Fairy Tale Review, The Aquamarine Issue

by Kate Bernheimer (Editor), Kelly Braffet (Contributor)

Each issue of "Fairy Tale Review" contains poetry, fiction, and nonfiction that either address the abiding influence of fairy tales on contemporary literature and culture, or are themselves contemporary fairy tales in prose or verse. It is, according to editor Kate Bernheimer, 'a venue for all writers working with the aesthetics and motifs of fairy tales'. "Fairy Tale Review's" first four issues ("The Blue Issue, 2005"; "The Green Issue, 2006"; "The Violet Issue, 2007"; and "The White Issue, 2008") contain contributions from nationally recognized authors such as Donna Tartt, Francine Prose, Lydia Millet, Marina Warner, Jack Zipes, Aimee Bender, and Rikki Ducornet. Stories from the first three issues have been noted or chosen for republication in Best New American Writers and Best American Short Stories. Seven stories and seven poems in all have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. This fifth volume, "The Aquamarine Issue", contains work by Kim Addonizio, Naoko Awa, Ann Fisher-Wirth, Angela Fountas, Annie Guthrie, Sam Martone, Joyelle McSweeney, Edgar Allan Poe, Terese Svoboda, and Steve Tomasula, among many others.

Genres: Poetry

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2009

About the author

Kate Bernheimer is an author, fairy tale scholar, and editor. Her many books include the bestselling collection My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me: Forty New Fairy Tales, and have been translated into more than a dozen languages. She is the founding editor of the award-winning literary journal Fairy Tale Review. She lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Reviews

[Heron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got the entire current set of Fairy Take review for my birthday and I could not be more excited. The Aquamarine issue was the perfect start.

I especially loved Naoka Awa's Gifts From the Sea, Kelly Braffet's The Pulley, Angela Jane Fountas' God Bless a Girl Who Thinks Ahead, Carmen Lau's Familiar, and Steve Tomasula's The Kingdom's Good.

[Nancy Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good! I read the forward, and it said that this is probably the most diverse and strangest collection to date. I'd have to agree. Each story varied extensively from how much fairy tale aesthetic or theme it used. Some were magical realism stories, others were stories based off of strange events. I thoroughly enjoyed it. With this issue, I recommend Gifts from the Sea by Naoko Awa, The Pulley by Kelly Braffet, Letters, Crones Dont Worry Of by Sarah Sarai, and The City by Craig Morgan Teicher.

I can't wait to get the Emerald Issue, and I'm looking forward to Mauve (fingers crossed I'll publish a story in that one!).