For OBOD Members - Access on Hearth
CritWitchCon2025
Virtual Presentation:
"Over There There Lived a Witch: The Pysch of Folklore in Physical and Virtual Spaces"​​
This presentation will explore the psychological and sociological mechanisms of folklore in history as it relates to physical and now newly emerging virtual landscapes. This topic is to look at the connection between the stories we derive our theologies, practices, and forms of identity from and thier connections to space and landforms. We'll discuss some of the inherant issues with the change of culture form mainly connected to specific landscape to more virtual domains, and the possibilities for online spaces to drive our craft.
September 26th-28th, 2025 ONLINE FESTIVAL
Northampton Pagans Exclusive Event
"Bathed in Light: The Dead in Spirit Work"​​
Drawing on his experience with ancestral veneration and his experiences with the tradition of Espiritismo, Ben will discuss working with the dead through these two lenses, how ancestors are different than other forms of dead, the important distinction between ancestral spirits and spirit guides, and how one can practice using simple tools working with the dead.
​Address: Weston Favell Parish Hall, Weston Favell, Northampton
Time: 7pm
Cost: £3 (To go to cost of hall rental, bring mug for tea)
October 22nd, 2025 IN PERSON EVENT
BOOK SIGNING & TALK
Join author Benjamin Stimpson at the Chepstow Library and Hub for a talk about Welsh witches, magicians, and wisefolk. Following the talk there will be a book signing with copies available of his newest to purchase. Hosted by Chepstow Books & Gifts.
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Address: Chepstow Library, 9 Bank St, Chepstow NP16 5EN
Time: 7pm
Cost: FREE (Ticketed event, RSVP tickets at the 'Secure Tickets' button)
Oct 30th, 2025 IN PERSON EVENT
Ancestral Pathways Conference 2025
Online Presentation:
The Medieval Midnight: Things That Went Bump in the Night​
In this hour long presentation we will explore the Medieval concept of the night, what dwelt there, and how people protected themselves. From spectral visitors to the sabbats of witches, demonic possessions and the goings on of house spirits, the High medieval cultures of Europe saw night as dominated by the supernatural. It was a time to bar city gates, lock doors, close shutters, and protect oneself while sleeping. Unlike our own night, many Medieval folk had what was called 'second sleep'... how did this lost habit impact the Medieval experience of the night, and the relationships to those perceieved to dwell there? We will dive into some of the primary sources and material culture to explore the Medieval night.
Oct 31 - Nov 3rd, 2025 ONLINE FESTIVAL
Earth, Sea, and Sky Conference 2025
In Person Presentation:
When Shall We Three Meet Again? The Folklore of the Witches of Earth, Sea, and Sky​
An overview of the witch character in British folklore and its' connections to the three realms of earth, sea and sky. In this 45 minute presentation we take a ,look at how the folklore of the witch engages with these three primary realms from the caves and boulders that cannibal hags dwell within, the storm witches who draw riches from wrecking ships, to the quintessential mode of transportation: the broom, and others. We will explore how the witch as a liminal character engages with the environment and sometimes becomes its' embodiment.
Ticket Cost: £35 – £150 (See Event Listing)
Location: Leonardo Hotel Cardiff, 1 Park Place, Cardiff