Mairi Kidd and Sara Sheridan in Conversation with Dr Zoe Venditozzi

Ginger Cat Events

Changing the narrative with  Mairi Kidd and Sara Sheridan in conversation with Dr Zoe Venditozzi at the Gryffe Valley Book Festival

Carrick Centre

Gryffe Valley Book Festival 2025

Join us from 5th -12th September for the 2nd year of the Gryffe Valley Book Festival. With events across Houston, Bridge of Weir, Quarriers and Kilmacolm the festival will bring a vibrant celebration of literature for all ages..

Starlit Journeys and Hidden Histories at the Gryffe Valley Book FestivalSara Sheridan &amp; Mairi Kidd in Conversation with Dr Zoë VenditozziCarrick Centre, Houston | Sat 6th Sep, 7pmStep into a world of bold women and untold stories with authors Sara Sheridan and Mairi Kidd, in conversation with writer and Witches of Scotland campaigner Dr Zoë Venditozzi.Sara Sheridan’s On Starlit Seas charts a daring journey through the 19th-century world of female ambition, trade, and rebellion, while Mairi Kidd’s The Specimens brings to life the notorious story of Burke and Hare, told for the first time through the eyes of two very different women.. in a perilous, vulnerable world.Together, they’ll explore what it means to reimagine the past through a feminist lens -shining a light on hidden histories and the women who refused to be forgotten. Join us for an evening of powerful fiction, fresh perspectives, and unforgettable storytelling.Followed by an audience Q&amp;A and book signing. Copies of the authors' books will be available to buy on the night.On Starlit Seas-Maria Graham must make the treacherous voyage from Brazil to London to deliver her latest book to her publisher.Having come to terms with the loss of her beloved husband, Maria is now determined to live her life as she pleases, free from the smothering constraints of Georgian society. For a woman travelling alone it's a journey fraught with danger, and as civil war rages around her, the only ship prepared to take Maria belongs to roguish smuggler Captain James Henderson. Onboard, all is well until Maria makes two shocking discoveries - the first a deadly secret, the second an irresistible attraction to the enigmatic captain.The Specimens-Two women - one rich, one poor - must navigate life against a frenzied backdrop of medical discovery, mob mayhem, and murder.The home Helen shares in the slums of the Old Town with her lover William Burke could hardly be more different from Susan's dreams of an affluent existence as the wife of Robert Knox, one of the foremost anatomists of the day. But as people begin disappearing, these two very different women face an impossible choice. Should they protect what lives they have or tell the truth about what they know?This is the story of the notorious serial killings of Burke and Hare, told for the first time through the eyes of two very different women, whose stories explore the depths of the human heart in a perilous, vulnerable world.