"South of the Sun - Australian Fairy Tales For The 21st Century" (Submissions Call & Crowdfunding)

Anthology cover design by Lorena Carrington

Once upon a time, Australians fell in love with fairy tales... and they never stopped! 

The formation of The Australian Fairy Tale Society [Est. 2013] marked a new era of fairy tale activity in Australia, that has gone from strength to strength, with local monthly "fairy tale salons" (known as Fairy Tale Rings) meeting in almost every state, annual conferences, a hefty, growing library of resources being made available for members and an ezine exploring old fairy tales and new fairy tale work in all mediums.

A LOT of best-selling fairy tale retellings the world over have come out of Australia (by Kate Forsyth, Juliet Marillier and Sophie Masson, to name just a few of many!) so it's only natural that the AFTS (Australian Fairy Tale Society) has been aiming to take that passion and evident talent, and create new - specifically Australian - fairy tales, as part of their mission. A uniquely Australian, fairy tale anthology is a goal the Society has been working toward since its inception and now we are on the cusp of bringing it to life. But there is a question that must be considered to make this happen:

What is an Australian Fairy Tale? 

This is a question South of the Sun explores. We are challenging assumptions that fairy tales are for children, are European, and must contain fairies and pale, passive heroines. Through stories, flash fiction, poetry and illustrations we are producing inventive, intercultural new Australian fairy tales for young adults and older fantasy readers.  (from the AFTS Pozible campaign page)

While the AFTS has provided a generous 'seed fund' to get things in motion, along with publishing partner Serenity Press, it's going to take a (worldwide) village to make it happen and they - we - could use your help. Please see the official call to arms (and call for crowdfunding help), to make the rest of this mission possible below.

The anthology has an auspicious start, with contributions from notable writers already, including:

• Sophie Masson, the French, Jakarta-born fantasy writer, recently awarded an Order of Australia for services to literature
• Carmel Bird, recipient of the Patrick White Literary Award
• Eugen Bacon, award-winning African-Australian writer
• Cate Kennedy, award-winning novelist and short story writer

And your work could be part of this historic anthology as well! With their ongoing mission to be inclusive, the AFTS has put out a call for submissions to new and emerging writers and illustrators, with the deadline now extended to DECEMBER 13th, 2019 (a reminder for ex-pats and those traveling, that the deadline is Australian time, AEST!) According to the guidelines, contributors do NOT need to be Australian or living in Australia BUT the pieces need to have "an Australian quality" about them. (See guidelines for details.) All accepted contributors will be paid.

Please see the AFTS website for submission details for the anthology HERE.

DEADLINE NOW EXTENDED TO DECEMBER 13, 2019!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Check out the video below to see some of the beautiful styles of art that will be included, and to hear from some of the award-winning writers and contributors to date. (Hosted/narrated by photographic artist and author Lorena Carrington, who also created the cover for the anthology):

Our anthology, South of the Sun - Australian fairy tales for the 21st century, has embarked on an international crowdfunding campaign! https://www.pozible.com/project/south-of-the-sun-1

Tailored for YA + adult readership, rated G, it features original contributions by acclaimed guests, with lush illustrations, reflecting vibrant, intercultural inventiveness. 

Interested in reading more about the state of the Australian Fairy Tale?

You can find some helpful resources below!

• Anthology Website: https://australianfairytales.com/
• Definition of fairy tales by Dr Rebecca-Anne Do Rozario
• A relevant article - Introduction: The state of play in Australian fairy tale: Where to now? - by three fairy tale scholars: Dr Nike Sulway, Dr Belinda Calderone and Dr Rebecca-Anne Do Rozario, writer of our Anthology’s foreword
• Keep up to date with the AFTS Anthology news: on Facebook and through Pozible

2018 Australian Fairy Tale Society Conference on June 10th Is Garden Themed! (And Being Held at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney)

Have you ever wondered about the herbs, flowers or seeds that turn up in fairy tales? Would you like to learn more about the symbolism or practical uses of plants over the centuries? Is grass really greener on the other side of a fairy fence? How about a little shade with your sunshine?Welcome to the 2018 AFTS 5th Annual Fairy Tale Conference
‘Gardens of Good & Evil: Growing Life, Plucking Death.’ 

