Folklore & Women: The power of folklore in reclaiming female stories

Explore the power of folklore and how it helps bring women’s hidden stories back into the spotlight. Followed by Q&A. Women's stories have often been hidden or overlooked, with history mostly told from men’s perspectives. But women have always shared their stories – through oral traditions and conversations among themselves. Think of women’s salons in 17th and 18th century France where modern fairytales were born, or the deeper meanings behind tales of selkies and sirens. This talk explores how folklore preserves and shares women’s experiences, through stories about monsters, mermaids, and marriage plots. We’ll journey around the world to meet the women in these tales and the women who collected them. By uncovering these forgotten stories, we gain a better understanding of history and discover new ways to imagine the future. Doors open at 7pm, talk starts at 7.30pm - come down early to grab a good seat! Follow us on IG @seedtalks Speaker Bio: Dr Joan Passey is a Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Bristol where she specialises in the gothic, horror, and folklore in literature and culture. She has a Masters from the University of Oxford and a PhD from the University of Exeter, both focusing on the gothic and the supernatural.