No Fair Maidens - Myths, songs, and author talk

No Fair Maidens — Myths, Songs & Author Talk

Come welcome the darker season with a mystical evening of storytelling, song and conversation with No Fair Maidens author, Kim Willis, weaving the threads of a forgotten folklore where women are - and always were - a force of nature. ​With live Celtic goddess storytelling from Kim's best-selling book No Fair Maidens, songs from The Water Folk, conversation and book signing, all within the Kemptown Books events space. Guests are invited to bring found objects from nature for the 'inner fire' alter, and to dress to confuse, or even delight, the Samhain spirits. Let's honour this liminal, 'new year' moment in the Celtic calendar. 

'Kim Willis is an expert storyteller' Emma Gannon

About No Fair Maidens

A wild journey through myth, memoir and womanhood with the lost goddesses of Britain

'This book is an act of excavation, and an act of remembering.'​As we uncover 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.​We are 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...​

Kim Willis is a writer, storyteller and strategist living between London and South Wales. Her first book, No Fair Maidens – A Wild Journey With The Lost Goddesses Of Britain, was published this year with Doubleday at Penguin Random House.

Her work explores the relationship between old world mythology and new world imagining; reanimating the land and reweaving the stories we need to face global crises. Published in The Guardian, the Independent, and beyond, she co-founded Dreams For Britain and has built creative strategies for Number 10 and the UN. Her work lives in books, boardrooms, fireside chats and festivals.

The Water Folk

Somewhere between a séance and a protest chant, this Brighton-based hydro-feminist folk collective conjures liquid harmonies and liminal choruses — summoning the water spirits through song with the voices of Sarah Weiler & Christina Watson.

Be ready to join the flow.

Note: If you choose the ticket option including a copy of the book, you'll have the opportunity to have it signed by the author.

We apologise for the inconvenience but our bookshop is currently not wheelchair accessible. The toilet is located on the ground floor. The event space is located at the top of a staircase (17 steps).

Please do get in touch if you’d like to know more details to plan your visit ahead. Email is: salomee@kemptownbookshop.co.uk