Kim Willis in conversation with Elaine Canning - Swansea

'This book is an act of excavation, and an act of remembering.'
Join us as we welcome Kim Willis to the shop! Kim will be in conversation with Elaine Canning about her brand new book, No Fair Maidens.

As Kim Willis drifts from the traditional path of marriage and motherhood, she yearns for a new set of stories to light her way. Here, she is pulled towards the source of the Severn, hearing whispers of ancient matriarchs: shape-shifting enchantresses, scaly nymphs and goddesses who once commanded our lands. These are no fair maidens, but powerful warrioresses and animalistic beasts, snaking along the edges of watery places where we meet the otherworld in the shadows.

As she uncovers the ancient myths hidden in the rugged landscapes of the British Isles, the stories of women like Arianrhod, Melusine and Cerridwen awaken a forgotten power. Journeying from the Severn to Skye, Eryri to Northumberland, Kim discovers new magic in the tales of old, unveiling forgotten truths about grief and healing, while charting a new course through sisterhood and sexuality, fertility and freedom.

Through the threads of folklore, history and landscape, Kim identifies a better way of being for modern women, and crafts a new vision for Britain where women are - and always were - a force of nature.

Kim Willis has spent twenty years working as a strategist, journalist and experience designer, with a particular focus gender, power and story.

She has worked for the UN, run comms strategy in Downing Street, written for the Guardian, and founded the Heroine’s Journey project ― with 2000 women challenging the narrow narratives around women’s lives.

She is also the Chief Strategist at Cedar (BBDO/Omnicom) and one-sixth of the Land of Hope and Story collective, connecting artists and politicians to put creative ambition back at the heart of our national story.

Kim lives and works between London and South Wales and travels the world for projects in systems change, strategy and story.

Elaine Canning is a writer, editor and public engagement specialist, and is currently Head of Special Projects at Swansea University, which include the Rhys Davies National Short Story Competition, as well as Executive Officer of the Dylan Thomas Prize.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Waterstones