Gertrud Strata brings generations of circus heritage to her gripping historical fiction.
After pursuing visual and performing arts in New York City and Los Angeles, she approached writing her debut novel, Circense: An American Tale, like a multi-layered painting. Set under the big top in 1926, her poignant storytelling explores heavy themes of child grief and structural racism in the Jim Crow South.
Strata was deeply inspired to write this narrative after witnessing the sharp cultural shift over the past decade, observing social norms fracture from polite discourse into aggressive redirection. By mirroring these modern societal fractures against the historical backdrop of the 1920s circus, she examines how marginalized voices navigate grief, survival, and identity during turbulent times. Her unique background allows her to weave rich, sensory prose that challenges readers to reflect on the cyclical nature of human conflict and prejudice.
Gertrud Strata 