Peg Kerr
Encyclopedia
Peg Kerr is a US fantasy
author.
She was born in a suburb of Chicago
and moved to Minnesota
to attend St. Olaf College
. She received an M.A. in English Literature in 1990, specializing in speculative fiction
. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Minneapolis; she and her daughters are students of the martial arts.
Kerr has been publishing short fiction since 1987 and attended the Clarion Workshop
in 1988; her stories have been published in Tales of the Unanticipated, Amazing Stories
, Weird Tales
, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and several anthologies.
Kerr's first novel Emerald House Rising was published in 1997 by Warner Aspect, and received praise for the degree of care and detail with which it treated the subjects of jewelry crafting and gemcutting, as well as the unusual sociology she constructed around them.
Her second novel The Wild Swans, based in part on Hans Christian Andersen
's classic fairy tale The Wild Swans
, was published in 1999. It was praised by many notable figures in the genre, including Lois McMaster Bujold
and Jane Yolen
, and was nominated for a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award
for Adult Literature as well. Charles de Lint
placed it "among the very best contemporary retellings of fairy tales, those that retain the old charm and magic of the original, but use the classic material to illuminate elements of our life in the real world."
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
author.
She was born in a suburb of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and moved to Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
to attend St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College is a coeducational, residential, four-year, private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American immigrant pastors and farmers, led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after Olaf II of Norway,...
. She received an M.A. in English Literature in 1990, specializing in speculative fiction
Speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature as well as...
. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Minneapolis; she and her daughters are students of the martial arts.
Kerr has been publishing short fiction since 1987 and attended the Clarion Workshop
Clarion Workshop
Clarion is a six-week workshop for new and aspiring science fiction and fantasy writers. Originally an outgrowth of Knight and Wilhelm's Milford Writers' Conference, held at their home in Milford, Pennsylvania, USA, it was founded in 1968 by Robin Scott Wilson at Clarion State College in...
in 1988; her stories have been published in Tales of the Unanticipated, Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories was an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction...
, Weird Tales
Weird Tales
Weird Tales is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine first published in March 1923. It ceased its original run in September 1954, after 279 issues, but has since been revived. The magazine was set up in Chicago by J. C. Henneberger, an ex-journalist with a taste for the macabre....
, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and several anthologies.
Kerr's first novel Emerald House Rising was published in 1997 by Warner Aspect, and received praise for the degree of care and detail with which it treated the subjects of jewelry crafting and gemcutting, as well as the unusual sociology she constructed around them.
Her second novel The Wild Swans, based in part on Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
's classic fairy tale The Wild Swans
The Wild Swans
"The Wild Swans" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a princess who rescues her eleven brothers from a spell cast by an evil queen....
, was published in 1999. It was praised by many notable figures in the genre, including Lois McMaster Bujold
Lois McMaster Bujold
Lois McMaster Bujold is an American author of science fiction and fantasy works. Bujold is one of the most acclaimed writers in her field, having won the prestigious Hugo Award for best novel four times, matching Robert A. Heinlein's record. Her novella The Mountains of Mourning won both the Hugo...
and Jane Yolen
Jane Yolen
Jane Hyatt Yolen is an American author and editor of almost 300 books. These include folklore, fantasy, science fiction, and children's books...
, and was nominated for a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award
Mythopoeic Awards
The Mythopoeic Awards for literature and literary studies are given by the Mythopoeic Society to authors of outstanding works in the fields of myth, fantasy, and the scholarly study of these areas; the full criteria and description can be read on the Mythopoeic Society's -Mythopoeic Fantasy...
for Adult Literature as well. Charles de Lint
Charles de Lint
Charles de Lint is a Canadian fantasy author and folk musician. He is also the chief book critic for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction....
placed it "among the very best contemporary retellings of fairy tales, those that retain the old charm and magic of the original, but use the classic material to illuminate elements of our life in the real world."
External links
- A Peg Kerr page – fan-maintained, with Kerr's support
- http://pegkerr.livejournal.com - Kerr's LiveJournalLiveJournalLiveJournal is a virtual community where Internet users can keep a blog, journal or diary. LiveJournal is also the name of the free and open source server software that was designed to run the LiveJournal virtual community....
- Enthusiastic review of Wild Swans at SF Site