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2025 Sarasvati Award for Best Nonfiction Book: The Woman Who Married the Bear

Saturday, March 29, 2025, Westward Look Inn, Tucson AZ

2025 Sarasvati Award for Best Nonfiction Book: Oxford University Press for The Woman Who Married the Bear

The Sarasvati Award ifor best Nonfiction Book in Women and Mythology  was announced at ASWM’s 2025 conference. The winner ia Oxford University Press, for  The Woman Who Married the Bear: The Spirituality of Ancient Foremothers by Barbara Alice Mann and Kaarina Kailo (2023).

imaArtist-Pixabay

The award letter reads in part:

The following criteria were used to determine the winner of the award:

1) Communication: We found this book to be engagingly written. The distinctive voices of the authors help to ground readers in the particular narrative  traditions they are bringing forward, a call to pay attention to who is talking as well as what is being said. The authors’ fruitful collaboration brings to the text the deep knowledge from indigenous peoples of the far north in both North America and Europe in language that can be understood by both specialists and non-specialists.  

2) Conceptual Framework: This book advances the field of feminist mythological/Goddess studies, presenting both scholarly information and wonderful images to the reader. The authors do an excellent job of bringing ancient stories to light within a framework that demonstrates changes in beliefs and practices governing the relations between humans and nonhumans in ways that are relevant to how we understand the current ecological crisis we face on the planet. The many wonderful photos and drawings support the argument and enhance the reader’s understanding of the conceptual framework.

3) Originality: The research in this book offers a new perspective, bringing forward into the conversation a pieced-together cosmology surrounding the figure of the woman who married the bear, mostly  unknown outside of a few sources. The authors challenge existing linear interpretations of patriarchy and hierarchy as they demonstrate the relevance of gift economies in the past and the present.  

4) Global, Ethical, and Social Awareness: The careful research exemplifies ethical use of Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Mann and Kailo are deeply respectful of their sources, and readers gain access to new ideas that reimagine what “we” know about ancient societies in the far north. The book also provides a profound case for the importance of re-thinking the relation between the human and other-than-human for the survival of us all. 

In short, we strongly believe that this book has great value for interdisciplinary studies of myth and folklore. We strongly recommend it as a resource for faculty, researchers, and general readers.

 

 

 

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Scholar Salon 83

Scholar Salon #83: Dr. Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan, "Sharing the Himdag Perspective" discusses Tohono O'odham values regarding land, water rights, food production, and right relationship with the NSF Kitt Peak Observatory.

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2025 Conference Session: Sister Speak: A Sacred Conversation among Women of Color

Saturday, March 29, 2025, Westward Look Inn, Tucson AZ

Sister Speak: A Sacred Conversation among Women of Color

facilitated by Luisah Teish and Leilani Birely

Flow by Monica Stewart

We are honored that our conference keynoters, Yeye Luisah Teish and Kahuna Leilani Birely,  will guide this special session. The intention is to facilitate an authentic conversation among women of color, in which white women are invited to actively listen and learn: “There will be a circle within a circle with the women of color being the primary center circle; we will be discussing issues of importance to us. White women are invited to listen in on the conversation and to respectfully submit questions at the end of the presentation by women of color.”

We ask that women arrive on time and plan to stay for the whole session. Once the conversatioin begins, the door will close and latecomers will not be admitted, to honor the sacred space and create a time for deep speaking and listening.

Yeye Luisah Teish

Chief Iyanifa Fajembola Fatunmise also known as Yeye Luisah Teish is a writer, performance artist and Yoruba priestess. An American author of African and African-diaspora spiritual cultures, also is an affluent ritualist, keynote speaker, and spiritual advisor on a global scale. Primarily known for Jambalaya: The Natural Woman’s Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals, a women’s spirituality classic that has been translated into German, Spanish, and Dutch. She has co-authored has co-authored On Holy Ground: Commitment and Devotion to Sacred Lands with Leilani Birely. She has contributed to 40 anthologies, and her essays, artwork and poetry appear in such publications as Essence, Ms, and Coreopsis: Journal of Myth and Theater. As an Oshun priestess (Yoruba Goddess of Love and Sensuality), Yeye continues to officiate over spiritual retreats, rituals, and workshops that span over forty years since her introduction into the Ifa spiritual practice.  Teish has said, “My tradition is very celebratory – there’s always music, dance, song, and food in our services – as well as a sense of reverence for the children. It’s joyful as well as meditative.”

Kahuna Leilani Birely

Leilani Birely is a Native Hawaiian Kahuna and Dianic High Priestess who brings ancient Hawaiian healing and Goddess wisdom to the community. Kahuna Leilani brings forth teachings of the Aloha Spirit through Hula, Ceremony, Performance, Writing and Ritual. She is the founder/ritual director of Daughters of the Goddess Women’s Temple in the San Francisco Bay Area an international community of women dedicated to She of 10,000 names and Multicultural Women’s Mysteries. She has her Master’s in Women’s Spirituality from New College of San Francisco.  She has lectured at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Dominican University and the California Institute of Integral Studies. Leilani has co-authored the book, On Holy Ground: Commitment and Devotion to Sacred Lands with Luisah Teish. She is included in anthologies Shades of Faith: Minority Voices in Paganism and Stepping into Ourselves: An Anthology of Writings on Priestesses.

Read all about the ASWM Conference and register  here.

