Kathleen Clauson writes short stories and novellas. Her fiction has been praised for her beautiful imagery and memorable characters and her ability to magically transport her readers into the center of the story to intermingle with the characters, to share their joy and grieve their losses. The rich culture, languages, and traditions of the ethnic neighborhoods of Chicago are common threads in her stories. Her characters are strong-willed men, women, and children with an appreciation of life's simple splendors, who refuse to surrender the fulfillment of their personal dreams to the status quo of educated ignorance, social mediocrity, discrimination, and stereotypes. Her stories blend true-to-life places with history and cultural beliefs and folklore. She has published short stories in literary journals, as well as short stories in two anthologies, Short-Attention Span Mysteries and Time Intertwined. Her first novella, Eva Galuska and the Christmas Carp was published in 2008. Forthcoming is a second novella which focuses on the lives of unique women.