Lee Morgan on Spirit Box discussing The Rag & Bone Man
In this episode of Spirit Box I’m joined by author and witch, Lee Morgan, to discuss his new title 'The Rag and Bone Man.’ We talked about the genesis of The Rag and Bone Man, a project that began as a novel and grew into a fusion of fiction, research, and grimoire. Lee spoke about writing in trance-like states, about stories that come from spirits themselves, and about the way fiction can become the proper vessel for truths that can’t be held by fact.From there we wandered into the realm of Tasmanian Gothic—its haunted histories, its spirits, and its place in Lee’s search for a writer’s voice between England, Australia, and Tasmania. In the Plus show we explored spiritualism, witchcraft, and the strange physical manifestations of mediumship, alongside the recurring motifs that weave through Lee’s body of work.Our discussion also turned to the craft of writing: the patience it requires, the toll it can take, and the gift of treating creativity as a form of spiritual inheritance. Lee described how characters arrive as if alive, how stories can heal and transform, and how witchcraft itself deepens one’s experience of the world. Along the way we touched on Irish myth, storytelling traditions, the relationship between spirit and text, and the global reach of Lee’s magical writing.
“We didn’t get to choose the stories we inherit.”
The rag and bone man comes meandering along your street in the dawn hours. He’s looking for old things that still have a bit of fat left in them, including off-cuts of outsiders’ dreams. If you decide to stop and talk to him, he will tell you the old tales of how to tease out the teeming world of spirits that bulges behind our reality. The Rag & Bone Man’s uncanny narrative, bookended with historical context and a grimoire inspired by the novel, bridges the gap between old ideas and new paradigms with a watchful eye on historical biases.
Lee Morgan covers sensationalism and fraud in 19th century spiritualism and the ways we manipulated folklore and magic to cover and recontextualize our wrongdoings in this luminous novel. Some of The Rag & Bone Man’s extra content focuses on the importance of sensory pleasure and alignment with the fetch, while crossing ectoplasmic lines to help you conduct a seance. The rag and bone man is a fixture in the novel’s real life setting and is included in a performance art installation you can experience through a QR code in the book. It’s time to sneak into the rag and bone man’s world — the stories he’s picked up will break your heart.
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-964537-71-9 | Paperback ISBN: 978-1-964537-52-8 | Page Count: 350
Dimensions: 6.25“ x 9.25“ | Format: Paperback, Hardcover | Publication Date: 11/25/2025