Author Biography:
Authors – Editors – Illustrators The collection of fairy tales was chosen from short stories written in courses taught by Roswitha Burwick and Judy LeMaster at Scripps College. “Merry Sorrows. (Un)Happy Endings. Fairy Tales For Our Time” was edited in collaboration with Kimberly Drake, two main editors, assisted by five co-editors, and illustrated by seven artists. With one exception, all contributors are from Scripps College and the Claremont Consortium. Born in California, Diana Ahn grew up surrounded by the arts due to her mother’s influence. Her artistic background fueled her imagination and love of fantasy books. These two ingredients helped her create the fairy tale, "The Little Robot." She continues to tap into her imagination in the hope of getting inspired to write more stories. Siobhan Alexander was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the oldest of four children. For as long as she can remember, stories and fairy tales read at bedtime have been a tradition in her home. She especially loves the whimsical and fantastic nature of fairy tales and will always continue to read and pass on the stories of the past. Lauren Bahedry, a true bibliophile at heart, is most in her element when devouring a good book. Along with her zeal for fantasy novels, her annual visits to the English countryside profoundly assisted in cultivating her fanciful imagination; she spent her childhood summers exploring magical forests and throwing tea parties for fairies. Emily Bluck was born and raised in New Jersey. She has been fascinated with fairy tales since childhood. Her love of fairy tales largely inspired her love for art, and it was a piece of art that inspired her to write “Fairy Tale Ending.” The course “Once Upon a Time.” Psychological and Literary Approaches to the Fairy Tale has helped her better appreciate the depth of the tales she loved as a young child. Jessica Burrus hails from rainy Seattle, Washington. She is an English major with a minor in Hispanic Studies and has an avid interest in storytelling. She thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to produce a creative piece inspired by legendary archetypes. Roswitha Burwick holds the Margaret McKenzie Distinguished Chair in Modern Foreign Languages at Scripps College. Her areas of research are German Romanticism, 19th-Century German Literature and 18th-Century History of Science. She teaches courses on fairy tales in the German program and in the Scripps Core Curriculum in Interdisciplinary Humanities. She enjoyed working with colleagues and students on the Fairy Tale project. Emily Chesbrough was born in California and grew up in various parts of the San Francisco Bay Area and Massachusetts. A storyteller by instinct, Emily draws upon the feminism of Angela Carter and the classic tales of the Grimm Brothers when writing fairy tales. She continues to study countries around the world to find inspirations for new stories. Adam Chung has always liked to draw, not only to emulate reality, but also to create things that do not exist in the physical world. This can be seen in his decision to illustrate the tales “Caper Sweet and the Legend of the Loup-Garou” and “The Existentialist’s ‘Ever After’.” Other than creating illustrations for this book, he satisfies his artistic cravings by drawing cartoons weekly for his school newspaper. Kimberly Drake directs the writing program and teaches writing and American literature at Scripps College. Her research interests include writing studies, American protest literature, and forms of protest in American subcultures. She teaches writing courses on the academic essay, experimental short story, the arts and culture review, and the novel, and she works as a freelance editor. Born in Germany but raised in Oklahoma and California, Lauren Melissa Ellzey grew up watching cartoon adaptations of Grimm´s fairy tales, such as The Lettuce Donkey and All Fur. Since elementary school, she has written fantastical short stories and miniature novels. She continues to write magical realism pieces, drawing from the wondrous elements of fairy tales. Marisa Finn was born and raised in Connecticut, where green hills, summer thunderstorms, and magical seasons have inspired her to write since she could form letters. Though her chosen major is astrophysics, she has always loved storytelling, and believes that exploration, imagination, and creativity are essential in her life. Jessica Fitting has had an interest in myths and fairy tales from a young age, since she first watched Shelley Duvall´s Faerie Tale Theatre on TV and pored over a book on Greek gods. She hails from Half Moon Bay, and she has continued her interest in folklore and mythology by pursuing a BA in Religious Studies with a minor in Media Studies at Pitzer College. Kari Geiger was born in Southern California, the youngest of three children. She was raised on Greek Mythology and Grimm´s fairy tales. Watching