Writer, Artist, Thinker, Storyteller
Welcome to my site!
For years I have tried to intervene in politics through critical theory, work with university students and children, storytelling, theater, and artwork. Throughout all my projects, fairy tales have played a major role because they offer a utopian alternative to the deplorable real conditions of our times. Consequently, my website is my endeavor to share my work with readers interested in changing the world, that is, democratizing democracy and fostering social justice. Keywords in everything I have done and continue to do are — truth and hope in keeping with Herbert Marcuse’s concept of the Great Refusal. I believe we must all reject and resist the degradation of humanity, and so I’ll conclude my brief welcome with a call for all power to the imagination and compassion for all living creatures on this earth!
Retired University of Minnesota Professor Breathing New Life into 1940s Era Fairy Tales that Teach Lessons of Importance Today
(Minneapolis) – Jack Zipes of Minneapolis may not be in the classroom anymore, but once a teacher always a teacher. Now retired from his position as a Professor of German and comparative literature at the University of Minnesota, these days he is on a mission to breathe new life into old fairy tales that deliver important messages. The fairy tales he is re-releasing this September are both about fascism and teach lessons that are very timely right now.
Keedle the Great, originally written by Deirdre and William Conselman, Jr., and illustrated by Fred L. Fox in 1940, is the story of a scrawny little kid who is cruel to animals. As the story progresses and Keedle becomes a bigger bully, he gets smaller and smaller. It shows that bullies don’t last forever. Yussuf the Ostrich, originally written and illustrated by Emery Kelen, one of the great political caricaturists of the twentieth century and released in 1943, is the story of a young idealistic ostrich who has to overcome racism, war and separation from his mother.
The books will be officially launched with a virtual launch event hosted by Magers and Quinn of Minneapolis on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020. The event begins at 3 p.m. Copies of these and Zipes’ other books can be purchased through the website,Magersandquinn.com, They are also available through the distributor, Itascabooks.com.
To learn more about Jack Zipes’ work, please check out his website, JackZipes.com and his new publishing house,LittleMoleHoneyBear.com.
To arrange an interview with Jack Zipes, or request review copies of Keedle the Great or Yussuf the Ostrich, contact Rachel M. Anderson, Publicist, at 952-240-2513 or rachel@rmapublicity.com.