What is it? 5th annual national conference of the Australian Fairy Tale Society 

When is it? Sunday 10th June, 2018 

Where is it? Royal Botanic Gardens of Sydney (NSW, Australia) 

Who is the Keynote Speaker this year? Bestselling author, scholar and storyteller Kate Forsyth. 

Who can attend? Anyone who is a fairy tale enthusiast! Our conference generally appeals to writers, illustrators, publishers, storytellers, academics, budding scholars and many other disciplines manifested by enthusiasts of fairy tales. 

What AFTS specific items are included on the conference agenda? 

• Annual AGM  
• AFTS communal quilt project 
• 2018 Australian Fairy Tale Society Award Presentation (which honours a person who has significantly contributed to Australian fairy tales, through literature, academia, art, or performances. Nominees for this year’s award include authors Dr Kate Forsyth and Kevin Price, and Australian fairy tale expert Dr Robyn Floyd.)  
• Milestone Membership Celebration  

What is the cost? There are two parts to the conference this year! A free-to-public segment with the registered guest conference presentations following. 

         Free-to-public segment noon-2pm is free. 

         It is interactive and family-friendly, featuring a fairy tale garden tour, puppet show with Frank’s Fantastic Fairy Tale Theatre, presentation on ‘The Language of Flowers’ and storytelling with Thrive Story. [PSSST! Come in costume - we dare you! Fairies love giving prizes for magical things like the maddest hat, most abundant garland, leafiest cloak and jumpiest boots!]

         Remainder of conference (9am to noon + 2pm - 5:15pm) is for registered guests:

$95 Full Price
$85 AFTS Member Discount conference + membership
         OR 

Registration for Conference ONLY:
$65 AFTS Member Discount conference only
$85 Friends of Royal Botanic Garden, or Students

Botanical explorer, natural history author and artist
Cheralyn Darcy will talk to us about the
'Language of Flowers in Fairy Tales'.

PRESENTATIONS SNEAK PEEK FOR OUR READERS!

Dr. Kate Forsyth (Scholar, storyteller, international bestselling author & 2018 Keynote Speaker): “Edward Burne-Jones’s obsession with ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and the motif of the rose”
Her novel Beauty in Thorns is the story of Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones’s obsession with the Sleeping Beauty fairy-tale and the symbolic meaning of flowers, e.g. the wild rose in ‘The Legend of Briar Rose’. Kate is one of Australia’s best-known writers, with over a million copies sold around the world. Later in the day, Kate will perform the tale of Katie Crackernuts.

Robyn Floyd, Phillippa Adgemis, Christine Shiel: “A garden always has a point.” (Elizabeth Hoyt, The Raven Prince)
What is the point of the garden, the bush, the landscape in folktales? Follow Christine, Robyn and Phillippa down a wonderland ‘rabbit hole’ as they explore the impact of transplanting traditional tales into new natural environments: the garden, the bush, the island. They'll present a dialogue (trialogue?) that questions the effect of various natural settings on mannerisms, behaviour and appearance of characters in retold/ adapted fairy tales and mythologies.

What if this small press shifted its focus to
forgotten tales from folklore and fairy-tale retellings?

Monique Mulligan, Editorial Director of Serenity Press

tells a story of serendipity and shares upcoming projects.

Graham Ross (Storyteller & Historian):  “The Australian Fairy Tale Princess” - the story of a nameless Australian Princess, orally performed (not read).
It is intended to be historically allusive, yet told in a fairy tale genre (i.e. palace, royal garden, fairy godparents, magic), and aims to deepen interest in the life and work of the Australian painter Ellis Rowan (1848-1922). Graham has been telling stories in an oral tradition for many years, sometimes under the auspices of the local chapter of Storytelling Australia (SA). He is President of this chapter and convenor of the Fairy Ring in South Australia. He comes from an eclectic background of psychology, teacher education and performing arts.

Natalie Phillips (Postgraduate Student): “Fairy Tale Rings”
The fairy ring is an intriguing natural phenomenon. Scientifically it is the result of mycelium (fungal threads) absorbing nutrients in the soil, which present as a ring of darker grass, or dead grass, or mushrooms (Rutter 60). Its presence in folklore is more convoluted. It can mean a trap, luring unsuspecting mortals; or a portal to a magical world, protection or fortune. This academic paper explores the fairy ring in folktales, art and literature. It will break down elements intrinsic to this phenomenon — magical, scientific, symbolic — to explain why the fairy ring captivates imaginations. [Rutter, Gordon. “Fairy Rings”. Field Mycology 3.2 (2002): 56-60. ScienceDirect. Web. 15 Jan. 2018.] Natalie is a doctoral candidate with the Writing and Society Research Centre at Western Sydney University. Her thesis focuses on symbols and personifications of death in literature.

