Interview Pt IV: In which we discover even more bonuses in studying 'The Fairy Tale', as well as The Carterhaugh School 'grimoire'!

"These are the courses for people who dreamed of elven battles while studying economics, those who have always sworn they could see ghosts, those who longed for a school of magic to send them an unexpected acceptance letter. The gates of Carterhaugh are open. Welcome."

Have we intrigued you into signing up to study The Fairy Tale yet? If you're needing (yet another) incentive... ta da! There's a special one-time bonus for this first 'long course' The Carterhaugh School is offering.

Welcome to Part IV and the final (sob!) section of our interview with the fairy tale mavens and marvelous magical mentors Brittany Warman and Sara Cleto, of The Carterhaugh School of Folklore & the Fantastic, in which we learn about all the package trimmings and shiny extras in store, especially for those who sign up for the first Carterhaugh School long course, The Fairy Tale. 

Psst! If you missed the other parts of our interview, we've linked you to them directly below:

Pt 1: 'Carterhaugh School of Folklore & the Fantastic' Brings Us The Best Gift Ever: Fairy Tales! 

Pt II: In which we discover what studying Carterhaugh School's 'The Fairy Tale' is like

Pt III: In which we discover the different paths of study (Scholar! Artist! Writer!) in 'The Fairy Tale' course at Carterhaugh School

Before we let our magical guests get back to weaving the wondrous course material into magical lessons (Yes. Yes it IS a virtual Hogwarts classroom for fairy tale folk!), let's find out a little more about the tangible magic bonus they're dangling offering (because who doesn't love presents?), waiting to boost your personal enchantment quota:

You've mentioned a special bonus for participants for this debut of your first 'long course'. What shiny things are you dangling to tempt us to join as soon as possible?

Ah, that is a surprise, so we can’t tell you too much, but every participant in the fairy-tale course will receive a special package in the mail containing several little items to help prepare them for their journey into Caterhaugh. Though we can’t reveal the exact contents of this package yet, we promise it will enchant and inspire.

In the real-world mail?! Even though this is a virtual, online course, you mean there will be a magical owl, or fairy godmother magically delivering an actual, bona fide, package, that we can w̶e̶a̶r̶, er, hold, to our mail boxes where m̶u̶g̶g̶l̶e̶s̶ regular folk can see proof of u̶n̶i̶c̶o̶r̶n̶s̶, our fairy tale course involvement?

Well, we can't guarantee owls or fairy godmothers, but we can assure you that yes, it will be real in the physics sense of the word, and that it definitely won't turn into a pumpkin at midnight. (As for wearing them, that's up to you...) These items will be things you can keep and are especially - and only - available to our first long course participants this coming January (2017).

So... if this course is given as a gift, it's a present that has presents 'inside' too?

Why, yes. Yes it is. That's very fairy tale isn't it? (Of course ours isn't inside a needle, inside an egg, inside a duck, inside a hare, inside a chest, buried under an oak tree, on an island in the middle of the ocean...) 

But we haven't even mentioned our "grimoire pages", one page PDF lesson summaries created to look like pages of an ancient spell book, and these will be available for every course taken at Carterhaugh School. The more classes you take with us, the more pages you can download, print and add to your own personal Carterhaugh grimoire! We plan to offer bonus pages as free downloads on the website as well, so watch our blog...

That settles it: this is about as irresistible an offer to study fairy tales as one could get! Where can interested folk find more information and what is the deadline for joining the fellowship (aka registration) for The Fairy Tale 10 lesson course in January?

The deadline to register for the fairy-tale course is January 15th, 2017 at midnight - we’ll post the first class the next day! All of the information about the course can be found at http://carterhaughschool.com/courses/the-fairy-tale/ . You can visit the rest of the site (http://www.carterhaughschool.com/) as well, which includes some FAQs, testimonials, information about the “grimoire pages,” and more!

