Anja Štefan (1969) is a poet, writer, and storyteller whose poems and fairytales, illustrated by the best Slovene illustrators, address both children and adults. Her work is included in school reading books and anthologies. Plays based on her stories are staged in Slovene puppet theatres. Most notable among her works are Bobek in barčica (Bobby and the Boat) (Mladinska knjiga, 2005), Lonček na pike (A Pot With Spots) (Mladinska knjiga, 2008) and the more recent Zajčkova hišica (Rabbit’s Little House) (Mladinska knjiga, 2021) and Štiri črne mravljice (Four Black Ants) (Mladinska knjiga, 2022). In 2015 an anthology of her work was published, entitled Svet je kakor ringaraja (The World Is Like Ring-a-ring o’ Roses) (Mladinska knjiga, 2015). Last year she was the first Slovene children’s book author to receive the Prešeren Fund Award, Slovenia’s main award in the arts. She is the founder of the Slovene Storytelling Festival, which she ran for 20 years. With her sensitive adaptations she brought numerous folktales to life, published either individually or as more extensive volumes of selected tales. In 2018, the European Year of Cultural Heritage, she was chosen as the ambassador of cultural-artistic education in Slovenia.