Raegan Pallas

Raegan Pallas sets her telling at a medieval European banquet. The heroine’s father is the storyteller, and between bites of such delicacies as hedgehog meat pastries and stuffed dormice, he narrates his daughter’s interactions with and subsequent marriage to the prince. But the tale ends with an unexpected twist. Raegan Pallas is from Phoenix, Arizona, and is completing first year at Iowa, with majors in English & Creative Writing and Linguistics and an Arabic Studies minor.

The Storyteller

Grace Shipley’s delightfully illustrated telling is primarily a revision of “Dona Labismina,” but she also draws on Japanese telling “Nukabuku, Komebuku” and “The Princess in the Suit of Leather,” since in both these stories, the protagonist has friends who are not magic, but simply helpful. This is a story for children, but (perhaps unlike some of the lessons perpetuated by the more familiar Cinderella story) the lesson of friendship and kindness is one we’re happy for children to learn, and in the end, it is not the heroine but the magical helper who is transformed. Grace Shipley is from Davenport, Iowa and is currently finishing up her fourth year at the University of Iowa, majoring in Geography.

The Princess & the Snake: A Tale of Transformation and Friendship

Evalyn Harper observes that the first time she encountered “Donkey Skin,” she was puzzled that the fairy hadn’t simply used magic to directly protect her goddaughter. Seeking to answer this question for herself, Harper imagines a conversation between the Lilac Fairy our heroine’s “fairy godmother” and a seamstress working on a commission for the royal family, in which the fairy recounts her version of events leading up to those of the Perrault tale. Harper draws inspiration from Aimee Bender’s “The Color Master,” but her telling is considerably darker. Originally from Stillwater, OK, Evalyn Harper followed her love of storytelling to Iowa and will soon be graduating with her BA in English and creative writing and certificate in Event Management.

The Lilac Fairy

Kendyl Green’s telling is a response to Charles Perrault’s “Donkey Skin,” with elements inspired by Aimee Bender’s “The Color Master” as well as influences of Perrault’s more romantic “Cinderella” and various Southeast Asian retellings, which give the heroine agency to right the wrongs and destroy those who have abused her. Kendyl Green is from Apple Valley, Minnesota, and will be graduating with a major in English & Creative Writing and a minor in Translation for Global Literacy.

Skinned: A Donkey Skin Retelling

Isabelle Friedman’s pair of retellings take inspiration from “Donkey Skin,” but the heroine Cindy’s source of help is her elder sister Sophia. In “The Cinderella Support Group,” Cindy shares her traumatic story of loss and escape with a supportive gathering of “Cinderellas” from multiple tales. The companion story, “Sophia’s Revenge” is narrated from Sophia’s perspective, showing how her actions are driven by her rage at her father’s evil plan and her late mother’s hubris, and her desire to protect her younger sister. A native Iowan from Polk City, Isabelle Friedman is finishing her first year at the University of Iowa, majoring in English & Creative Writing with a minor in Criminology.

The Cinderella Support Group

Sophia's Revenge

Gabby Johnson’s telling is a script for a puppet show, combining basic plot elements from the familiar “Cinderella” tale but with a cow as magical helper and bringing in elements from other Cinderella tellings as well. Gabby Johnson is from Davenport, Iowa, and is finishing the first year at Iowa, on track to major in Business Management and Theatrical Design.

Cow Hooves, Wool, and Cardinal Feathers

In her story “A Charming Fool,” Rachel Clark tells the familiar “Cinderella” story from the perspective of the prince but offers a welcome transformation. Departing from more familiar stories, with their shallow depiction of the prince and his fixation with a shoe, this story narrates the prince’s first encounter with the heroine and how he slowly discovers her true self beneath the facade. Rachel Clark is from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and is an English and Creative Writing major, finishing her second year at the University of Iowa.

A Charming Fool

Aleah Heims

Aleah Heims’s story is a companion tale to a Cinderella adaptation by Tanith Lee telling entitled “The Reason for Not Going to the Ball (a Letter to Cinderella from Her Stepmother),” in which the stepmother attempts to justify her abuse of Cinderella. Aleah’s story is Cinderella’s challenging response to that letter. Aleah writes that she loves letters for their “honesty and vulnerability,” and by presenting Cinderella’s story in a letter, she gives new insight into Cinderella’s character. Aleah Heims hails from Manchester, Iowa, and she is completing her second year at Iowa majoring in English and Creative Writing with minors in Business Administration and American Sign Language.

Reasons for Going to the Ball (a Response to her Stepmother from Cinderella)

Emma Gullen’s story is an eclectic retelling inspired by “Kerri Woodencoat” and drawing on Aimee Bender’s “The Color Master.” She brings in the frogs of the African tale, “The Maiden, the Frog & the Chief’s Son,” and many other elements as well. Originally from New Hampshire, Emma Gullen grew up in Georgia and Florida. She is finishing her second year at Iowa, with majors in English & Creative Writing and Ancient Civilization and a minor in Korean Studies.

Braken Queen