What is the point of the garden, the bush, the landscape
in folktales? Christine, Robyn and Phillippa explore the
impact of transplanting traditional tales into new
natural environments: the garden, the bush, the island.

Helen Hopcroft (Manager of Frank’s Fantastic Fairy Tale Theatre): “Rapunzel and Spinach”
FFFTT is a portable puppet theatre in Maitland, telling traditional fairy tales in new ways for contemporary families. All their puppets, stories, costumes and props are handmade, loosely based on the Queen’s Theatre at Versailles. Plays are between 5-20 minutes, appealing to children aged 4-10 years. With a crew of six including a storyteller, MC and sound technician, it’ll take you on a magical journey into imagination! Helen has a PhD in English & Writing at the University of Newcastle, focusing on the Arabian Nights and Western- European fairy tales. She’s co-published an article in Marvels & Tales.

Cheralyn Darcey (Botanical Explorer, Natural History Author and Artist): “The Language of Flowers
in Fairy Tales”
Thumbelina was born in a Tulip. In the Language of Flowers, this blossom speaks of
desires, yet warns of being swept away with inclinations of others. Keeping the language of flowers alive is an oral folklore tradition for learning plant usage for food, building materials, rituals, medicine and creativity along with growing cycles or dangers of poisons, illustrating concepts to advance happy, healthy, sociable lives. We’ll explore the botanical history of flowers, their meanings and how they relate to Fairy Tales. Cheralyn Darcey is a botanical explorer, organic gardener and internationally published author and illustrator of titles focused on the enthnobotanical qualities of plants, especially flowers. She has a regular segment on ABC Radio, ‘Flower of the Fortnight’.

Morgan Bell will teach us how to Interpret Evil Plants.
'Sproutlings: A Compendium of Little Fictions' constructs new
plant-based fables and folklore; and anthropomorphising botanical malice.

Liz Locksley (founding Storyteller of Thrive Story): “Goblin’s Gold”: a storytelling experience
A fragment of Goblin’s Gold, is snatched from behind a wizard in a cave on the wooded escarpment of
Alderley Edge. In it lives a resilient Tardigrade, one of Planet Earth's most tenacious creatures, likely to outlive all our anthropogenic catastrophes. Hear the tale of a lifelong quest, of Goblin’s Gold and the Tardigrade. Goblins’ Gold, also called Schistostega pennata and luminescent moss, is known for glowing and growing in dark places. Unlike any other moss, the Tardigrade, or Water Bear, is perhaps the most resilient creature on Earth. It can survive a wide range of temperatures and environments, perhaps even a cosmic catastrophe. Liz Locksley is founder of Thrive Story exploring narratives about love for life that works creatively with complexity, conflict and upheaval.

Morgan Bell (Writer): “Interpreting Evil Plants” (discussion, book launch)
In 2016 Morgan published an anthology Sproutlings: A Compendium of Little Fictions. She asked authors to write flash fiction on the theme of wicked weeds. They interpreted the challenge referencing Greek, Cornish, and Welsh myths; constructing new plant-based fables and folklore; and anthropomorphising botanical malice. The anthology compares these new works to classics from Poe, Lawson, Orwell, Lawrence, Wells, Alcott, and Wilde. Morgan Bell is an author and editor. Her works include Sniggerless Boundulations, Laissez Faire and Sproutlings. She is a technical writer, member of the Newcastle Shakespeare Society, and teacher of creative writing at U3A. Her story ‘Midnight Daisy’ was awarded a Story Commendation by the She: True Stories project, with readings on 1233 ABC Newcastle and 2014 Newcastle Writers Festival. She has written many other award-winning stories.

Natalie Phillips' academic paper will explore the
use of the fairy ring in selected folktales, art,
and literature. It will break down key elements intrinsic
to this phenomenon — the magical, the scientific, and the symbolic.

