have always been fascinated by storytelling, especially of the literary kind. The Art of the Tale originally started as a blog dedicated to celebrating short literary tales (think Edgar Allan Poe, Isak Dinesen, Italo Calvino and A.S. Byatt), but has morphed into a personal place where I can talk about writing, reading, and the way storytelling in all its guises can inspire us to live and create.
I make my living as a freelance writer and editor, and occasionally teach courses on tales, historical fiction, and all aspects of the writing craft at places like the Newberry Library, Columbia College Chicago, the Barrington Writers Workshop, and the Writing Studio at Harper College. I’ve also been known to scribble an occasional tale of my own.
Apart (but never secondary) to all of this, I’m mother to a budding writer named Sam and live outside of Chicago.
Enjoy the site!
— Mary Dalton