11/04/2026
Mothers, Myth and Mythos is the latest publication from Demeter Press, and in it I have contributed a chapter on “Alma Mater” - exploring the myths underpinning boarding school traditions and practices.
The writing is linked to and references a performance I made, where I embodied the Alma Mater or “nourishing mother”. I created the work at the woodyard with the support of Adrian Woodsman Leaman. A film accompanies the book chapter.
If you’re interested in a copy of this latest work from Demeter for yourself or a library, I can offer you a 30% discount if you send me your request before April 22nd.
Here’s the publishers info and I’ll pop the link in the comments.
Demeter Press is honoured to announce the publication of
Mothers, Myth and Mythos: maternal narrative knowing edited by Alys Einion and Rachael Williams.
"Through personal storytelling, this edited volume brings together the diversity of what it means for mothers to create meaning-making through myth. This book provides a beautiful, insightful acknowledgement of the many Mother Goddess traditions, asking complex questions yet also giving reverence for the possibilities within new narratives of the Sacred Mother."
- Dr. Melinda Vandenbeld Giles, Anthropology, Lakehead University
"The sage writers of these critical narratives act as Midwives - birthing forth the DNA of our shared, ancestral myths and histories through memoir."
- Kara Ghobhainn Smith, Poet and Educator
What is the mother myth and mythos? How does mythology of mothers and mothering underpin our experiences? Where does myth and fairytale combine with the personal into mothering mythos? Through which, stories, folktales, goddesses and archetypes do women come to know and experience mothers and mothering? Can such ways of knowing and expression be a source of liberation and empowerment? This powerful, unique collection takes the reader on an intimate journey through the landscape of critical, creative, personal and artistic exploration of the experiences and relationships of women to maternal knowing through myths and mythologies, archetypes and deeply personal experience. Grounded fully in multiple, diverse perspectives on mother myths and stories, and mothers’ presence/absence and representation in art, mythology and folklore, the book includes artistic expression and impression, raw experience of maternal identity, love and loss, the dualism of myth and mythos and how narratives evoking mother-relations speak to and of each other and provide a powerful testimony and analytical insight into the shared elements of our interrelated, culturally-driven stories.
