caption birth_place notableworks birth_date genre article_title name occupation
berk isle of rousay , orkney , scotland at the taversoe tuick neolithic burial mound , los angeles , california , united states the history '' series , '' william shakespeare : his life '' and times '' , '' goblins ! '' , '' undertaken lady cottington 's pressed fairy letters '' , '' the '' runes of elfland '' trilogy , the '' secret 7 march 1967 children gothic , mythology , nonfiction , poetry , young adult 's fiction , dark fantasy , fantasy , ari berk
 ari berk children , professor , screenwriter , short story writer 's author , columnist , novelist , poet
ari berk

ari berk is an american writer , folklorist , artist , and scholar of literature , iconography , and comparative myth .
berk holds degrees in ancient history -lrb- b.a. -rrb- , american indian studies -lrb- m.a. -rrb- , and comparative literature and culture -lrb- ph.d. -rrb- from humboldt state university and university of arizona respectively .
his dissertation was directed by pulitzer prize winner n. scott momaday and berk was appointed to the committee that developed the first american indian studies doctoral program in the united states .
berk is the author of numerous books for children and adults .
he collaborated with fairy artist brian froud on `` the runes of elfland '' and `` goblins ! ''
, and was one of the authors of the lady cottington series , along with terry jones and others .
berk began his interactive `` secret history '' children 's mythology series in the mid-2000s with `` giants '' , and followed this volume with `` mermaids and merfolk '' and `` hobgoblins . ''
`` giants '' won both a 2008 recommended parent 's choice award and a 2009 notable award from the national council of teachers of english .
he is a professor of english at central michigan university and teaches mythology , folklore , american indian studies , and medieval literature .
berk is the former editor of the folksroots section of realms of fantasy magazine .
he also sits on the board of directors of the mythic imagination institute .
born and raised in california , he now lives in michigan with his wife and son .