Do you plan to offer this, and other folklorific and tale-licious course/s again in the future?

If it goes well, absolutely!!

What else should fairy tale folk know about The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic?

We love teaching, and we especially love teaching this material to people who are excited to learn more! We’re always happy to answer questions or chat about the course at carterhaughschool@gmail.com or on our Facebook page.

Thank you both so much for answering our questions this week! 

We're excited about all these Wonder-filled possibilities and hope our readers will perhaps meet in these virtually magical spaces of learning in the year to come. 

Best of fairy luck with the long course and may the magic spread far and wide.

For our readers, once more, here is the summary of the course details:
Dates: January 16th, 19th, 23rd, 26th, 30th, February 2nd, 6th, 9th, 13th, 16th – note that these are simply the dates that materials will be posted! You will be able to access everything indefinitely and watch whenever is most convenient to you. 

Total Number of Lessons: 10 

What’s Included: Welcome Letter, Mailed Special Welcome Package, 10 Video Lectures, 10 PowerPoint Presentations, 10 Beautiful PDF “Grimoire Page” Lesson Summaries, PDFs or Links to Any Supplementary Reading, Personal Feedback on Completed Final Assignment if Desired 

Any Additional Materials Needed: No 

Registration Closes: January 15th at Midnight 

Price: $150 – you can pay in one, two, or three installments! Full payment must be complete by the time registration closes on January 15th.

Click HERE to sign up yourself, or a lucky fairy tale friend.  

(And if you'd like to send something your friend could officially wear - or hold - you can send a t-shirt, tote, button-pin or sticker with the gorgeous Carterhaugh School of Folklore & the Fantastic logo (see below next to the course schedule), through HERE! There's a special 20% off storewide till SUNDAY December 25th 2017: Use Code: ZGOODBYE2016)

And once again, we're including the course schedule below, detailing the wonderful range of tales & topics to be studied and explored, along whichever path (scholar, artist or writer) the participant chooses. It's inspiring to read all by itself:

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

Carterhaugh School of Folklore & the Fantastic: The Fairy Tale - Course Schedule

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

Here is a tentative schedule for the upcoming fairy-tale course. Some of the individual stories are subject to change, but the themes for each lesson are set! Take a look:

Lesson One: January 16th, 2017

Intro to Fairy-Tale Study / Little Red Riding Hood / The Story of Grandmother

Lesson Two: January 19th, 2017
Cinderella Day – Cinderella / Donkeyskin / All Kinds of Furs / Yeh-hsien / The Princess in the Suit of Leather

Lesson Three: January 23rd, 2017
Jack Tales Day – Jack and the Beanstalk / Whickety-Whack, Into My Sack / Old Fire Dragaman

Lesson Four: January 26th, 2017
Beastly Bride Day – The Swan Maiden / The Crane Wife / The Loathly Lady / The Story of Uloopi and Arjuna
Featuring a guest lecture by the amazing Shveta Thakrar!

Lesson Five: January 30th, 2017
Awkward Husband Day – Bluebeard / The Robber Bridegroom / Mr. Fox / Fitcher’s Bird

Lesson Six: February 2nd, 2017
Sibling Day – Hansel and Gretel / Jorinde and Joringel / The Juniper Tree / Brother and Sister / Tatterhood

Lesson Seven: February 6th, 2017
Sleeping Maiden Day – Sleeping Beauty / The Ninth Captain’s Tale / Sun, Moon, and Talia / Snow White / Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree / The Glass Casket

Lesson Eight: February 9th, 2017
Search for the Lost Husband Day – Beauty and the Beast / Hans My Hedgehog / Small Toothed Dog / The Pig King / East of the Sun, West of the Moon

Lesson Nine: February 13th, 2017
Salon Day – The White Cat / The Great Green Worm / The Rose Cloud

Lesson Ten: February 16th, 2017
The Golden Key / Wrap Up

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

To our readers: we will endeavor to keep you all on owl-alert with any news and magical reports coming out of Carterhaugh. Stay tuned!

