About Tree Fort Books

A Very Small Press

Short Stories for Your Tree Fort

Tree Fort Books is the publishing arm of author Anthony Trendl. That’s me. My playful children’s tales evoke the charm of Edward Lear, Mark Twain and James Thurber with just a touch of the fantastic. ​When I founded Tree Fort Books, I thought about my days growing up near Chicago, reading and playing in my friend Brian’s tree fort high up in a maple tree.

That’s the idea. Short stories you can read in 10-30 minutes. Nothing complicated. Just fun.

I love short stories. Their versatility can deliver power messages or simple folk tales without tremendous investment by the reader.

I’ve been reading in trees all my life. From my parent’s corkscrew willows, to the tree fort up the road, to a tree in the Quad at Illinois State University (that’s me working on a villanelle, credit: Sean Dixon, ISU Daily Vidette), to trees beyond, and trees soon again. 

As a speechwriter, I use short story techniques daily with my clients. I’ve written a myriad of TED Talks, commencement addresses for places like Harvard and UCLA, and keynote speeches raising millions of dollars. My poems have been published by national magazines and I have ghostwritten over 100 essays, book chapters and articles. Stories are part of that writing, but here, they are the focus.

I would love to come to your event and present his stories and talk about great books and writing. I’m happy to do virtual talks as well.

My delivery style is somewhere between folksy, film noir, and spooky, depending on the tale.