Unikirja Reviewed: Finnish North American Literature Association

The Finnish North American Literature Association has posted Beth L. Virtanen, PhD's review of UNIKIRJA, and it's another rave:

In this book, K. A. Laity’s efforts make Finnish mythology and folklore relevant today in ways that resonate with the modern reader. She mates myth and womanhood exquisitely. In short, her work is fabulous.

You can read the entire review in .docx format here, or try the quicker Google cached version. Thanks, Dr. Virtanen!

Unikirja Reviewed - The Pagan & The Pen

Aino Press' UNIKIRJA by K. A. Laity just got a rave review from The Pagan & The Pen. Here's a taste:

I am just so impressed, I can’t say enough for Unikirja: Dream Book, except what a wonderful treat.

It doesn't get much better than that - unless you read the entire review. A big "Thank You!" to P&P reviewer Rie McGaha!

K. A. Laity's UNIKIRJA Now Available at Amazon.com - But Don't Forget Independent Bookstores!

Please note: The Amazon.com listing states that the book "Usually ships within 1 to 3 weeks." However, be assured that the book is in print and should ship fairly quickly.

Of course, Unikirja: Dream Book should also be available through your local independent bookstore. If they don't have a copy in stock, they will be happy to order one for you. Be sure to give them the book's ISBN number: 978-0982172506

To find an independent bookstore near you, visit IndieBound's Indie Store Finder, a service of the American Booksellers Association.

Unikirja: Available in Two Weeks!

Here at Aino Press we're very excited that Unikirja: Dream Book will be our first mass-market publication. The stories in Unikirja showcase many of author K. A. Laity's talents: combining her love of language with her knowledge of history; creating characters genuine enough to remind you of life-long friends, bitter enemies, or enigmatic strangers; revealing the emotional depths in even the most fantastic of situations; and expressing the magic she finds in everyday life.

What else can readers expect from Unikirja? Let's see what the press release has to say...

The schemes of witches and sages and giants.
Doomed marriages and supernatural bargains.
The magic of music, of the sauna, of family.
A fish who’s a girl, a girl who’s a wolf.
The creation of the world.

K. A. Laity weaves timeless magic in Unikirja. Tales from the Kalevala and Kanteletar, the ancient myths and folktales of Finland, receive new life and meaning in these imaginative retellings. Mixing the realistic with the fantastic, the mythic with the modern, the dream-tales of Unikirja reinterpret the beauty of the original, time-honored Finnish stories for contemporary readers.

Laity's work on this collection won her the 2005 Eureka Short Story Fellowship and a grant from the Finlandia Foundation in 2006. Some of these stories have previously appeared in New World Finn, Mythic Passages, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress XXI, The Beltane Papers, and Kippis! Literary Journal. Unikirja also includes four never-before published pieces, including "Lumottu," an innovative and deeply moving new play.

K. A. Laity is the award-winning author of Pelzmantel: A Medieval Tale (nominated for the Aesop Award and the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award) as well as many short stories, plays, and essays. As Assistant Professor of English at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, she specializes in medieval literature and also teaches film and popular culture. Visit her website at kalaity.com.
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Download the complete press release [PDF] here. And stay tuned to this blog for more information about this and upcoming Aino Press publications, including conversations with our authors.

Welcome to the Aino Press Blog

Welcome! Aino Press is a new small publisher based in Albany, NY. Our titles will focus primarily on folklore and fantasy; we will also include a pop-culture line. Our first mass-market book, Unikirja: Dream Book by K. A. Laity, will be available in the third week of April.

Please bookmark or subscribe to this blog; we'll be adding lots more content over the next few weeks concerning Unikirja. Thanks for visiting, and we look forward to seeing you back here soon.