* All artwork is by Dulac, except for the Carterhaugh School logo.

Interview Pt III: In which we discover the different paths of study (Scholar! Artist! Writer!) in 'The Fairy Tale' course at Carterhaugh School

Did we mention we're pretty excited about the new online course on The Fairy Tale that's transformed from wishes to reality, thanks to the enchanting, whip smart -and possibly a little devious- duo of Brittany Warman and Sara Cleto, the fairy godmothers behind the new Carterhaugh School of Folklore & the Fantastic?

So far we've learned about the magical beginnings of Carterhaugh School, peeked behind-the-scenes at the ladies who made this dreams a reality and discovered why studying The Fairy Tale at Carterhaugh is going to be different from all other fairy tale study offered to date.

If you missed our first two interview posts you can find them here: 

Pt 1: 'Carterhaugh School of Folklore & the Fantastic' Brings Us The Best Gift Ever: Fairy Tales! 

Pt II: In which we discover what studying Carterhaugh School's 'The Fairy Tale' is like

But there is another, very unique and exciting aspect to this course that will make it unlike anything you've done before. Not only will participants:

• study beyond the typical introduction to fairy tales (ie. "Did you know the originals before Disney were dark..?" etc)
• explore a wide variety of tales - both from the classic canon and many beyond
• explore tales from a range of cultures and authors/sources
• dive into the magical melting pot of salon conversations
• be treated to insights by special guest lecturer, Shveta Thakrar, for the Beastly Bride Day

... they will also have the opportunity to explore fairy tales in a specifically personal way: by choosing one of three paths...

There will be a final assignment prompt for which you may choose the path of the scholar, the path of the writer, or the path of the artist. Personal feedback on completed final assignments is available upon request – we would love to see what you come up with!

Oh the possibilities! Let's find out more in Part III today of our exclusive behind-the-scenes interview.

Thank you again, Mistresses Brittany and Sara, for joining us today.

In the introduction to this 10 week course you mention a final assignment in which the participant has the option to choose a) the path of the scholar, b) the path of the writer, or c) the path of the artist, all of which sound intriguing. For people who might struggle between choosing, can you tell us more about the paths (is this a case of needles and pins?), and what the purpose is of structuring the assignment this way? (Should folk be thinking destiny? The path less traveled? Or something else?)

We offer the three paths in order to make the final project useful and relevant to a broader group of students with diverse interests and ways of processing stories and information. The Path of the Scholar is the option most similar to a traditional college paper, but there are many avenues that you might take to writing it, including a persuasive paper about a possible meaning or interpretation for one of the tales( Why is this meaning or interpretation important to you? To what extent can you sustain it with concrete details from the text?) or a personal essay (If you had to choose one of the narratives we have read to apply to your own life, what would it be and why? How does this narrative help you make sense of your own story?) The Path of the Writer invites you to retell or adapt one of the narratives we have explored. You could write a short story, a poem, a letter, a short play, or other written form that: retells the tale from the perspective of a different character (or from the perspective of an object); makes significant plot changes to the tale, explains a “narrative gap” or an instance of “leaping and lingering,” a moment that isn’t narrated or doesn’t make sense to you, in one of the tales; explores a character’s interiority; or sets a tale in a contemporary setting. The Path of the Artist asks to you respond to one of the stories through a visual medium. You can create a painting, a carving, a garment, a piece of jewelry, a drawing, a sculpture, a comic, or other visual form that: retells a particular moment in one of the stories; captures the emotion you felt upon reading a particular passage or expresses the emotions you think the characters would have experienced during their journey; recreates an object or character from one of the tales; depicts a moment that is not narrated (a moment from before the tale begins or after it ends.) We’ve also had students create their own path or expand/ adapt these prompts in order to accommodate their own interests.

