A tale of the twists and turns, séances and secrets, successes and devastation, of one young woman's talent, grit, and determination.
Join Whitbread Prize and Orange Prize-shortlisted author Jill Dawson as she presents Pixie, a sweeping and vivid novel that breathes life into publisher, illustrator, and occultist Pamela 'Pixie' Colman Smith, the woman behind the still-iconic Rider–Waite–Smith tarot deck.
It's the turn of the twentieth century and Pamela 'Pixie' Colman Smith is a young woman of stark contradictions: plucky yet naïve, artistically gifted despite lacking classical training, fascinated by the esoteric but sceptical of the world around her.
After the deaths of her beloved mother and her troubled but well-intentioned father, Pixie finds herself in the complex, political world of fin-de-siècle art, trying to get her stunning work seen and to forge a name and a path for herself in life.
Interviewed by broadcaster, journalist, and artist Bidisha Mamata, join us for an evening exploring how women artists have been erased from history's rich tapestry of magic and the occult, what it meant to forge a creative path as a woman at the turn of the twentieth century, and why Pamela Colman Smith's story is both an important work of feminist reclamation and a work of magic in itself.
"Pixie is a captivating insight into the life of the most famous occult artist you've never heard of." Paula Hawkins

The ‘stream and book’ package includes a unique ticket for the stream, and a copy of Pixie (RRP £16.99) deliverable to any UK address.
The event will initially be broadcast on 12 March at 6.30pm UK time. It will be available to view up to two weeks after the event has ended and can be accessed Worldwide. If you live in a time zone that does not suit the initial broadcast time you can watch it at any point after the initial showing for two weeks.
If you have any questions, please email [email protected].