A Woman Walking

In this timeless folktale, a young woman named Ninan inherits an unwelcome legacy: being a traveling storyteller like her grandfather. On each step of Ninan's journey, she tells a unique and universal story that speaks to the families at the hearth. At first, stories erupt from her unbidden and uncontrolled, and the nomadic life is an occupation, not a joy. She yearns for love and comfort. Ninan walks on, though, in a spiral of self-discovery, exploring people's deepest needs and emotions. Ninan learns that every story is a kind of gently magic, and she embraces her life as a woman walking.

We tell stories to make sense of our lives. Storytelling is not only a source of meaning but of survival. In Nancy King's mythic tale WOMAN WALKING a young girl has to chose between staying home in an ordinary life and taking on the task of travel and story making. A bit of fairy tale, a bit of Ursula LeGuin, and the author's own vision bring these tales to life. =Miriam Sagan, Gossip, Tres Chicas Books; Map of the Lost, UNM Press