Well, Kate is exactly this.
She's an international treasure, and she
is a heroine of a very long and beautiful fairy tale.
From the beautiful literary journal
she founded and continues to edit, "The Fairy Tale Review,"
to the three anthologies of fiction and essays
that she has put out over the past,
I guess, 10 years or so, one to her own exceptional creative
work.
She has with fervor and single mindedness
helped bring the fairy tale front and center
in any intelligent conversation of contemporary fiction.
Currently working half the year as an associate professor
and writer in resident at the University of Louisiana
in Lafayette, Kate is the author of a trilogy of novels called
"The Complete Tales of Ketzia Gold," "The Complete Tales
of Merry Gold," and, coming out next year with FC 2,
"The Complete Tales of Lucy Gold."
Her most recent book of fiction is a collection
of stories, "Horse, Flower, Bird," which
came out just a mere couple of months ago I guess.
An absolute must-read-- just a beautiful illustrated gem
of a work that came out with Coffee House Press.
And she's also written a book for children--
"The Girl in the Castle Inside the Museum--"
And has two other children's books forthcoming.
She's a very busy person.
She edited these two anthologies I referred to.
One is called "Brothers and Beasts," which
is a men's take on fairy tales and the role
of fairy tales in their lives, and "Mirror
Mirror on the Wall," which focuses on that other gender.
Her most recent anthology is a collection of new fiction
and takes a fairy tale as a starting point
and then takes it wherever it will go.
One of the interesting things that Kate has done recently,
and I just thought it would be a fun and productive time
to mention this, is that she recently put together a letter
to the National Book Foundation asking
why they refuse to permit fairy tales as entries
into the competition.
And she's gotten a lot of notice for that.
She and her co-writer, who's Maria Tatar,
wrote this beautiful letter.
And you can friend it or whatever-- like it on Facebook.
And that'll be a really good thing
for it and for the fairy tale.
We're looking forward still to the response.
There's kind of been some murmurs and anxious confusion
on their part.
But they haven't done anything yet.
But we think they might, and it'll be all because of Kate.
And so much of this is all because of Kate.
So without further ado, Kate Bernheimer.