Marianna Shek and Leila Honari (author & illustrator respectively): “The Silk Road - Cultivating a Hybrid Garden”
The creative journey behind The Stolen Button picture book, a fairy tale on the Silk Road. They will discuss development behind the book with themes of migration, displacement and multicultural stories in an Australian landscape. The Silk Road is a hybrid garden, a space to portray an exotic other, where wands, dragons and goblins mingle with nagas, djinns and huli jings. This Q&A leads to an exhibition of Leila Honari’s art. Leila and Marianna worked on The Stolen Button while teaching and completing PhDs in the animation dept at Griffith Film School. Marianna is a transmedia writer working with non-linear narratives. Her latest work If The Shoe Fits won first place in the 2017 Conflux Short Story comp. She has forthcoming works in anthologies by Tiny Owl Workshop. Leila’s research investigates the mandala structure of Persian mystical stories. Her projected installation Farsh-e-Parandeh (Flying Carpet) is available for exhibitions.

Monique Mulligan, Lorena Carrington & Kate Forsyth
tell the story behind the creation of
Vasilisa the Wise & Other Tales of Brave Young Women
at this year's conference.

Monique Mulligan (Editorial Director of Serenity Press): “Growing beautiful stories: Keeping the
flame alive”
Serenity Press is an independent publisher now focussing on folklore, fairy-tale retellings and original fairy tales, keeping traditional stories and storytelling alive by fostering understanding and
enjoyment of folklore, fairy tales and myth. An editor, author, founder of the Stories on Stage programme in Perth and journalist, Monique published Vasilisa the Wise and Other Tales of Brave Young Women in 2017, feminist fairy-tales retold by Kate Forsyth, illustrated by Lorena Carrington*. These tales of female courage and cleverness, an antidote to the assumption that classic fairy-tales feature passive princesses. Set in forests, secret gardens and wild seashores, they contain motifs inspired by nature – a doll made of wood, a hazel- twig wand, roses, a silver castle hanging from oak trees, a wooden flute that summons a griffin, primarily created out of detritus from forest floors – leaves, bones, moss, twigs, seeds, mushrooms.

*Exhibitors include several visual artists, among them one of our panelists Lorena Carrington, a photographic artist and illustrator with an interest in lost and forgotten fairy tales. Her work delves deeply into themes around life and death, good and evil, created from her garden and surrounding landscape. Other exhibitors or participating visual artists include Debra Phillips, Erin-Claire Barrow and Spike Deane.

Considering the garden location of the conference chosen for this year's theme, are there any venue specific presentations? Yes! From noon to 2pm, various venues will host free events focusing on the conference’s theme. These include presentations exploring the relationship between nature and magic within the Australian landscape. The diverse program offers activities for all-ages such as puppetry by Frank’s Fantastic Fairy Tale Theatre, garden tours, and an interactive presentation on ‘The Language of Flowers in Fairy Tales’. The enchanting Royal Botanic Gardens of Sydney will be host to bookstalls, exhibitions, and a quilting display with a fairy tale motif, handcrafted by members of fairy rings from various states and territories. Conference presentations (papers, performances, panels & more) follows for registered guests. 

The Australian Fairy Tale Society is a national not-for-profit community of writers,

academics, artists, and performers dedicated to exploring, reinterpreting, and creating fairy tales through Australian perspectives. 

It’s $25 to join the Australian Fairy Tale Society. Annual membership benefits include free
participation in fairy tale rings, exclusive access to our Ezine, Reading Refs and Points to Ponder,
discounts, participation in creative projects or contests, and networking with fairy tale enthusiasts in
a highly interdisciplinary, intergenerational, intercultural, inclusive ethos. Welcome!

To register or become a member:

Official website: http://australianfairytalesociety.wordpress.com/

Email:  austfairytales@gmail.com

NOTE: All official graphics for the 2018 AFTS Conference (seen here) were created by the talented Spike Deane!

'Cunning & Cleverness': AFTS' First Short Story Competition Is Now Open For Submissions

Calling all new, clever, sly and tricksy stories for a new year.

Yes, there will be prizes (see the full image below) and yes entry is free for members. Otherwise you can pay $25 to become a member for a full year and not only receive entry rights, but other perks (including discounts for events) by way of the AFTS as well. You do not have to be Australian or living in Australia to be a member; just supportive of the society and their mission.

They will consider flash-fiction of 100 words through to stories up to 1500 words, as long as they are on theme. Submission guidelines and other details can be found at the official website for the AFTS HERE. Any further questions, please contact the AFTS directly via one of their social media sites or their official web page.

Good luck to all our adventurous and tricksy writers!

Note: This short story competition announcement from The Australian Fairy Tale Society is reproduced in full from their social media.