Is there any accreditation given (or magical powers bestowed) to participants who successfully complete the course? Will there be any keepsakes that participants can stow as proof they went into these woods and talked to the many Others therein?

While we cannot offer any official accreditations, we do plan to issue certificates to those who complete the course. As we talk about below, we’ll also be sending a special package in the mail with keepsakes!

You recently had a 'short course' Folklore for All Hallows Eve. Can you tell us about how that went, (at the cross roads, in the dead of night in the thinning mist) the different sorts of things participants studied (eg. etiquette for greeting the grateful dead) and what the results were?

The Folklore for All Hallows’ Eve course was our first course at Carterhaugh, so we approached it very much as an experiment- if it went well, we would expand and offer more classes, and, if not, we could say we tried and move on. However, we had a fantastic experience teaching this first course. The three lessons were all oriented around seasonal, spooky folk narratives, so we had a lesson each on eerie ballads, creepy fairy tales, and urban legends. The reception thus far has been very positive- final projects are rolling in from our students, and they are wonderful! And many students from that course have already enrolled for the Fairy Tale Course, so we think we’re on the right track!

Being online -a̶l̶l̶o̶w̶s̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶m̶a̶g̶i̶c̶a̶l̶ ̶i̶n̶p̶u̶t̶ ̶b̶y̶ ̶t̶e̶c̶h̶-̶s̶a̶v̶v̶y̶ ̶f̶a̶i̶r̶y̶ ̶g̶o̶d̶m̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶s̶- brings so many possibilities to a course, including the possibility of meeting like-minded people from places you would never be able to visit in your lifetime. Is there any portal available for current and prospective participants to meet, interact and share fairy tale ideas, discoveries and related works?

Yes! That’s one of the things that has been so great about this venture so far. Every course will have their own special Facebook group only for students - the one for the “Folklore for All Hallows’ Eve” was very lively and fun! We also have a main Facebook group where people can ask us questions about the courses and connect with others as well. You can find that already active group here - https://www.facebook.com/groups/305213463204876/

We'll wrap up our interview in the next post as there are yet more goodies up for fairy tale participants that we simply have to save, to showcase all by themselves... 

Join us tomorrow for Part IV, our final part of the interview with these amazing women who are busy spreading magic to all they can, and who encourage knowledge and exploration of the world, of tales, of history and of our future potential - something which our world sorely needs right now.

To sign up for Carterhaugh School's, The Fairy Tale long course and take advantage of this wonderful study opportunity, as well as embark on a uniquely and personally tailored fairy tale journey, click HERE.

And remember that this makes for a perfect last minute holiday gift: No wrapping, convenient payment options and fairy tale happiness for many months to come! It's a pretty wonderful way to give a fairy tale enthusiast a gift they'll love and never forget.

Once again, here is a summary of the details:

Dates: January 16th, 19th, 23rd, 26th, 30th, February 2nd, 6th, 9th, 13th, 16th – note that these are simply the dates that materials will be posted! You will be able to access everything indefinitely and watch whenever is most convenient to you. 

Total Number of Lessons: 10 

What’s Included: Welcome Letter, Mailed Special Welcome Package, 10 Video Lectures, 10 PowerPoint Presentations, 10 Beautiful PDF “Grimoire Page” Lesson Summaries, PDFs or Links to Any Supplementary Reading, Personal Feedback on Completed Final Assignment if Desired 

Any Additional Materials Needed: No 

Registration Closes: January 15th at Midnight 

Price: $150 – you can pay in one, two, or three installments! Full payment must be complete by the time registration closes on January 15th.

Click HERE to sign up yourself, or a lucky fairy tale friend.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the last part of our special interview series with the roses of The Carterhaugh School!

* Artwork used is all by Edmund Dulac, except for the Carterhaugh School Facebook header directly above.

