The Thursday, July 18 Edmonds Author and Speaker Series will feature Margaret Willson, author of Woman, Captain, Rebel — a historical narrative nonfiction account of Iceland’s most famous female sea captain. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Edmonds Waterfront Center, 220 Railroad Ave., Edmonds.

Rebel is described as a haunting historical biography of the fearless Thurídur Einarsdóttir, who constantly fought for women’s rights and equality, and who also solved one of the country’s most notorious robberies. History would have us believe that no historical female sea captains existed. This one did. Her life is a riveting saga with meaning and resonance for people everywhere today.

Anthropologist and writer Margaret Willson has researched and worked in Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, Australia, Europe, and Iceland. Her eclectic nonacademic jobs have included abalone diving and being a deckhand on fishing boats off the south coast of Tasmania. She received her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the London School of Economics and is currently an affiliate associate professor with the departments of anthropology and Scandinavian studies at the University of Washington, and a senior associate scientist at the Stafánsson Arctic Institute in Iceland. Her previous books include Seawomen of Iceland: Survival on the Edge (University of Washington Press 2016, Finalist Washington State Nonfiction Book of the Year 2017) and Dance Lest We All Fall Down: Breaking Cycles of Poverty in Brazil and Beyond (University of Washington Press 2010, Silver Medal in Multicultural Nonfiction, Independent Book Awards).

The Edmonds Waterfront Center will provide subtitles and closed captioning for attendees who are deaf and hard of hearing. Assistive Listening devices are also available to check out or connect with your smart phone.

Tickets are $7.50. Reserve your seat online here. Walk-ins are welcome the night of the event based on available seating.

The Edmonds Author and Speaker Series is co-sponsored by the Edmonds Waterfront Center, the Edmonds Bookshop and the My Neighborhood News Network.