FARMINGTON — Margaret Yocom of Farmington and Rangeley will read from her newly released book “All Kinds of Fur” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 28, at DDG Booksellers, 193 Broadway.

She will read in Rangeley at 6 p.m. Aug. 5 at Ecopelagicon, A Nature Store, 7 Pond St.

In her book of poems, Yocom offers a new vision of brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm’s “All Kinds Of Fur,” a little-known version of “Cinderella” that rarely appears in fairy tale collections.

Using the contemporary poetic practice of erasure, Yocom “erases” some of the Grimms’ words by changing their font color to gray. The remaining words in black form the new poems that reveal the young woman’s own story of how she journeyed to a new, full life. The book includes an Afterword where Yocom discusses the tale, her translation of it, and her erasure writing process.

As a folklorist, poet, and storyteller, Yocom has been mesmerized by this Grimm Brothers’ tale for decades, teaching it to her university students and telling it to adult audiences.

“This immense tale,” Yocom said, “asks us what it is to be human, what it is like to live in a skin that we feel is not our own. As I wrote these poems my major challenge was discovering how to end ‘All Kinds Of Fur’’s story. I knew the young woman whose voice I was uncovering would not be satisfied with marriage alone. As a survivor of abuse, she would need to realize something profound that could help her rebuild her life.”

The book is published by Deerbrook Editions of Cumberland.

For more information, visit http://deerbrookeditions.com/kin-s-fur and http://margaretyocom.com

Copy the Story Link