Interview Pt II: In which we discover what studying Carterhaugh School's 'The Fairy Tale' is like

As promised, today we continue our interview with the enchanting folklore mavens behind the newest - and perhaps the only - school dedicated to fairy tale magic on the planet: The Carterhaugh School of Folklore & the Fantastic.

(Miss our Introduction and Interview Part I? You can find that right HERE.)

In this Part II of our tour behind the scenes of creating the school and online course in The Fairy Tale, we ask Brittany Warman and Sara Cleto for more specifics on why our readers - many of whom know more about fairy tales than even fairly well read folk - would not only enjoy the course, but might come to view it as their (online) fairy tale equivalent of Hogwarts. Let's see what they said:

For our readers, most of whom have done more than dabble in the delights and dangers of fairy tales than most people, what is unique about your course and why would it complement their deeper-than-average delvings into fairy tales?

One of the reasons we think a school like this might be welcome to people already well-versed in these materials is the fact that folklore is an enormous category that unfortunately breeds a great deal of misinformation, even in printed materials. Fairy tales fall victim to this kind of misinformation all the time. In a Carterhaugh class, we will be your guides – we know exactly how to navigate this material and can teach you to do the same! At OSU we have taught all kinds of courses, earning nominations for teaching awards and commendations from both supervisors and students. When we aren’t teaching or working on our dissertations, we are scholars and writers who have published peer-reviewed articles, sold stories and poems, written book introductions and encyclopedia entries, and published both creative and academic reviews. A class with us isn’t going to be the same ol’ “did you know the ORIGINAL fairy tales had dark endings?!” you see so often on the Internet - we’re going to take you beyond that, exploring the subtleties of those “dark” endings, exposing you to the real secrets of the stories you thought you knew, showing you their range across cultures, and hopefully introducing you to an unfamiliar text or two as well. The other reason we think you’ll find our courses unique is that, although we will be supported by our backgrounds in academia and creative writing, we aim to use our knowledge and our passion for these subjects to share their wonder, solidify their importance in society, and spread a bit of magic into the world. You will be taking classes with two teachers who embrace and believe in the power of these tales. These courses are designed for people who dreamed of elven battles while studying economics, those who have always sworn they could see ghosts, those who longed for a school of magic to send them an unexpected acceptance letter. We’re doing our best to bring that kind of school into the banality of the “real world” while maintaining academic rigor.  

What would an average week look like as a course participant in 'The Fairy Tale'? (eg hours needed, how much reading [is it provided or does it require extra purchasing of texts], sorts of lecturer presentations, project work etc) Does 10 lessons mean 10 consecutive weeks, or is that flexible? Do wings and wands come as standard accessories?

The length and structure of each Carterhaugh course varies, but the course on The Fairy Tale will span five weeks with two lessons released each week for a total of ten lessons. An average week would include two recorded lectures and supplemental readings (a few short stories.) However, a student can take as much time as they like to go through the materials- everything is theirs to download and view at whatever time is most convenient for them. The workload can be whatever the student wishes to do- we will provide all the readings (no extra purchases are necessary), and students can read everything, skim, or pick whichever texts most interest them to focus on. The final project is optional, and it can be as simple or elaborate as a student wishes to make it. Carterhaugh can be whatever a student needs- it can be very in-depth and rigorous, and it can be leisurely and casual, depending on the time that a student wants to devote to the course. Sadly, wings and wands are not included in this particular course, but we encourage their use and will provide other necessary materials.

What fairy tales are you planning to cover in the course? Do you have a spell to fold space/time to fit in the hundreds we're all interested in?

Tragically, we don’t have that spell yet. If you come across it, PLEASE tell us! We’ll hit the classics like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast, but we’ll also explore lesser-known fairy tales. For example, we’ll take a look at Asbjørnsen and Moe’s “Tatterhood,” peek into Baba Yaga’s hut, and read some of the ornate, outrageous stories written by French conteuses. And even the classics might surprise you- we’ll look at a Chinese Cinderella story that predates Perrault and the Grimms, a Sleeping Beauty who must contend with an ogre in addition to a curse, and a Beast who is half-hedgehog and rides around the woods on a rooster while playing a bagpipe. No, we are not making this up. 

