In these stories of surprise and bafflement, everyday protagonists meander through what they see as fixed realities with justified expectations-until the door opens to the unexpected: a pregnant woman ponders her husband making love to a former lover for old times sake; an unpleasant present unsettles an otherwise happy bride; a girl making a wreath for her grandfather’s grave is accused of vanity. Drawing upon the many misunderstandings, inadvertent injuries, and clashing concepts of how things are supposed to be, Sigriddaughter delivers a powerful portrayal of the inevitable disconnect between people that often leaves us astonished and shaken.
Beate Sigriddaughter is a poet, novelist, and short story writer based in Silver City, New Mexico, where she served as Poet Laureate from May 2017 to April 2019 alongside co-poet laureate Jack Crocker. Raised in Nürnberg, Germany, near the castle and among the lingering ruins of World War II, she began rewriting fairy tales at age seven, an early sign of the literary path she would follow. Her work spans poetry, fiction, and other cross-genre writing, and she has received multiple poetry honors, from her first award in 1983 to additional prizes in 2017. She also founded the “Just Words” reading series and created the blog Writing In a Woman’s Voice, a long-running celebration of women’s writing.
