Banshee, Shed the Cloak of Control
, is a mythological fairy tale written and illustrated with a clear message for adults. Artist/writer Kim Richelle tells the story of growing up in a beautiful and conservative small Michigan town. As a lifelong artist, Richelle struggled with her community's resistance to creative thought. The mythological Banshee represents her frustration. In the book, Banshee initially embodies self-hatred and adopts a view of negativity toward women others have instilled in her.
The faerie Rue coaxes her to resist and shed the cloak of control, find a way to say "no more" to the status quo that causes self-hatred, silence, suppression.