Note to readers: Carterhaugh School have now released their course schedule so we are including it at the end of this part of the interview to whet your appetites and see the wonderful range of tales and topics that will be covered. It's pretty exciting stuff!

Is there any recommended pre-reading, rituals or spell practicing that fairy tale news readers might wish to prepare themselves with?

We plan to provide all the materials you’ll need for the course, so there’s really no need to prepare anything in advance!

What other sorts of irresistible and goblin-fruit-laden courses are you planning to offer in the future, and will they have similar formats?

This is our first long course, so we’ll have to see how this one goes first! We would love to do courses on folklore generally, fairylore and other supernatural lore, folklore and fantastic literature, “mythpunk” literature, and a huge variety of other things as well. We’re still developing our format but all of our courses will likely be similar in structure.   
We'll stop here for today, but are including the course schedule below.

Stay tuned for Part III of our interview, posting tomorrow!

And don't forget - if you're feeling inspired to sign up yourself, or give the wonderful (wonderful!) gift of registration to a fairy tale enthusiast, here is the detail summary for easy reference:

 

Dates: January 16th, 19th, 23rd, 26th, 30th, February 2nd, 6th, 9th, 13th, 16th – note that these are simply the dates that materials will be posted! You will be able to access everything indefinitely and watch whenever is most convenient to you. 

Total Number of Lessons: 10 

What’s Included: Welcome Letter, Mailed Special Welcome Package, 10 Video Lectures, 10 PowerPoint Presentations, 10 Beautiful PDF “Grimoire Page” Lesson Summaries, PDFs or Links to Any Supplementary Reading, Personal Feedback on Completed Final Assignment if Desired 

Any Additional Materials Needed: No 

Registration Closes: January 15th at MidnightPrice: $150 – you can pay in one, two, or three installments! Full payment must be complete by the time registration closes on January 15th.

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

Carterhaugh School of Folklore & the Fantastic: The Fairy Tale - Course Schedule

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

Here is a tentative schedule for the upcoming fairy-tale course. Some of the individual stories are subject to change, but the themes for each lesson are set! Take a look:

Lesson One: January 16th, 2017

Intro to Fairy-Tale Study / Little Red Riding Hood / The Story of Grandmother

Lesson Two: January 19th, 2017
Cinderella Day – Cinderella / Donkeyskin / All Kinds of Furs / Yeh-hsien / The Princess in the Suit of Leather

Lesson Three: January 23rd, 2017
Jack Tales Day – Jack and the Beanstalk / Whickety-Whack, Into My Sack / Old Fire Dragaman

Lesson Four: January 26th, 2017
Beastly Bride Day – The Swan Maiden / The Crane Wife / The Loathly Lady / The Story of Uloopi and Arjuna
Featuring a guest lecture by the amazing Shveta Thakrar!

Lesson Five: January 30th, 2017
Awkward Husband Day – Bluebeard / The Robber Bridegroom / Mr. Fox / Fitcher’s Bird

Lesson Six: February 2nd, 2017
Sibling Day – Hansel and Gretel / Jorinde and Joringel / The Juniper Tree / Brother and Sister / Tatterhood

Lesson Seven: February 6th, 2017
Sleeping Maiden Day – Sleeping Beauty / The Ninth Captain’s Tale / Sun, Moon, and Talia / Snow White / Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree / The Glass Casket

Lesson Eight: February 9th, 2017
Search for the Lost Husband Day – Beauty and the Beast / Hans My Hedgehog / Small Toothed Dog / The Pig King / East of the Sun, West of the Moon

Lesson Nine: February 13th, 2017
Salon Day – The White Cat / The Great Green Worm / The Rose Cloud

Lesson Ten: February 16th, 2017
The Golden Key / Wrap Up

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

'Carterhaugh School of Folklore & the Fantastic' Brings Us The Best Gift Ever: Fairy Tales!

