an invitation & invocation

Let us
“make productive use of fairy tales by reacting to them, (exploring them), resisting them, and rewriting them, rather than passively consuming them” and let this engagement serve as “a splendidly legible and luminous map of reading for our cultural stories”!
[excerpts from Tatar, “Introduction”]

What?: A once-monthly group meeting of mothers and daughters in which
we focus our reading/creative expression/discussion upon a given “fairy tale/myth” and work to compare its variations across space and time; explicit emphasis will be placed on examining the roles of women in these tales
Where?: The Tea House (Canyon Road); bring $ for delicious chai and
treats!; we’ll be in the back room!
When?: The Sunday closest to the New Moon of any given month;
4:15-5:45 pm; Begins on 25 September
For Whom?: All interested daughters, mothers, grandmothers, aunties, etc.
13 and older

Some goals for this study are for participants…
 To recognize and consider the patterns in fairytales from a variety of cultures
 To rethink and challenge our own assumptions about fairytales in our own culture
 To take a feminist lens to fairytales and examine its implications
 To weigh the cultural value and purpose of fairytales, both in the past and in modern times, particularly in regard to the role of women
 To connect authentically with a fabulous and diverse group of beautiful, brilliant Santa Fe women!
 To have FUN!

Reading List & Materials:

The Classic Fairy Tales (Maria Tatar, Ed.; Norton Critical Edition)
Traveling with Pomegranates (Kidd, Sue Monk with Ann Kidd Taylor)
Additional Suggestions to Follow!

*N.B.: For our first meeting, feel free to bring the Tatar text if you choose to buy it, but feel free to just bring yourself and a notebook/writing utensil!

I encourage you to share books between and among yourselves! Please let me know if acquiring these texts is a problem. I can make photocopies of the stories in Tatar’s book!

All supplemental readings/materials will be provided by me (Greta/Ms. Nelson, your fantabulous Fairy Godmother Facilitator!); any extra supplemental materials are welcomed and encouraged! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE bring your own picture books, film, poetry, artwork, etc. as it connects to our topic of discussion! After our first meeting (for which there is NO ASSIGNMENT), the nature of this “Show and Tell” will become clearer. 



Please contact Greta Nelson, MA, with any further questions!