Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal Author Quest (16 page)

About the Authors

Vinnie Chiappini

Washington, DC

Vincent Chiappini is an attorney in the US Army. Mr. Chiappini has been published as a writer in
Let's Go France 2007
, as the editor of
Let's Go Italy 2008
, and as an author in the
Boston College Law Review
. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Boston College Law School.

What the
Dark Crystal
Means to Vinnie:

“The artful blend of solemn themes and playful humor in
The Dark Crystal
mirrors how I understand my own identity. On the one hand, the film is a grave, thoughtful story about an earnest underdog, the lone survivor of a genocide, who must resolve a Manichean battle between mysterious beings. On the other hand, Fizzgig's antics, Aughra's humorous dialogue, and Thra's distinctively “Jim Henson” feel make the movie a celebration. As a Pentagon lawyer who studied the classics but loves the Muppets and writing fantasy stories about Gelfling, that balance between the serious and the silly speaks to me.”

Greg Coles

State College, PA

Greg Coles is a graduate student studying English and rhetoric at Penn State University, where he also teaches first-year composition. He loves writing, music, baking, and occasionally hanging out the door of a moving vehicle in other countries.

What the
Dark Crystal
Means to Greg:

“I have always been enthralled by worlds not bound by the same rules as planet Earth, worlds where anything might happen and where the whole story hasn't yet been written. For me, the world of
The Dark Crystal
is such a world. I fell in love with Thra because it came alive to me. It stopped feeling like a fiction someone made up and started feeling like another home I used to know.”

www.gregcoles.com

Nancy Gray

West Columbia, SC

Nancy Gray lives in South Carolina with her husband and daughter. She graduated from the University of South Carolina with a BA in media arts and an English cognate. She started out as a graphic designer and then changed professions when she realized that writing was her calling. Her short story “Marrow” appeared in
Deep Space Terror
, and her stories “Hemophobia” and “Sleep Like the Dead” appeared in the
New Bedlam Project
.

What the
Dark Crystal
Means to Nancy:

“
The Dark Crystal
means a great deal to me because it is one of the movies that inspired me as a child, resulting in my major in media arts. It also made me want to write fantasy. The setting was so real that you could almost touch it. As a child, I wanted to work for The Jim Henson Company, and writing for the Dark Crystal universe is like fulfilling that dream.”

nancygray.net

nancygray.blogspot.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriterNancyGray

Twitter: @WriterNancyGray

J. M. Lee

Saint Paul, MN

J. M. (Joseph) Lee is a novelist, writing mentor, illustrator, and graphic designer with a background in linguistics and film. As a writer, he finds the most rewarding stories in fusion genre, from nostalgic historical fantasies to gritty sci-fi westerns. On the side, he enjoys dabbling in experimental short fiction and drinking a lot of coffee. He is represented by Erzsi Deak/Hen&ink Literary Studio.

What the
Dark Crystal
Means to Joseph:

“
The Dark Crystal
was my first Jim Henson experience after being coerced into a viewing by my father, who since has admitted he just thought I would like the ‘soundtrack performed by a bunch of giant crows.' And I did! I've always been a fan of dark fantasy, but thinking back on how early it was that
The Dark Crystal
became part of my VHS (!) library, I wonder which came first: the Skeksis or the egg. Even now, the depth of world and profundity has continued to reveal itself as I grow into my so-called adulthood.”

www.joeyverse.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/joeyverse

Twitter: @joeyverse

Tumblr: action-danger-intrigue.tumblr.com

Esther Palmer

Castle Rock, CO

Esther Palmer is the author of two young-adult novels in the Alezia Chronicles series, currently available on Amazon.com. Her whole life has been about reading and writing. She has always been drawn to fantasy and the way it gives you a new perspective on the world.

What the
Dark Crystal
Means to Esther:

“
The Dark Crystal
is a fantasy that explores our human natures in the form of an ‘alien' world, which makes it easier for us to accept. The split between the urRu and Skeksis highlights our dual natures between light and dark. The gentleness of the Gelfling and their naïveté is forced to evolve as they are thrust into a war they have no choice in or control over. It's a story of our continuing struggles with the different parts of ourselves and how sometimes the dark side wins, but in the end, the good will triumph.”

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Esther-Palmer-Novels/131349510217964