 

 

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2025 Conference Roundtable: More Than Just “Likes”–How Women Can Build Real Community in the Digital Era

Saturday, March 29, 2025, Westward Look Inn, Tucson AZ

Spiral by Helen Klebesadel

Roundtable: More Than Just “Likes”–How Women Can Build Real Community in the Digital Era

with Heather Taylor, Caryn McGrandle, Rebekkah Dreskin,  Carla Ionescu, Annalisa Derr, and others

We live in an age of digital scholarship, teaching, collaboration, and social relationships. Some of us have embraced the digital era completely, and have developed wonderful skills for using multiple media to present their work. Others of us are interested in using digital media but are not comfortable with this new age, believing that we lack necessary skills.

So now it’s time to learn from one another. If you want to learn more about how to use podcasts, blogs, Zoom, and social media, here is your chance to meet with a lot of skilled women who can answer questions. If you are already presenting your work in a digital way, this session is an opportunity to share resources and learn from one another.

We now know that oxytocin, the bonding hormone, can be increased over a Zoom call as well as in person. Of course women need face-to-face interactions to fully be in relationship. But it’s possible to build and nurture our communities in these magical digital realms as well.

Heather A. Taylor is the Co-Founder of the International Society of Mythology. She is also producer/director of the award-winning documentary Breaking Through the Clouds: The First Women’s National Air Derby. Heather has a PhD in Mythology and a Masters in Producing Film. Heather has a special interest in helping people find their passion (genius) which is often done with the aid of an animal, real and mythic.

Rebekkah Dreskin has been a full-time freelance graphic and website designer since 2013, when she launched her company, Blame it on Rebekkah Designs. The majority of her clients are publishers and/or independent authors. Rebekkah is also a musician, song-writer, wife, mother, jewelry designer, and “weird crafter.” In the interest of full disclosure: We are delighted that Rebekkah is ASWM’s very own web priestess and Digital Amazon!

Carla Ionescu. Founder of the Artemis Mapping Project, Dr. Carla Ionescu is an ancient historian specializing in Artemis and her impact on both ancient and modern cultures. Her research spans mythology, ecology, and the sacred feminine, bringing ancient wisdom into dialogue with contemporary environmental and cultural conversations.

Annalisa Derr, PhD, earned her doctorate in Mythological Studies with Emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute and holds a BA in Theater with specialized training in masked and physical performance. Her forthcoming book, under contract with Inner Traditions, aims to help liberate women from internalized sexism and menstrual shame and (re)awaken them to their Sacred Feminine Power.

Caryn MacGrandle is the creator behind the Divine Feminine App: an online community since 2016 that has been connecting women (all genders) in Circles, events and resources. Caryn has participated in numerous online and location events such as the World Parliament of Religions in September of 2021 in which she presented a workshop on Embodying the Goddess: Creating Rituals with Mind, Body and Soul.  Each and every day, Caryn (aka Karen Moon) works tirelessly towards her belief that the most important area to first find equality and balance is the divinity found within yourself.

 

 

Read all about the ASWM Conference and register  here.

 

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2025 Conference Panel: Dancing the Spiral: Cosmology, Spirits of Place and the Mystery of the Cauldron

Saturday, March 29, 2025, Westward Look Inn, Tucson AZ


Dancing the Spiral: Cosmology, Spirits of Place and the Mystery of the Cauldron

 Glenys Livingstone, Lauren Raine, Desiree Mwalimu-Banks ,Kristinha  Reva

  • The Cauldron, the Womb, and the Waters: The Welsh Witch Ceridwen and the Journey of Ecological Individuation, Kristinha Reva
  • Sonic Transmissions and Water Ecologies: A Voyage Into the Water Mandala, Desiree Mwalimu-Banks
  • Embodying the Triple Spiral: a Relational Practice with Place, Glenys Livingstone
  • Numina: Spirits of Place, Pilgrimage, and Myth, Lauren Raine

Glenys Livingstone Ph.D. (Social Ecology) is the author of PaGaian Cosmology: Re-inventing Earth-based Goddess Religion. She was born and lives in Australia, where she has facilitated Seasonal ceremony. Glenys teaches an online course celebrating the Wheel of the Year for both hemispheres. Her book A Poiesis of the Creative Cosmos: Celebrating Her within PaGaian Sacred Ceremony documents the synthesis of her work over the past decades.

Desiree Mwalimu-Banks is a Zambian-born, East Coast-raised interdisciplinary artist, educator, mother, and priestess of Auset. Her work explores somatic relationships between indigenous identity, water ecologies, and apiary culture within the framework of the sacred feminine and the African diaspora. She creates sound and video installations which reimagine the frequencies and landscapes of the archetypal feminine and its relationship to self-actualization.

Lauren Raine MFA, is an artist and Community Arts facilitator as well as a poet. She is known for her “Masks of the Goddess” Collection of over 50 masks that travelled throughout the U.S. with different communities for over 25 years. In 2013 she collaborated with playwright Ann Waters to create masks for the play “Numina: The Awakening” performed in Willits, California. In 2018 after attending the Gatekeeper Conference “Dreaming the Land: Working with the Consciousness of Nature” in the U.K. she was inspired to write about her experiences.

Kristinha Maria Reva, MA, is a PhD candidate in the Mythological Studies program at Pacifica Graduate Institute. She enjoys sharing storytelling, ritual, and expressive arts processes with an ecological focus. She has told stories for the Storytellers of San Diego, San Francisco Free Folk Festival, and Visions Art Museum. Her written work has been published in Unbroken, Dark Matter and the Mythological Studies Journal. She currently lives in Encinitas, CA.

Read all about the ASWM Conference and register  here.