her father act out stories every night before bed inspired her to explore different tales and read more. In the future, she hopes to pass on her love of fairy tales to her own children, at bedtime. Born in Southern California, Catherine Gilbert was raised with a passion for reading, especially science fiction and fantasy novels, but it wasn’t until high school that she started writing. Her college professors encouraged her interest in creative writing and she hopes to continue her growth as an author in the future. Born in Texas but raised in Germany, Evan Hughes grew up in the land of fairy tales. His previous works include articles in the Stuttgarter Allgemeine and poems in several poetry anthologies, including Patchwork and Musings. Poetry infuses his fiction, giving it a unique musical rhythm. Briana Konigsberg was born and raised in the Silicon Valley. She studied biology in college, and loves to read science fiction and fantasy novels. Her interest in fairy tales began when she started to learn about Greek mythology. She enjoyed writing her own tale for “Once Upon a Time.” Psychological and Literary Approaches to the Fairy Tale. A first-generation American whose parents are from France, Julie Lapidus is an Environment, Economics, and Politics major. She has been fascinated with myths and fairy tales from a young age and is especially interested in comparing them across cultures and time periods. Gail Lee holds a degree in History. She has always been interested in the creation and re-creation of fairy tales that influence popular culture. Gail is studying a variety of languages at present, including French, German, and Latin, so that she may read the texts in their original forms. She currently resides in Long Beach, CA with her four pugs. As a child, Brittney Lenard attended a French immersion school in Portland, Oregon. Her consequent passion for international issues, combined with her interest in Russian studies, helped her write “Alyosha and the Tale of the Wool.” Brittney hopes to continue combining her love of writing with her other academic interests. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Megan Lewis was constantly read to by her parents. One favorite childhood story was “The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs,” which re-tells the classic from the wolf’s point of view. Megan enjoys reading traditional fairy tales told from a different perspective, which is what inspired her to write “The Real Story of Little Red Riding Hood.” Laura Loesch, originally from Sierra Madre, double-majored in Humanities and Neuroscience. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD in Computation and Neural Systems at Caltech where she studies social and affective decision-making. She enjoys outdoor adventures on the beaches of California, in the green pastures of England, on the snow-capped mountains of Norway, and beyond. Driven by an intense respect for the power and beauty of words, Anna Loris has been writing since she was old enough to hold a pen. That fascination with language led her to pursue a degree in English. The Boulder, Colorado, native penned “The Existentialist’s ‘Ever After’” and “A Tale for Women.” Sarah Lustiger was born in Arizona. Sarah’s love of fairy tales was inspired by her mother, who often read fairy tales aloud to Sarah’s third grade class. Sarah enjoys reading and writing twisted fairy tales. She cannot wait to share her imagination and enthusiasm for fairy tales through creative writing in the future. With both grandfathers who were painters, an uncle who was a cartoonist, parents who are architects, and a sister who is a graphic designer, one could say that art runs in Julia MacNelly´s family. Her own love of art has always been fueled by the talent that surrounds her. Rose K. Murphy graduated from Scripps College and Yale University with degrees in Chemistry before returning to live in Queens, New York. Her creative works have been published in the Scripps literary journal. She worked for several years as a research analyst at the labor union UNITE HERE. Her interests include writing, travel, and science fiction. Amalia Nelson has been drawing since the tender age of 18 months. She drew her way through elementary school, high school, and college, graduating with a B.A. in studio art and high hopes for the future. Her career goals include doing art production for an animation studio and eventually writing and illustrating her own children’s book. Skye Olson was born and raised in Skagit Valley, Washington. She has been painting and drawing for as long as she can remember, and especially enjoys working in watercolor and acrylic. Her greatest inspirations include the human figure, animals, trees, and water. Felicia Palmer grew up in Southern California. She always enjoyed writing and thinking creatively. Former editor-in-chief of her high school newspaper, Felicia is a published poet. She is currently