Twelve: Poems Inspired by the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale

"Andrea Blythe's collection of the retold (and often feminist) Brothers Grimm fairytale, 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses, ' is a breath of air at the bottom of the ocean. It's not only fresh, but it's so different and unique that it deserves multiple reads. One of my favorite lines in the book is also something we should all ask ourselves, 'Do you mean it?'"-Joanna C. Valente, author of Marys of the Sea and editor of A Shadow Map: Writing by Survivors of Sexual Assault"Hearkening back to when Grimm's tales were less fairy, more formidable, Andrea Blythe offers a rhythmic, alliterative retelling of traditional stories that reveal a stark imbalance between genders. An engaging and eerie tribute to the young girls and women who read, dance, and keep things clean, Twelve does exactly what her storyteller suggests of her characters: it 'see[s] the truth beneath the pretty surface.'"-Christina M. Rau, Elgin Award-winning author of Liberating The Astronauts"A delightful deviation from the known tale 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses, ' Blythe's retelling offers an inspiring and poetic account of what can happen when women take back their power. The language is beautifully selected for each sister's story -- and each one has been carefully crafted to have an individual voice, yet we feel the strength of the bond that ties them. Within, we are granted glances into enchantment and passion, to lyrical attractions that will have you spinning breathless from page to page."-Sara Tantlinger, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Devil's Dreamland "The prose poems of Twelve shimmer like precious stones, each reflecting the original fairy tale in strange, beautiful, and unsettling ways-- and when set together, they become a mosaic of womanhood in all its forms."-Cassandra Rose Clarke, Rhysling Award-winning author of Sacred Summer