KG Mach writes a brand of fiction she calls ‘reimagined folklore.’ What does that mean? Well,… think of a fractured fairy tale. Some stories have recognizable characters and themes while others may feel completely new. My published story, The Shoemaker of Siberia is a perfect example of this.

Editor Naomi Foyle of Gramarye has this to say about the story: In ‘The Shoemaker of Siberia’ by KG Mach—a tale with the twists of a wheat stalk braided around a Zen koan—land spirits come to the aid of Polish victims of forced removal.

The Shoemaker of Siberia is a retelling of The Elves and the Shoemaker by the Brothers Grimm. My version is set during WWII at the time of the Russian invasion of Poland. Poles under Russian occupation endured horrific atrocities. Land was seized, and 1.5 million Polish people were sent to labor camps in Siberia—another facet of Stalin’s multi-part ethnic cleansing plan. 

Only one third of those deported survived.
The Polish national anthem opens with these lines: Poland has not yet perished, as long as we still live. Those lines, history, and bits of family lore, have shaped this retelling.

Please visit https://www.sussexfolktalecentre.org/journal/ for information on ordering copies.

Other Folklore and Short Stories I am working on:

• The Ghosts of Mistik Fort (a Connecticut ghost story, MG)
• Whittle and Sew (a mountain tale, MG)
• Moth Girl (YA)
• Death Falls in Love (YA)
• Devil’s Hopyard (a Connecticut folklore story, MG)
• Heart Beets
• The Three Fates (WWII)
• The Stitcher Woman (adult)
• Apple Blossom Star (MG)
• A Fetching Prize (The Emperor’s Clothes retelling, children’s)
• Rosehips (MG)
• Two Princesses and a Pea (MG)
• The Four Winds (MG)
• Weaver Girl (MG)