Hello dear fairy tale spinners! 

Bold heroes and heroines, tricksters, thieves and animal helpers. The Ezine is launching a short story fairy tale competition. 

Theme: 'Cunning & Cleverness' 

Word limit: 100 - 1500 words

Closing date: 17th April 2018 

It's time to let your imagine swirl into the realm of fairy tales. Re-construct your favourite fairy tale or spin us a new yarn. There are prizes to be won and the three winning entries will be published in the winter edition of the Ezine. Our external judges are Monique Mulligan, Sophie Masson and Nike Sulway. 

For more information regarding our submission guidelines please click on the link below. 

Happy writing! 

Enchanted regards,

The AFTS Ezine Editorial Troupe

https://australianfairytalesociety.wordpress.com/…/ezine-s…/

AFTS 'Sleeping Beauty' Bumper Issue Is Out

A lot of work went into this issue, which, adding up the hours, took approximately two-plus very solid months (including working with a variety of lovely writers and artists), to edit, source, design, produce and publish. With an effort at being as inclusive as possible (especially due to being later than originally planned) and keeping a high standard for this last issue that our Fairy Tale News Hound will be involved with (at least for a while), this issue turned out to be a 'bumper' - coming in at 60 pages. (Thank goodness there was a great proofing team helping finesse all the text and checking the final layouts!)

Please find the wonderful variety of contents listed below (available for current Australian Fairy Tale Society members only - new sign-ups this week also eligible):

William Morris border

• Roundtable Discussion on Sleeping Beauty: 'Three Good Fairies on Roses, Thorns & Sleeping' - with 3 female writers, Belinda Calderone, Rebecca-Anne Do Rozario and Kate Forsyth  (all of whom did their PHDs in fairy tale studies)
• 'Sleeping Kingdom, Waking Beauty' - a multimedia bardic exploration of Sleeping Beauty
• a review of the show by Margaret McKay
• a retrospective by creator & performer Reilly McCarron - from seed to stage
• 'Sundown' - a new silhouette art by Spike Deane
• 'The Spindle' - an article on spinning, spindles and yarn from Melissa Rose Tonkin
• 'Re-Spin' by Graham Ross - a transcript from an oral retelling of a revamped Sleeping Beauty
• 'Slumber Sweet Maids' - a Sleeping Beauty wallpaper pattern by Kathleen Jennings
• 'Spinning the Legend of Briar Rose & the Pre-Raphaelites' - interview with Kate Forsyth, discussing her process of researching and writing her new novel 'Beauty in Thorns'
• 'Spinning A Yarn - Sleeping Beauty & Anthrax' - AMA medical article by Jason Giacomel MBBS (reprinted with permission)
• 'The Youngest Serf' - a wonderfully fun short story with a unique perspective on Sleeping Beauty (and other fairy tales princess problems) by Carla Billinghurst
• 'Sleeping Kingdom, Waking Beauty' - script excerpts and audio preview (embedded MP3)
• 'The Medic' a sci-fi Sleeping Beauty short story by Patsy Poppenbeek
• 'Sleeping Beauty' illustration by Erin-Claire Barrow, with an atypical princess
• 'The Needle & the Spoon' - a modern short fiction on the fairy tale, inspired by true events
• 2017 AFTS Annual Conference Program and highlights to look forward to
• Ripples From the Rings - local fairy tale monthly meeting summaries from around Australia
• 'Prick' - an exclusive chapter preview of 'Beauty in Thorns' by Kate Forsyth (to be published July 2017 in Australia)
• Announcements, Australian fairy tale calendar, AFTS member news & achievements
• Editorial fairy tale comic
• Plus a wide variety of Sleeping Beauty-related art and excerpts of recommended works

NB: The ezine, in PDF format, is digital only and not print resolution, due to restrictions on public domain image printing, and in an effort to keep the file as small as possible. Download from the members only, password protected link (sent to members via email after sign-up) is recommended for optimal viewing and to enable playing of embedded audio files.

The announcements also include the resignation notice of our Fairy Tale News Hound from her AFTS duties, including the ezine. (See below.) It was a very difficult decision to take a step back, especially with regard to this unique fairy tale focused magazine, but she felt it was personally necessary to do so at this time. We can vouch for the astonishing and unique pool of talent and expertise the Australian Fairy Tale Society has, and can testify that each one of the members our News Hound has worked with over the past eight to nine months (over four issues), has been a pleasure to work with in their enthusiasm and reach for excellence.

