Claire Dean

My short stories have been widely published in anthologies and magazines including The Best British Short Stories, Beta-Life, Murmurations: an Anthology of Uncanny Stories about Birds , Still , Patricide, Shadows & Tall Trees, Cabinet des Fées, The Adirondack Review, A capella Zoo and Magpie Magazine. Two of my stories, 'Marionettes' and 'Into the Penny Arcade', are published as limited-edition chapbooks by Nightjar Press. My non-fiction has appeared in Arc and New Scientist. The Museum of Shadows and Reflections, an illustrated collection of my fairy tales, is due out from Unsettling Wonder in 2016.

I'm currently a PhD researcher based in the HighWire DTC at Lancaster University, where I'm exploring storymaking, nature connection and digital technology. I'm passionate about fairy tales, folklore, myth and science. I run workshops and activities, give talks and create projects that explore wonder and seek out the hidden extraordinary in the places we live. I work with children, families and adults of all ages in a wide variety of community and educational settings, encouraging them to make and share stories.

I trained as an actor at East 15 and have an MA in Creative Writing from Edge Hill University. I've worked as an editor, project manager, festival coordinator, family learning tutor and associate lecturer. I was co-founding editor of Paraxis and founding editor of New Fairy Tales. A proportion of my work is published under a previous surname, Massey.

(Source: clairedean.co.uk