We bring wonderful news for the end of 2016, finally!

There is a new online school in the town of the interwebs which is entirely dedicated to folklore, fairy tales and the fantastic, AND their first long course is: 'The Fairy Tale'! 

It's not your average 'introduction to fairy tales course' that you often see squished in somewhere to fill out a schedule either - you know, the sort of course where the big draw is "these fairy tales are darker than you thought.." or "forget Disney - did you know Red Riding Hood was sometimes eaten?". This course, refreshingly, recognizes you already know most of this stuff and that you're ready to explore far beyond these teasers. This is bona fide, scholarly study, that's specifically been made accessible (Einstein would be proud), with guidance from well qualified academics who adore fairy tales and folklore, love teaching it and love sharing their enthusiasm for it.

You can now join folk from around the world as you dive into a deeper exploration of fairy tales in a way you normally would have to attend a university setting for, yet without the intimidating structure and forms that can overwhelm even those who've survived a round a college.

Welcome to The Carterhaugh School of Folklore & the Fantastic!

Here's a taste of the introduction for The Fairy Tale:

Once upon a time… 

A girl in red walked into the woods with a basket for her grandmother. There, she wandered from the path, talked to a strange wolf, was eaten, was saved. 

Or, once upon a time… 

The girl, who did not wear red, went into the woods. She met a werewolf, chose the Road of Needles instead of the Road of Pins. She performed a strip-tease for the wolf, tricked him, and ran back home, and slammed the door behind her. 

Or, once upon a time… 

A girl, once more in red, walked into the woods. She wandered, talked, was eaten. She was not saved, and she remained in the wolf’s belly.

In this ten lesson course, “The Fairy Tale,” we welcome you across the threshold of Carterhaugh to explore a collection of wonder tales from around the world- stories you may know, stories you may think you know, stories that are strange and unfamiliar. Through a combination of lectures, supplemental readings, and creative responses, we will introduce you to the wide world of fairy-tale scholarship and provide the history, context, and tools to begin analyzing these stories.

This is perhaps the best gift you'd be able to give a fairy tale enthusiast, and, as a bonus, you can give it last minute (without battling crowds) or fussing with wrapping!

Qualified scholars and lecturers Brittany Warman and Sara Cleto are both PhD candidates in English and Folklore who, through their shared love of the subject and of teaching, dreamed up the idea of an online school where anyone - no matter their location in the world, or the many other limits that stop those passionate about fairy tales from pursuing study in such subjects with scholarly guidance - could attend.

That means all of us qualify to attend folks!

On top of that you could say fairy tales are kind of these ladies' "thing" (ie their true passion), so you know it's going to be special.

By the way, does the name Carterhaugh sound familiar? It should!

Over the next few days, we will be sharing a special behind-the-scenes interview with the founders of Carterhaugh, to give you a look at how such a wonderful thing came to be and what is so very enchanting about the way this school, and the fairy tale long course, in particular.

Oh yes - and you'll also learn why the name 'Carterhaugh' was chosen. ;)

Without further ado may I present the fairy godmothers of Carterhaugh School, mistresses Brittany Warman and Sara Cleto:

Ladies, thank you for so graciously agreeing to join us here at Once Upon A Blog, to share why this school is so different and how enchanting, unique and exciting this course will be.

The age of worldwide wireless wizardry, aka, the internet has opened so many opportunities for sharing knowledge, for enabling collaboration and allowing magically prompt feedback. It's wonderful to see that being put to use for folk who cannot access - or afford - more conventional fairy tale and folklore studies and scholarship!

What inspired the idea of this school , how many glass mountains did you climb and what did the two of end up throwing into your combined cauldron to make this a reality?

