"I like telling stories of women who act on their passions." "I like these strong female characters." "When I talk with readers I feel an enormous appetite in women to explore both their strength and their emotional connectedness, which still tend not to be honoured in the dominant culture."* Any
As if it wasn't enough to take The Ramayana and present it in images, this volume retells the ancient epic through the eyes of a woman. This is Sita's Ramayana. House of Anansi, 2011 Artwork by Moyna Chitrakar The original Sanskrit text is attributed to the poet Valmiki, and it is
It recalls Sharon Butala's love of the prairie, reverence for the land. It brings to mind Lee Maracle's focus on relationships between women, love and friendship and sustenance. And it reminds me of Louise Erdrich's unflinching consideration of violence against women and the world. But Alanda Greene's Napi's
I was inspired to re-read Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad after I read The Odyssey (with and without pictures). "The story as told in The Odyssey doesn't hold water: there are too many inconsistencies." Atwood describes the impetus for retelling this classic tale as follows: "I've always been haunted by the hanged maids;
Once Upon a Time has wrapped up for another year, but I haven't properly mentioned some books, including two terrific books of Inuit folktales which I'll discuss tomorrow. But, first... Cameron Dokey's The World Above is part of the series of retellings from Simon Pulse; there are about twenty retellings in all,