studying psychology, Classics, Jewish Studies, and music. She hopes her fanciful tale, inspired by one of her childhood favorites, helps readers reconnect with their inner children. Jocelyn Price intends to graduate with a degree in Foreign Languages from Scripps College before going on to study medicine. Hailing from Davis, California, Jocelyn is a passionate traveler and rock climber who views fairy tales as an avenue towards understanding cultural diversity. A Los Angeles, California native, Zoe Ravich is the eldest of four girls and a member of the Scripps College Class of 2012. Zoe, currently pursuing a major in Psychology, hopes to continue her studies into graduate school and eventually establish a private practice in California. As an only child, Andi M. Renee has been making up stories to entertain himself since he could form sentences, but now he writes stories for the pleasure of others. He hopes his surrealistic tales will make you think twice about those moments in which you chose not to act. Alexandrea Satariano grew up in suburban Kansas reading modern fairy tales that featured strong, independent females and dealt with various social issues. These tales nurtured her imagination and instilled in her a passion for activism. She continues this tradition with “The Princess Competency Test,” and hopes it will be enjoyed by all of the princesses (and princes) who read it. Allison Schmidt has always been an avid reader, writer, and lover of learning. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Art, and she seeks to bring creativity and insights from her liberal arts experience to her public health career. Peyton Scott was born and raised in Reno, Nevada, where she spent countless hours tucked away in leafy tree tops with a book or sketchpad. She dreamt of being a children´s book illustrator and dragon master at age six, but now accepts her role as lead napkin-doodler, bringing friendly fantasy cartoon creatures to cafés and restaurants everywhere. Samantha Shelton was born in Sacramento, California, but was also raised in Los Angeles. A Molecular Biology major, she is interested in many issues pertaining to fairy tale literature, including gender roles, sexism, and the role of children in society. Courtney Sibert was born in Petaluma, California. While growing up, she was surrounded by fairy tales. Her parents exposed her to a wide variety of tales – everything from the modern and popular Disney versions to reading her bedtime stories from the more authentic and sometimes dark Grimm’s tales. The differences between these tale types and how they have been adapted to different cultures has always fascinated her. Jonathan Solomon graduated from Claremont McKenna College in 2009 with a degree in International Relations. While working on “Chipped Away,” he drew inspiration from the many tales that he read as a child growing up in Colorado. Jonathan is currently attending the University of Miami School of Law, and hopes to continue writing stories. Catherine Parker-Sweatt’s family now resides in the unassuming city of Asheville, North Carolina. “Caper Sweet,” Catherine’s retelling of Grimm’s “Rapunzel,” was inspired by her colorful birthplace in southern Louisiana and by her memorable mother and inimitable triplet sisters. When not in her ivory tower, Catherine enjoys dabbling in philosophy, music, and dream interpretation. Although she is bilingual, Stephanie Teng has always chosen to write creatively in English. Born and raised in Hong Kong, she has written many poems and prose pieces, but “Blind, Black Madness” was her first attempt at composing a short story. This fairy tale is a modern rendition of the popular tale “Bluebeard.” After attending Scripps College, Lynn Thomas is an English Literature and Economics double major at George Washington University. Her mother instilled in her a love for literature, and she plans on furthering that passion through her writing. Devin von Stade, whose academic interests include both ceramics and biology, is currently preparing to apply to veterinary school. Having always loved illustrations, the chance to create them for “Cinders to Sparks” and “The Spinning Woman” was a welcome opportunity and challenge. Olivia Vieweg’s early enthusiasm for comics and manga eventually led her to pursue studies in visual communication at the Bauhaus University in Weimar, Germany, and to work as a freelance illustrator. Her most successful publications to date are her two books of cartoons entitled Warum Katzen besser sind als Männer and Warum Katzen die glücklicheren Menschen sind. Jhenna Voorhis, who hails from the San Francisco suburb of Corte Madera, finds the influence of fairy tales on the behaviors and beliefs of society fascinating. She discovered this interest after noticing in how many different ways “Little Red Riding Hood” appears in popular culture, and which aspects of the tale remain intact in its different incarnations.
