Gypsy is the Creator and Editor of Once Upon A Blog: Fairy Tale News (a.k.a. OUABlog). After a couple of smaller online fairy tale writing experiments, Once Upon A Blog: Fairy Tale News, focusing on the use of fairy tales all over the globe, with the emphasis on pop-culture and current events, finally made its debut in April 2009.
Gypsy researches and writes the majority of articles for OUABlog and 'wrangles' the Fairy Tale Newsroom (which consists of family and close friends who give feedback and help keep an eye on fairy tale news alerts). Daily research on fairy tale activity and scholarship happen routinely. Articles without an author's credit are all by Gypsy, though she writes to represent the Newsroom. All other authors, guest writers, guest reviewers, and anything posted by OUABlog's partner, Tahlia Merrill and Timeless Tales Magazine ( of which Tahlia is Creator and Editor), are credited clearly.
It remains abundantly clear to those who share coffee with Gypsy, that she has been continually obsessed with fairy tales from a very young age.
Australian Fairy Tale Society (AFTS) involvement:
Gypsy is also a founding member of the Australian Fairy Tale Society (AFTS; Est. 2013). She served on the committee for four years, ran the live-social media for the annual conferences for two years, and created the AFTS Member Exclusive Magazine (in conjunction with committee member-then-President Louisa John-Krol). She also served as Editor and Designer for four of the six issues to date, designed and created a conference program (using art by Lorena Carrington, by permission) and contributed a cover design and social media advertising packet (created with art by Kathleen Jennings, used with special permission) for a second conference. Though Gypsy is no longer on the committee, she remains an active member (as time-zones allow) and fully supports the members, the committee, the Society and its mission.
Partnering With Timeless Tales Magazine:
In 2014, Tahlia Merrill Kirk, Creator, and Editor of Timeless Tales Magazine (previously Editor of Diamonds & Toads) was looking for an online 'home' to get better established. Having known the high standard and quality of Tahlia's writing and editing, Gypsy approached Tahlia and discussed working together to promote and encourage writers while using a limited platform (specifically reviews that must adhere to standards and guidelines given), while supporting each other, not taking on work that would overstretch us, and especially not changing our personal sites' focus. After a very agreeable back and forth to sort out details, in 2015, Timeless Tales became an official partner of Once Upon A Blog. Apart from cross-promotion, OUABlog serves as a place TT can post announcements, calls for submissions, contests and fairy tale/folklore/myth-related articles not suitable for the magazine, keeping her site clean for the issues, guidelines, and general information only. TT's Editor, Tahlia, also personally assists in matching potential writers up to books to review for OUABlog, then checking their work before sending it to OUABlog. Not only does this let Tahlia 'try out' writers for future projects, but it also enables us as a team to offer quality writers (especially those whose submission was not chosen - for whatever reason - for inclusion in a TT issue) an option for visibility and a place to be publicly published online. (Note: OUABlog usually pays for outside reviews in books - these can be difficult to write, so we don't expect credit alone to be enough of an incentive - while TT pays winning entries for the magazine through a separate system). Though social media on Twitter (for OUABlog) and Facebook (especially Timeless Tales) is very active for both, this agreement allows Timeless Tales to have active output beyond magazine issues during the year, and OUABlog has a much-needed back-up should Gypsy ever need it*. We both expect the partnership will either evolve or transform in the future but at present, we are supportive partners of two related, yet very different, fairy tale resources, for four years and counting.
Fairy Tale Studies & Work History:
While Gypsy may fit the dictionary definition of 'scholar' she is not a qualified academic scholar. She has, though, been seriously studying fairy tales and been keeping up with fairy tale scholarship continuously for about thirty years. She has an extensive library of fairy tales from all over the globe, to which she adds as often as possible, and has an ever-growing collection of scholarly publishing on fairy tale studies any folklore student would envy (and hopes to one day make available for a local fairy tale salon!).
When her Disney animation production career (2000-2007) came to a crossroads (her 'third career', after theater directing, and specialized Marsupial Care via Animal Studies) she decided to focus completely on Fairy Tale Studies. Unfortunately, being unable to afford tertiary studies in this field as planned, she decided not to let that stop her, and has done her best to learn outside the walls of academia (though she has been known to follow course outlines, sneak into lectures and lurk at conferences). Since this change in focus, she has been blessed with very kind professional mentors, who found her odd little corner of the web and took it upon themselves to give encouragement and gentle direction over the past decade. In 2015, Once Upon A Blog (and Gypsy Thornton) were added to the second edition of 'The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales', edited by Jack Zipes, under 'Helpful Websites' in the Bibliography. She intends to do all she can to continue to earn this entry.
Other Related Work:
*Fighting Breast Cancer:
In June of 2018, under ridiculously stressful circumstances of having to downsize and move on short-notice, among other scary family emergencies, Gypsy was diagnosed with bi-lateral breast cancer (stage 1). She underwent a double mastectomy in August 2018 and, after a very long and traumatic recovery is still undergoing reconstruction and treatment. She decided to share her experience and wrote "My Fairy Tale Survival Kit for Cancer (and Other Real Life Crises)" which was eventually republished by FolkloreThursday on their website. At this time of writing Gypsy is due for another surgery and testing again. [Her husband also underwent prostatectomy in mid-2019 for intermediate prostate cancer. His recovery has been excellent and he should now only require regular oncology checks.]
Location:
In June of 2018, under ridiculously stressful circumstances of having to downsize and move on short-notice, among other scary family emergencies, Gypsy was diagnosed with bi-lateral breast cancer (stage 1). She underwent a double mastectomy in August 2018 and, after a very long and traumatic recovery is still undergoing reconstruction and treatment. She decided to share her experience and wrote "My Fairy Tale Survival Kit for Cancer (and Other Real Life Crises)" which was eventually republished by FolkloreThursday on their website. At this time of writing Gypsy is due for another surgery and testing again. [Her husband also underwent prostatectomy in mid-2019 for intermediate prostate cancer. His recovery has been excellent and he should now only require regular oncology checks.]
Location:
On maps - California, United States
In reality - Between worlds and/or online (She uses her nightowl tendencies to her advantage by overlapping with other fairy tale aficionados in different countries and time zones online)
In reality - Between worlds and/or online (She uses her nightowl tendencies to her advantage by overlapping with other fairy tale aficionados in different countries and time zones online)
Online/ Contact:
Twitter: @inkgypsy (https://twitter.com/inkgypsy)
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/OnceUponABlog/
Main website: Once Upon A Blog: Fairy Tale News
Personal fairy tale musings website: Fairy Tale Footnotes
Email: fairytalenews AT gmail DOT com
THE FINE PRINT:
Gypsy Thornton does not represent, nor is affiliated with, any professional-for-profit business or company. She also does not use affiliate links of any kind when linking to books or any other products. This blog is not-for-profit.