The ezine allows members of the AFTS the exclusive opportunity to submit new fairy tale works, fiction and non, visual and audio, for possible publication in the ezine (which is distributed to all members nationwide and overseas). We would love to see this initiative continue.

If you have enjoyed past issues, would like to see more (upcoming fairy tale themes are: Goose Girl, Aladdin, The Handless Maiden, Snow White, Wild Swans/Six Ravens, The Firebird) and could offer some help, please contact the AFTS at austfairytales@gmail.com.

Image above is by Léon Bakst from his Sleeping Beauty panel commission
'The aged king pleads with the good fairy..."

We love that Bakst used one of two interesting details Perrault's text includes, which are usually forgotten... (see below).

     When the accident happened to the princess, the good fairy who had saved her life by condemning her to sleep a hundred years was in the kingdom of Mataquin, twelve thousand leagues away. She was instantly warned of it, however, by a little dwarf who had a pair of seven-league boots, which are boots that enable one to cover seven leagues at a single step. The fairy set off at once, and within an hour her chariot of fire, drawn by dragons, was seen approaching.
     The king handed her down from her chariot, and she approved of all that he had done. But being gifted with great powers of foresight, she bethought herself that when the princess came to be awakened, she would be much distressed to find herself all alone in the old castle... 

- Charles Perrault 'The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood'

AFTS Ezine Sleeping Beauty Issue Publishing This Week + AFTS 2017 Conference Program Line-Up Released

And yes, that's why we've been so busy. It's a bumper issue (60 pages!) with a lots of diverse new fairy tale works - from short stories, to stage, to storytelling, to sci-fi and much, much more! The issue includes an AFTS exclusive preview chapter from Kate Forsyth's new book 'Beauty in Thorns', (we've read it - it's amazing!), and a wonderful look at her writing process in weaving together Sleeping Beauty with the romantic and notorious stories behind Edward Burne-Jones' 'The Legend of Briar Rose' Pre-Raphaelite paintings, in a special interview. We already recommend this book, and may just have to import a copy from Oz for our library as soon as hard copies hit Australian shelves this July.

The ezine is available to Australian Fairy Tale Society (AFTS) members only. (It's one of the many benefits of paying an annual membership of $25.) Want to join? You can sign up HERE.

AFTS members:

watch your inboxes this week for the private member link to download, so you can see it in its proper - and very pretty - magazine format.

Expect lots of wonderful fairy tale reading in your very-near future!

We also want to take the opportunity to mention that the program for the 4th annual conference for the Australian Fairy Tale Society has also been released. The event will take place right after the Australian Winter Solstice on Saturday, June 24th 2017. Please find the program flyer below, designed by our News Hound, Gypsy Thornton, using wonderful artwork by world renowned, Australian artist Kathleen Jennings. Click to view full size.

Artwork used by permission: "Exotic (Thumbelina)" by Kathleen Jennings

You can find more information about the conference and register HERE.

CFP: 'So Many Mattresses: Truth, Reality Fiction on a European Bed' (Australia)

The Princess And The Pea' by Louise Montillio

The Australian Fairy Tale Society has just released their Call for Presentations and Papers, for their Annual Conference, and it's not your average fairy tale theme! We're looking forward to seeing what papers and performances are inspired by 'So Many Mattresses' (so many possibilities!) and look forward to seeing how the conference shapes up for June.

Click to enlarge:

The conference will be held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on June 24, 2017. Deadline for proposals is January 27th, 2017, at 5pm AEST.

Issue 03 of the AFTS Ezine: 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses' Sneak Peek!

It's that time again - time for stories and poems and art and fairy tale conversations, all tucked into a new issue of The Australian Fairy Tale Society member exclusive ezine. Our theme this issue is: 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses', or 'The Shoes That Were Worn To Pieces', which we think is perfect for party season.

This one is very close to being wrapped in a digital bow and sent out to currently registered members, just in time for some holiday reading!

Without giving away too many of the goodies, we will just whisper that this issue is full of lords a'leaping, ladies dancing, dual worlds, enchanted royalty and shoes, shoes, shoes! 

