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Witsh: In Conversation with Mari Ellis Dunning
The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth
Discover the story behind Witsh (Honno, 2025) as the author Mari Ellis Dunning joins Dr Emma Butler-Way in conversation.
Dunning weaves a dark tale of suspicion and fear in the novel, where midwife Sara Gwen is accused of witchcraft in sixteenth century Wales. Inspired by largely unknown Welsh witchcraft history, the novel is deeply rooted in tradition and realism, and rich with bold feminist themes.
Mari Ellis Dunning is a poet, novelist and lecturer. Witsh is her debut novel.
Her debut poetry collection, Salacia, was shortlisted for Wales Book of the Year 2019. She teaches at Aberystwyth University, where she delivers courses on feminist writing.
Dr Emma Butler-Way is a Lecturer on Aberystwyth University’s Integrated Foundation Year. She has a PhD in English Literature, for which she studied British sensation fiction of the 1860s.
