About Nifty Buckles Folklore

I was raised in Ontario among quiet storytellers and unseen worlds, where the veil between the ordinary and the otherworld was always thin. I learned early that stories are not just told—they are remembered, carried, and sometimes… whispered back.

By the age of four, I was already slipping away into books and poetry, drawn to a small local library just steps from home. It was there I first began gathering fragments of magic—old words, old rhythms, and the feeling that something ancient still lingered beneath the surface.

I later studied Cultural Anthropology and Folklore at the University of Alberta, following those threads deeper into myth, tradition, and the hidden language of symbols that echo across time.

I have worked as a preschool teacher, including with children who are hearing impaired, where I created story circles filled with rhythm, movement, and quiet wonder—spaces where stories could be felt without needing to be spoken. I also worked as a marketer for a small VAWT company, Harvistor, helping shape the identity of the “Darwind5,” an eggbeater wind turbine—turning wind into motion, and motion into meaning.

Now, I share my days with Queen Maeve, my watchful faery cat and constant companion. And though he walks elsewhere now, the spirit of my beloved mini dachshund, Mr. Skittles, lingers close—a small guardian of memory and mischief, never truly gone.

I carry, too, the memory of my beloved son, Scotty, whose youthful spirit moves through my work like flame and shadow—tender, fierce, and eternal.

I write folklore, poetry, fairy tales, and fiction drawn from the older paths—the ones lined with moss, bone, and forgotten names. I was born with a keen wit and a sharp eye for observation, while my insight comes from a deep understanding of my pets, wildlife, and the natural world.

My stories are shaped by a quiet belief: that magic has never left us, only hidden… waiting to be remembered.

My Story

Meet Valerie