It's lovely, luscious and just a little decadent. ;)

Going to miss out because you're not a member? Now is the perfect time to sign up and get exclusive access to our unique fairy tale magazine! You don't need to live Down Under or be an Aussie native to join - you just need to be happy to support the research, use and creation of fairy tales and folk who love them, in Australia. (As you'll see from the ezine - there's a lot of fairy tale magic at work these days under the Southern Cross!)

For $25 annual membership you receive the 30-ish page ezine every second month (6 issues a year), discounts to fairy tale events, exclusive fairy tale reference and research lists (put together by our qualified librarian and historian), many opportunities to network with professional writers, artists and scholars, all of whom love and work in fairy tales, and opportunities for publication of your work.

Not a bad little gift for a fairy tale lover, we might suggest (nudge, nudge) - and it keeps giving all year long!

Join HERE today and Issue 03 will be delivered in the next few days via hard working elves, sprinkled with seasonal wishes for many enchanted dancing days ahead for you all.

Disclaimer: Our resident Fairy Tale News Hound, Gypsy Thornton, is a founding member of the AFTS, Committee Member, and Editor and Designer for the AFTS Member Ezine. She receives no remuneration for her work and no profit is made on this publication. All work is done in the aim of supporting AFTS members in their fairy tale journeys.

Virginia Lee's 'The Frog Bride'

The AFTS Member Ezine Issue 02: The Frog King, or Iron Henry, is out!

Note: If you are a registered member of the Australian Fairy Tale Society (ie your membership fees are paid up to date), and haven't yet received notice via email, along with the link and secret password, please contact the AFTS via Facebook private message HERE or email them directly at austfairytales@gmail.com. They'll hop-to-it and get your goodies to you ASAP.

We've had frog kings, frog princes and frog princesses on the brain for weeks now and in celebration of completing a great compilation of new frog-themed fairy tale works, packaged into the unique fairy tale magazine, we thought we'd share mythic artist, Virgina Lee's lovely, lovely book The Frog Bride, based on the Russian tale The Frog Tsarevna - a story we love and wish we could have explored much more in the last issue.

Here are her notes (from a couple of years ago) on her first children's book, published in 2008:

My first children’s book ‘The Frog Bride’, undertaken 7 years ago, is a shortened version of The Tsarevna Frog, a traditional Russian folk tale retold here by Antonia Barber. It features a slightly camp Prince Ivan with Princess Vassilisa, who has to take her frogskin off and put it on again, rather a lot. In this quest for true love and acceptance, Vassilisa tirelessly tries to impress and capture the hearts of the prince and the royal court by performing her magic and revealing her innate beauty, when all she really desires is to be fully accepted for her less desirable appearances and habits, frogskin and all. 

 I didn't actually write it myself but it was my choice of story. I chose it mainly because I wanted to illustrate a girl taking off a frog skin. I'm always drawn to the physical transformations in stories and what they symbolize. 

Virginia Lee put a lot of love and artistic skill into the illustrations in this book and it could use some more attention (ie. sales) to boost the demand for more gorgeous illustrated books like it.

Enjoy! (And then go grab yourself a copy, if you haven't already.)

Don't you just love the hung-up frog skin in the wardrobe? Such a lovely touch!

Note: the paperback version has this cover below.

Issue 02 of the AFTS Ezine: 'Frog King, or Iron Henry' Sneak Peek!

It may have been a little quiet on the fairy tale news front from our newsroom this week, but that doesn't mean we're not working our tails off (take that to mean what you will).

We're in the final pages of layout for the Member Exclusive ezine for The Australian Fairy Tale Society, and this one is packed with excellent new fairy tale works by members on the theme of The Frog King, or Iron Henry.

Above is a sneak preview of the cover and though we don't want to give too much away, we can tell you we are going behind the scenes of two internationally acclaimed artists to see their process of 'transformation', we have new short stories, essays, froggy fairy tale history, a never-released frog king song and much, much more.

Going to miss out because you're not a member? Now is the perfect time to sign up and get exclusive access to our 30-ish page unique fairy tale magazine! You don't need to reside in Australia to join - you just need to support the research, use and creation of fairy tales and folk who love them, in Australia.

For $25 annual membership you receive the 20+ page ezine every second month (6 issues a year), discounts to fairy tale events, exclusive fairy tale reference and research lists (put together by our qualified librarian and historian), many opportunities to network with professional writers, artists and scholars, all of whom love and work in fairy tales, and opportunities for publication of your work.

We think that's a pretty good deal.

