New Fairy Tales Magazine: Issue 4 Now Live

Issue 4 of New Fairy Tales Magazine is now available HERE for downloading!

(Actually, it's been available for about three weeks now but I'm behind on finishing my draft posts - sorry Claire!)

This issue has a new format (i.e. even more gorgeous than before) and awesome prizes to win in a competition that will help children in need. (More about that in a bit.)

If you don't know about this wonderful online magazine, treat yourself and download it (for free). The high quality of the new, original fairy tales editor Claire Massey* chooses and the artists she works with for each issue have to be seen/read to be believed. I have a feeling Claire is actually on the hunt for the next H.C. Andersen or Dickens, with a devious plan to be the one who discovers them first and prints the next generation's favorite new fairy tales!The PDFs are gorgeously presented and a true pleasure to browse and read. Personally, I'm hoping that one day all the issues will be available in hard copy form. They would be an awesome collection to keep and display.

You can see in this post some examples of the art included in this issue. New art includes papercuts by one of my favorite papercut artists, Oona Patterson, and a silhouette by the amazing Cate Simmons (a.k.a. SteeringForNorth on Flickr), whose work I never tire of featuring. The lovely color illustration is by Samantha Davey, URL unknown sorry!And about that competition, through which you also help a child at Derian House Children's Hospice (the charity New Fairy Tales supports): by simply making a donation to the extremely worthwhile charity, Derian House, lucky UK readers will be in the running to win a creature from the Curiosity Cabinet called the "New Fairy Tale Nymph". But international (including US) donators have an awesome opportunity too. Oona Patterson's papercut fairy tale book "Ream" (this has been on my 'MUST get' list ever since I first saw example pages). You need to go HERE and follow the instructions to be sure you donate in the correct manner to be entered.

The magazine continues to be awesome (Issue 4 definitely lives up to the awesomeness), Derian House is money well-donated and the bonus prizes qualify as total awesome-alerts. Go treat yourself and download some awesome for free. And if you've been blessed enough to give a little back, do that too. The awesome factor just might triple itself in your favor.As always, story or art submissions for the next issue are welcome from anyone but please check the guidelines HERE before doing so. The next deadline is April 15, 2010.

*Claire Massey is also the author/blogger at The Fairy Tale Cupboard - although a fairly new blog, it's already proven to be an important resource for fairy tale enthusiasts and students alike. You can find it HERE. She's currently featuring Queens of Snow and Ice.

NEWSFLASH: Great Fairytales Series from The Guardian - A Must Read!

Note: I came across this series completely at random and was already into doing this blog post when I realized both SurLaLune and The Fairy Tale Cupboard have reported on it so rather than bore you with lots of repetitious information in case you're reading their blogs [which are both excellent sources of fairy tale information and news, so you should be :) ], I'll just point you to their entries and repeat how wonderful a thing this is and that you should avail yourself of the read and lovely pictures either in person or online. :)

For those who haven't yet heard, The (UK) Guardian and Observer, are including seven wonderful supplements over the next week titled "Great Fairytales". The series includes an essay by a notable fairy tale writer on a theme and then a collection of tales on that theme for each part, with special illustrations for each section by wonderful artists.Here's the blurb on the series from The Guardian online:

Starting this weekend in the Guardian and the Observer, Great fairytales brings you the finest stories of morality, justice, triumph and enchantment from around the world, collected in seven themes: Wicked parents, Rags to riches, Love, Quests and riddles, Wisdom and folly, Justice and punishment and Beastly tales.

The stories are all nominated by a panel of critics, writers and experts on children's literature: Anthony Browne, AS Byatt, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Robert Irwin, Alison Lurie, Adam Phillips, Philip Pullman, Salman Rushdie and Marina Warner.

Each collection is beautifully illustrated and includes an afterword from a range of leading writers exploring each theme.

This is such a treat! And I love the discussions on theme, meaning and fairy tales in comparison to history which you don't see often outside of academic works. For those of us unable to go buy the paper (and that includes any readers outside the UK) we can:

1) read the series online for free every day (START HERE - the link should have ALL the Guardian's fairy tale related posts for you to browse - this particular series starts October 10th, 2009 & consists of one essay and approximately three tales with illustrations - in separate posts - per day)

2) buy the booklets online HERE (shown at bottom of post).

Heidi of SurLaLune has included a brief excerpt of the first essay as well as other interesting tidbits and you can see some more of the lovely silhouette work by Laura Barrett, all of which you can find HERE.

Claire Massey of The Fairy Tale Cupboard has done a wonderful job of taking us through the first two supplements, complete with excellent links. I highly recommend reading her write-ups this week as she looks at the writers, the tales and the artists involved with each part of the series. To go straight to The Fairy Tale Cupboard click HERE.
NOTE: All silhouette illustrations (2 for Hansel & Gretel and 2 for Snow White) are by the amazing Laura Barrett who's work was commissioned for Part 1 of the series. You can find more of her work at her website HERE or by clicking on the illustrations - I highly recommend checking this link out. Her website is lovely and her work gorgeous!