Midori Snyder is an American writer of

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

mythic fiction Mythic fiction is literature that is rooted in, inspired by, or that in some way draws from the tropes, themes, and symbolism of myth, legend, folklore, and fairy tales. The term is widely credited to Charles de Lint and Terri Windling. Mythic fic ...

, and nonfiction on

myth Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...

and

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

. She has published eight novels for children and adults, winning the

Mythopoeic Award The Mythopoeic Awards for literature and literary studies are given annually for outstanding works in the fields of myth, fantasy, and the scholarly study of these areas. Established by the Mythopoeic Society in 1971, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Awar ...

for ''The Innamorati''. Her work has been translated into French, Dutch, Italian and Turkish.

Biography

Raised in the United States and Africa, Snyder is the daughter of the French poet and professor of African Languages and Literature Emile Snyder, and Tibetan scholar Jeanette Snyder. She is also the granddaughter of Santa Fe artist Pierre Ménager. She studied African Languages and Literature at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

, specializing in African oral narrative traditions. She moved to Milwaukee and later resumed her studies at the

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, subsequently receiving an M.A. in English Literature and Literary Theory. She then spent some time teaching at

Marquette University High School Marquette University High School (MUHS) is a private, all-male, Jesuit, Roman Catholic school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), an acc ...

before moving to

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

Career

Snyder's first novel, ''Soulstring'' (Ace Books, 1987), was a

fairytale fantasy Fairytale fantasy is distinguished from other subgenres of fantasy by the works' heavy use of motifs, and often plots, from folklore. History Literary fairy tales were not unknown in the Roman era: Apuleius included several in ''The Golden Ass' ...

loosely inspired by the Scottish legend of

Tam Lin Tam (or Tamas) Lin (also called Tamlane, Tamlin, Tambling, Tomlin, Tam Lien, Tam-a-Line, Tam Lyn, or Tam Lane) is a character in a legendary ballad originating from the Scottish Borders. It is also associated with a reel of the same name, also ...

. This was followed by an

imaginary world A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes may ...

trilogy: ''New Moon'', ''Sadar's Keep'', and ''Beldan's Fire'' (published as adult fantasy by Tor Books, 1989–1993, where it was called The Queens' Quarter Series; reprinted as young adult fantasy by Firebird/Puffin, 2005, re-titled The Oran Trilogy). ''The Flight of Michael McBride'' (Tor Books, 1994) was a work of

set in the old American West, drawing upon Irish-American, Mexican, and indigenous folklore. ''Hatchling'' (Random House, 1995) was a children's book set in the world of

Dinotopia ''Dinotopia'' is a series of illustrated fantasy books, created by author and illustrator James Gurney. It is set in the titular Dinotopia, an isolated island inhabited by shipwrecked humans and Sapience, sapient dinosaurs who have learned to H ...

. Snyder's award-winning novel ''The Innamorati'' (Tor Books, 1998) was inspired by Italian and early Roman legends and the theater of the

Commedia dell'Arte (; ; ) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is also known as , , and . Charact ...

. ''Hannah's Garden'' (Firebird/Puffin, 2004) is a

contemporary fantasy Contemporary fantasy, also known as modern fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy, set in the present day or, more accurately, the time period of the maker. It is perhaps most popular for its subgenre, urban fantasy. Strictly, supernatural fiction c ...

for young adult readers about

fairies A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

, and family dynamics, set in rural

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. With Jane Yolen, Snyder co-authored the novel ''Except the Queen'' (Roc/Penguin, 2010), a contemporary urban fantasy featuring two fey who are banished to the World as elderly women, where they find themselves embroiled in a much larger struggle for power. Snyder's short fiction and poetry has been published in a number of anthologies including ''

The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror ''Year's Best Fantasy and Horror'' was a reprint anthology published annually by St. Martin's Press from 1987 to 2008. In addition to the short stories, supplemented by a list of honorable mentions, each edition included a number of retrospective e ...

'', ''The Armless Maiden'' (for which she wrote the title story), ''The Fair Folk'', ''The Green Man'', ''The Coyote Road'', ''Black Thorn White Rose'', ''Swan Sister'', and

The Borderland Series The ''Borderland'' series of urban fantasy novels and stories were created for teenage readers by author Terri Windling. Most of the series is set in Bordertown, a dystopian city near the border between "the Elflands" and "The World". The series ...

. Her essays have appeared in ''

Realms of Fantasy ''Realms of Fantasy'' was a professional bimonthly fantasy speculative fiction magazine published by Sovereign Media, then Tir Na Nog Press, and Damnation Books, which specialized in fantasy fiction (including some horror), related nonfiction (wit ...

'' and other magazines, and in ''Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Women Writers Explore Their Favorite Fairy Tales--Expanded Edition'' (Random House, 2002). Snyder was the co-director (with

Terri Windling Terri Windling (born December 3, 1958 in Fort Dix, New Jersey) is an American editor, artist, essayist, and the author of books for both children and adults. She has won nine World Fantasy Awards, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and the Bram Stoke ...

) of The Endicott Studio, a nonprofit arts and literature organization founded in 1987, and co-editor of ''The Journal of Mythic Arts'', founded in 1997. She served as the 2007 jury chair for the James Tiptree, Jr. Award. Snyder lives in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

External links

*
Midori Snyder biography
at EndicottStudio *

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Snyder, Midori Year of birth missing (living people) Living people University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American fantasy writers American online publication editors American women poets American women short story writers American women novelists Place of birth missing (living people) Women science fiction and fantasy writers World Fantasy Award-winning writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers 20th-century American poets 21st-century American poets 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni Schoolteachers from Wisconsin American women educators