Uncover the neglected history of women in fairy tales and how these stories offer a critique of social inequalities. Followed by Q&A.

For centuries women have told and retold fairy tales, weaving into their stories their female experience, radical visions of transformative justice, and collective power. From forgotten fairy tale authors to ferocious heroines, this talk will celebrate the power within these stories – a power that celebrates strength and connectivity, our capacity to make changes, and our reciprocal relationship with the living world.

In this talk, we will celebrate the agency of women in fairy tales. We’ll uncover forgotten versions of long-told tales – the dreaming power of Sleeping Beauty and the tender transformations of Cinderella. We’ll explore the uncompromising strength of those who wrote down stories to challenge the patriarchal systems they lived under. Join us to uncover forgotten tales of strength and bravery where girls and women are the ones who tend, temper and change the world.

Doors open at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm - come down early to grab a good seat!

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Speaker Bio:

Dr Joanna Gilar is a writer and storyteller with a PhD in fairy tales and ecological storytelling from the University of Chichester. She is founder and director of StoryCommonsCIC, a fairy tale collective dedicated to building resilience via story, and home of the Rewilding Cinderella project. Joanna is currently curating a course on Rewilding Fairy Tales for the Advaya network, and runs workshops on fairy tales and storytelling for all ages. She is co-editor of The World Treasury of Fairy Tales and Folklore (Wellfleet Press, 2016), and has published numerous articles on rewilding fairy tales. As a storyteller, she has performed across the UK and Europe, in venues ranging from festivals to universities, Italian castles to Bohemian forests. Her performances have been described as “spell-binding”, “breath-taking”, “astonishing” and “a gift.”

This talk is 16+

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