“Telling it to the Moon” author Stephanie Tait at Wantoot, August 6
L. Stephanie Tait completed a Bachelors of Arts in Film Studies from UW-Madison. She earned a Masters of Arts from the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies, and spent four and a half years pursuing a PhD with the University of Edinburgh's Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Department. She also spent her time in Scotland curating and organizing independent film festivals and screenings with the Film House Theatre in Edinburgh. In between her M.A. and PhD, Stephanie was the Marketing Director for the world-renowned University Research Park in Madison. Stephanie is the daughter of Steven Tait and Susan Whitworth-Tait, residents of Wantoot's home, Mineral Point, Wisconsin.
Putting her PhD on hold, Stephanie moved to Los Angeles in 2010 to continue her work in producing, writing, and directing. When not creating fantastical realities on stage and screen, she runs her new independent publishing firm, Verthandi Press, which specializes in Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Faerie Tale books written by female authors.
Verthandi Press’ mission is to be a company that serves to be the change that Stephanie has worked to see in the world: a publishing company that focuses on narratives about, and driven by, women.
Verthandi’s first project,"Telling it to the Moon", is a book of 15 original faerie tales by Stephanie. She recounts, “none of the stories are based on anything other than the crazy dreams and ideas that frequent my brain. These are characters with whom I have spent years writing, developing, and living. I'm excited to finally share them with the world and hopefully have people love them as much as I do.”
The book features 15 illustrations (one for each of the stories) by illustrator Brian Carroll. As Stephanie’s close collaborator (and husband), Brian created illustrations that beautifully capture essential storylines of all 15 faerie tales.
Stephanie will be at Wantoot on August 6, from noon - 2:00 pm and again from 4:00 - 6:00 pm, to sign copies of the brand-new 350 page hardcover book. Wantoot will exhibit book illustrations by Brian Carroll, that will also be available for purchase.
