My name is Allison Peart, and I’m a class of 2024 anthropology major. My collection of stories, Blue Trees, was inspired by my research on fairy tales from a variety of cultures and regions. Beginning this project, I wanted to expose myself to fairy tales and folk tales that had developed in contexts unfamiliar to me. Two of my main goals in doing so were to cultivate a better idea of general themes in fairy tales and, hopefully, help my writing wriggle past the boundaries of my own preconceptions. With these goals in mind, I read tales from the Pawnee Nation of North America, Germany, Japan, Nigeria, Brazil, Serbia, the Maori of New Zealand, Egypt, Celtic nations, the Arabian Peninsula, and Korea. Some of my favorite stories I researched included “The Bamboo Cutter and the Moon Child” from 10th century Japan; “The Adventures of a Fisherman’s Son,” a Brazilian folktale; “How the Moon was Made,” a Maori folktale; and “A Bridegroom for Miss Mole,” a Korean folktale.
Furthermore, I must always give enduring praise and everlasting credit to Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn, a novel that shaped the writer I am today, and which I consider to be a prime example of a modern fairy tale. Finally, I send love to God, my father, mother, sisters, and Contemporary Fairy Tale colleagues for always seeding and fostering the work of creativity.
In writing my contemporary fairy tales, I initially began with an interest in themes of gender, romance, and heteronormativity, and wanted to write stories about emotional intelligence and the power of friendship. Mainly, I hoped to write fairy tales promoting positive values for young boys, since I found many of the messages about masculinity in my research unsuitable for the present day. However, now that Blue Trees is completed, I believe that the most direct transference between my research and the final product has related more to broad discoveries about what the fairy tale can do: how unexplained fantastical elements, symbols and ambiguity, modes of teaching, and common constructs give it power.
Blue Trees has been a way for me to explore psychological complexity in the fairy tale, since traditionally that type of inner development is absent in the fairy tale. In Blue Trees, you may find themes of self-love, self-discovery, isolation, devotion, kindness, and family. What I hope you will find, however—and what I believe a contemporary fairy tale should offer—is a chance to discover yourself.