S. K. Kruse is a fiction writer whose debut short story collection, Tales From the Liminal, was published by Deuxmers in 2021, followed by the Study Edition in 2025. Her work has appeared in a variety of literary magazines and has been longlisted for the John Steinbeck Award for Fiction. She is the founder of The Liminal Essay Contest and co-curator of The Liminality Project. Her forthcoming novel, Of Beginnings and Ends (Deuxmers, 2026), is the winner of the NLAPW’s Soul-Making Keats Literary Award.

Yes. She has won two Soul-Making Keats Literary Awards from the National League of American Pen Women — one for her novel Of Beginnings and Ends (2015) and another for her novel That Which Remains (2020).

Tales From the Liminal is a short story collection of fifteen curious and delightful stories. Using humor and horror, satire and allegory, fabulism and realism, the collection takes readers on an extraordinary ride into spaces where anything is possible, especially transformation. It has been described as “delightfully strange and endlessly thought-provoking.”

The book is available in print and audio formats through Bookshop, Amazon, Audible, Spotify, Apple Books, and more.

Yes! The audiobook was released in August 2023. A free 5-minute sample is available on the website.

The liminal is a time, place, or state of being that is betwixt and between — neither here nor there. As a time, it might be a summer of travel, a year of illness, or a period of war. As a place, it might be a staircase, airport, or refugee camp. As a state of being, it might mean not fitting into the world’s tidy categories, or no longer fitting into your own categories while feeling unable to move forward yet.

Item descriptionNot according to S. K. Kruse! The liminal, while marked by darkness, confusion, and disorientation, is presented as a meaningful and necessary phase. If you find yourself there, it is because something new is emerging in you — and you’ll be glad you let the liminal do its work.

Item descriptionYes. The Betwixt & Between: Discovering the Gift of the Liminal Resource Packet is available as a free download. It contains a 6-module, 100+ slide introduction to liminality, a teacher guide, assessments, and more. It is free to share for non-commercial use and can be downloaded from the “What Is the Liminal?” page on the site.

The Study Edition contains twelve stories from the original collection, along with pre-reading questions, in-depth discussion questions, a

Print copies can be ordered through Bookshop; print and e-books are also available on Amazon. If your school district requires estimates or invoices and cannot make direct purchases, you can contact S. K. Kruse to make special arrangements.

What is the Liminal Essay Contest?The Liminal Essay Contest is an annual writing contest for high school and college students, sponsored by S. K. Kruse and the Guild for Engaged Liminality. It is now in its 4th year and has been selected for inclusion in Minnesota’s High School Reach for the Stars program.

Who can enter the essay contest?High school students (including homeschoolers) and undergraduate college students enrolled for the current spring semester at an accredited institution are eligible to enter. Past winners, and friends, students, or relatives of the judges, are not eligible.

Contestants write a 700 to 1,000 word essay on an aspect or aspects of liminality in the story “Goodbye, Bonavento” from Tales From the Liminal. A free copy of the story is available to download — no purchase of the book is required.

Both the high school and college competitions offer $250 for 1st place, $75 for 2nd place, and $25 for 3rd place. Winners who are receiving scholarship funds must provide proof of enrollment.