Help us publish Wildest Dream by David Gee!

We’re Louisa and Helen from Ember Press, a fledgling imprint set up to publish David Gee’s wonderful fourth book, Wildest dream: An imagined history of the Green Man.

Wildest dream reimagines the Green Man figure as he has moved through the ages, through our May festivals, church walls and peasant protest and into emerging movements of hope in the face of ecological crisis.

David first met the Green Man as a boy, in a children’s book by Gail E Haley – ‘The first book that changed my life’. Wildest Dream picks up from there, introducing him as a character from our collective folklore representing resistance and renewal. Along the way, the Green Man encounters communities striving to be a part of a better world. He encourages us to ask questions about the wildness that exists within and outside of us, and how by allowing it to thrive we might find a better relationship with this fragile planet and with each other.

David completed this beautiful book a few weeks before he died on the winter solstice in 2024, following his cancer diagnosis earlier that year. It’s full of his joyful hope and exuberance. The money we’re raising here will go towards production costs for the book, so that it can reach as many hands and hearts as possible.

David said of his hopes for this book:

"I hope that the reader may feel their own love for the life within them and the life around them… the life to which they belong, the life that gives them their life. It may not do all those things. But if it says, hey, how about that? And if that lands somehow, I'll be delighted."

We know that for some people even a small amount of money can feel a lot, so anything you are able to contribute will be hugely appreciated. As a thank you, we will print the names of everyone who has contributed financially to the book in the acknowledgements. Please let us know when completing the form below if you’d rather remain anonymous.

Once the book is published, 50% of profits will be donated to Asylum Welcome – a community driven charity working across Oxfordshire to support asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable migrants. In line with David's wishes, the remaining profit will go towards future projects with Ember press.

Please get in touch if you’d be interested in a bulk order or are able to help distribute books to groups locally, or would be interested in supporting a launch event. Email us at [email protected].

Read more from David via his blog.

Thanks to Charlotte Ogilvie for the lovely photo of David on his beloved boat, Promise.