Much magic is happening in fairy tale realms Down Under these days! Join HERE today and Issue 02 will be winging your way shortly.

In the meantime, posts may be a little sparse as our key personnel are in crunch time, but we should be returning to our regularly scheduled - and more - fairy tale news posts in a few days.

Disclaimer: Our resident Fairy Tale News Hound, Gypsy Thornton, is a founding member of the AFTS, Committee Member, and Editor and Designer for the AFTS Member Ezine. She receives no remuneration for her work and no profit is made on this publication. All work is done in the aim of supporting AFTS members in their fairy tale journeys.

Australian Fairy Tale Society Launches Unique Tale-Themed Member Ezine

Front cover of AFTS Ezine Issue 01; illustration included by A H Watson 1939

Full disclosure: I am intimately involved with this project. I am Editor and Designer, and my incredibly talented fairy-sister Louisa John-Krol (internationally acclaimed indie musician, with a voice like fae bells, who runs a fascinating fairy/fairy tale blog of her own) is my Co-editor, part time Muse, creative life-saver and Rock. We are both Founding Members of the Australian Fairy Tale Society, have a great passion for the work the society is doing and are also committee members.

The Australian Fairy Tale Society (AFTS) has just launched a special new fairy tale ezine (electronic magazine) for registered members, and it's quite different from anything else out there.

The ezine will be published every second month, in between 'Fairy Tale Ring' meetings, where members meet to have tea/coffee and chat about the Tale of the Month; from academic musings, to creative inspiration. Apart from providing members with something unique and exclusive for their membership fees, the ezine aims to support and share the creation of new and excellent fairy tale works, inspired by these meetings. From essays to poems, short stories to music, visual art to plays, interviews to Australian national fairy tale news and much more, the ezine will focus on sharing newly created fairy tale works.

Rumpelstilzchen Valerian Gillar 1947 (not included in ezine)

Members also receive the amazing and wonderful Reading Reference, and Points to Ponder lists every second month, researched by Ring Maiden and qualified fairy tale librarian, Jo Henwood (Co-Founder of the AFTS). They're sent out before the meetings to help attendees prepare for the conversations, to be inspired by the many aspects and considerations with regard to the tale and to support the creation of new works inspired by it. (You can read the lists for Jack and the Beanstalk and The Little Mermaid, without being a member, HERE.)

Rumpekstilzchen Liebermann 1929

Each issue will have the theme of the meeting from the month before (eg July's Tale of the Month was discussing Rumpelstiltskin, so all the content for Issue 01 Aug/Sep was Rumpelstiltskin related), with each issue having many illustrations (both public domain and used by permission), and an analogous color palette inspired by the tale as well. As you might have guessed, the Rumpelstiltskin issue was gold. (There is a limited page preview which non-members can view, of Issue 01, HERE.)

Rumpelstilzchen Thekla Brauer 1910 (not included in ezine)

Here's a hastily taken, sneak peek of a few of the interior pages from the Editor's desktop as we were finishing up the final details, right before publishing a couple of weeks ago:

Even though the ezine is focused on Australian members, there is plenty there for fairy tale folk around the world to enjoy. (The first issue was 32 page chock-full of Rumpelstitskin exploration.) While the society is still experimenting with how to connect long distance members for inclusion in fairy tale ring meetings via online resources, at $25 for a year's membership fee, just receiving 6 issues a year is still a fairy tale bargain, even if networking is, for the moment, limited. (You can read the membership details and choose to join through this page on the AFTS website HERE.)

Rear cover of AFTS Ezine Issue 01
Image included by Walter Crane 1882

And did I mention the publishing opportunity? AFTS members are encouraged to submit their work for inclusion in the ezine. While a certain standard of excellence is expected, and the Submission Guidelines are fairly typical for publishing, the Editorial Troupe also expects to work with newer artists and writers to assist in polishing work they could easily include in a professional portfolio.

Excerpt. from AFTS Ezine Issue 01
Illustration by A J Gaskin 1894

For Australian AFTS members at home or abroad, who are also regular readers of Once Upon A Blog, we hope you are busy thinking about September's Tale of the Month, The Frog King, or Iron Henry, as the Rings begin to meet, and are ready to discuss all aspects of slimy suitors and be inspired by themes of transformation and learning respect...

Note: The Australian Fairy Tale Society is an Australian national registered non-profit organization with pending ROCO (Register of Cultural Organizations) status.