Taaffe, Sonya

PERSONAL: Female. Education: Brandeis University, earned degree; graduate work at Yale University.

ADDRESSES: Office—Not One of Us, Contributing Editor, 12 Curtis Rd., Natick, MA 01760.

CAREER: Writer and poet. Not One of Us, Natick, MA, contributing editor.

AWARDS, HONORS: Rhysling Award, for the poem "Matlacihuatl's Gift," 2003.

WRITINGS:

FICTION

Postcards from the Province of Hyphens (short fiction and poems), Prime Books (Holicog, PA), 2005.

Singing Innocence and Experience (short fiction), Wildside Press (Rockville, MD), 2005.

Dybbuck in Love, Wildside Press (Rockville, MD), 2005.

Contributor of poetry and short fiction to periodicals, including Not One of Us, Mythic Delirium, and Realms of Fantasy.

SIDELIGHTS: Writer and poet Sonya Taaffe developed a love for words and stories at a very young age. She began to tell stories as soon as she learned to speak, and from the time she could read, mythology became her favorite subject. She wrote through her childhood, then went on to earn a degree from Brandeis University and to study classics at Yale University, working toward her doctorate. In 2003, Taaffe was awarded a Rhysling Award for her poem, "Matlacihuatl's Gift," and she is the first poet ever to be featured on the cover of Flytrap. In addition to poetry, Taaffe has written numerous short stories, which have appeared in such publications as Not One of Us, where she is a contributing editor, Mythic Delirium, and Realms of Fantasy. She has published several collections of short stories and/or poetry, including Postcards from the Province of Hyphens, Singing Innocence and Experience, and Dybbuck in Love. Singing Innocence and Experience reflects Taaffe's love of mythology, combining mythic imagery and icons from the tales of her childhood with her own imagination, the result of which is a series of fantasy stories that includes creatures such as unicorns and ghosts. A contributor for Publishers Weekly remarked of Taaffe's effort that her "gift for evoking mood and revealing hard truths beautifully is nothing short of marvelous."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, November 15, 2005, Jackie Cassada, review of Singing Innocence and Experience, p. 65.

Publishers Weekly, October 24, 2005, review of Singing Innocence and Experience, p. 44.

ONLINE

Mumpsimus Web log, http://mumpsimus.blogspot.com/ (April 26, 2006), "A Conversation with Sonya Taaffe."

Prime Books Web site, http://www.primebooks.net/ (April 26, 2006), author biography.