Counselman, Mary Elizabeth

Mary Elizabeth Counselman, born in 1911, was an American author recognized for her contributions to short stories and poetry, particularly within the realms of horror and fantasy. Her writing career began in childhood, with her first poem sold at age six. Counselman's work graced numerous popular magazines, including Weird Tales, Collier's, and The Saturday Evening Post, and her stories were adapted for television programs. She developed a distinctive approach to horror, favoring a "Hallowe'en scariness" with a sense of humor over more grim or morbid themes, stating her eerie characters were "ready to laugh with... those earth-bound mortals whose fears they once shared."

Beyond her fiction, Counselman also worked as a reporter and taught creative writing. She received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for a novel about witchcraft. Her poems were anthologized by August Derleth. Counselman lived for much of her life on a houseboat in Gadsden, Alabama, with her husband and numerous cats. She passed away in 1995, leaving behind a body of work that explored the supernatural and macabre with a unique, often lighthearted, perspective.

Mary Elizabeth Counselman established herself as a prolific writer of short stories and poetry, gaining recognition for her contributions to pulp magazines like Weird Tales starting in the 1930s. Her stories also appeared in mainstream publications such as Collier's and The Saturday Evening Post, demonstrating a broad appeal. Counselman's approach to horror fiction was distinct; she expressed a preference for a less gruesome style, likening it to the "Hallowe'en scariness" of the Wizard of Oz rather than the darker philosophies of H.P. Lovecraft. She infused her supernatural tales with a sense of humor, aiming for characters that could share in the fears of mortals, creating an "irrepressible sense of humour" within her eerie narratives.

Among Counselman's significant contributions to Weird Tales was "The Three Marked Pennies," written in her youth and noted for its enduring popularity among readers. Her story "Seventh Sister" is recognized as a rare example of a voodoo narrative penned by a female author. Counselman also explored themes of witchcraft, completing a novel on the subject for which she received a National Endowment for the Arts grant. Her published works include collections of short stories like "Half in Shadow," verse collections such as "Move Over – It's Only Me," and non-fiction explorations of the supernatural. Her poems were also featured in anthologies compiled by August Derleth.

Born in Alabama, Mary Elizabeth Counselman lived a significant portion of her life on a houseboat in Gadsden, Alabama, accompanied by her husband and many cats. Before her writing career flourished, she worked as a reporter for The Birmingham News. She also contributed to academia by teaching creative writing at junior colleges and the University of Alabama. Counselman's writing was recognized with the Phoenix Award from the Southern Fandom Confederation in 1981. Her stories found a wider audience through adaptations on television programs in the US and internationally, and her work continues to be collected and published posthumously.

“The Hallowe'en scariness of the bumbling but kindly Wizard of Oz has always appealed to me more than the gruesome, morbid fiction of H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and those later authors who were influenced by their doom philosophies. My eerie shades bubble with an irrepressible sense of humour, ready to laugh with (never at) those earth-bound mortals whose fears they once shared.”