Description
Co-produced with the British Library, we invite you into the evolving world of fairy tales, inspired by the Library’s landmark exhibition exploring the history and power of these enduring stories.
Fairy tales were never only bedtime stories. They have always carried danger, desire, rebellion and transformation. Now, a new generation of writers is reclaiming them.
Join folklorist and cultural historian Ceri Houlbrook, alongside novelists Georgia Leighton and Sam Davey, as they explore why fairy tales continue to shape our imaginations, and how contemporary retellings are reframing familiar narratives through modern lenses, with marginalised voices and complex heroines. Chairing the discussion is Alison Bailey, Co-Curator of the British Library’s Fairy Tales exhibition.
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Sam Davey
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About the Authors
Georgia Leighton
Georgia Leighton lives in London with her family. Leighton’s Sunday Times bestselling debut novel, Spellbound,, is a reimagining of the classic fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. Leighton’s brand new novel, Maiden, is a captivating, feminist retelling of the legend of St George and the Dragon.
Sam Davey
Sam Davey is an arts administrator, business transformation specialist, festival producer, writing coach and prize-winning author of fantasy and speculative fiction – both short stories and novels.
As a novelist, Sam’s work is all about breathing new life into old stories – with particular interest in British and Celtic literature – from 600 CE to 1300 CE. Her latest novel, The Sisters and The Sword, will be published in the UK in August 2026, by Diversion Books/Simon and Schuster. Her previous novel is a feminist retelling of the origins of Camelot – entitled The Chosen Queen.
About the Historian
Dr Ceri Houlbrook
Dr Ceri Houlbrook is a leading expert on contemporary British folklore and Programme Leader of England’s only Masters in Folklore Studies. Inspired by childhood stories of boggarts and fairies in Manchester’s Boggart Hole Clough, Houlbrook’s work explores folklore as a living tradition. Houlbrook co-authored Folklore: A Journey Through the Past and Present and draws on her research in her magical realist debut novel, Winter’s Wishfall.
About the Host
Alison Bailey
Alison Bailey is Lead Curator, Printed Heritage Collections 1901-2000, at the British Library, responsible for material published in the UK and Ireland in the 20th century. She is also Co-Curator of the Fairy Tales exhibition which runs at the British Library until 23 August 2026. She has worked at the Library for over 40 years and is particularly interested in children’s literature, suffrage literature and First World War ephemeral printing. She has contributed introductions to six of the tales included in The British Library Book of Fairy Tales.
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