The origins of Carterhaugh lie, unglamorously but appropriately, in jetlag and a truly ridiculous conversation that took place between about midnight and 3am the night before we attended a conference on Folklore and the Gothic in the UK last spring (2016). We were desperately trying to sleep, and instead we ended up talking about the kinds of classes we would most love to teach and lamenting the fact that people who might really enjoy those classes wouldn’t have access to them if we taught them in a university setting. We don’t remember who thought of it first, but at some point during that conversation, we lifted the glamor of “this-is-how-we’ve-always-taught-and-so-it-must-always-be” and imagined a door to Carterhaugh, a place where we could teach beyond the limits of a traditional classroom. We had already co-taught and lectured several times, and while we both enjoy teaching our solo classes at OSU, we know that we can create a dynamic, engaging conversation when we work together. That synergy has driven the project forward, from designing syllabi to creating promotional materials to reaching out to our community of magical friends and beyond.

The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic holds a name likely familiar to regular readers here: Carterhaugh. What is it that prompted you to choose this name for your new online school and courses (other than a gentle but firm reminder to Faerie Queens that they're being watched)?

We actually struggled quite a bit with the name! We wanted something that was evocative of Faery but that also sounded professional, like a real school. We went through several ideas before landing on the final name, but we think it fits perfectly. We like to imagine the forbidden grounds of Carterhaugh as the secret, liminal space on which we have constructed a school somewhere between reality and imagination.

What are both your backgrounds of personal -o̶b̶s̶e̶s̶s̶i̶o̶n̶- interest and -̶s̶p̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶c̶a̶s̶t̶i̶n̶g̶-̶ study that have culminated in this school?

We have both loved folk and fairy tales pretty much since we can first remember - we were both voracious readers (and school nerds?) when younger and, through various winding roads and tangled forests, both managed to discover that one could actually study our favorite stories professionally in an academic setting (!) We first met in an MA program in Folklore at George Mason University and quickly became known as the “fairy-tale girls” there. We were an instant matched set, always excited by our work and driven by our passion for these stories. We constantly found ways to collaborate and work together. We thought we would probably have to go on to different programs after we finished at GMU, since we were so similar in our interests, but an unexpected turn of events (one that we’re certain the fairies had something to do with!), allowed us to both be accepted into the Folklore program at The Ohio State University as well! We are currently PhD candidates there, both focusing on folklore and nineteenth-century literature - Sara is working on her dissertation about fairy tales and disability, Brittany’s is on fairy tales, fairy legends, and the Gothic aesthetic. We continue to do all kinds of things together too, from articles to poetry to presentations. And now, of course, our school!

Do you have any affiliations or partnerships with other institutions, businesses or fairy folk?

Yes! We are alumni of the George Mason University Folklore MA program, and we are currently employed by the Ohio State University, where we teach classes on folklore, fairy tales, and literature as we complete our dissertations. We are also affiliated with fellow fairy fiends all over the country. We met colleagues when we interned at the Library of Congress who first demonstrated to us how to educate and revel outside of the box. Many of our fae colleagues are friends that we met online, and little communities have grown as a result- for example, with our dear friend Grace Nuth, we run a Facebook group called Daily Fae-shion and its 700+ members share and discuss fae-inspired fashion and daily wear. We also co-run, with the fantastic Derek Newman-Stille, the website Through the Twisted Woods, a hub for folk narrative dedicated to both representing and disrupting fairy tales, folktales, myths, legends, and fables by focusing on tales and retellings that live on the fringes of the enchanted woods, the tales that are underrepresented and that push beyond what we think of as the traditional.

So who can participate? (Are house elves allowed?) Is this US-specific? Are magic carpets required at any point? What about those who live 'between?

Pretty much anyone can participate! That’s one of the best parts about having the school online - everyone can play and no magic carpets are required to get to classes! We’re open to anyone (house elves included!) regardless of country. We welcome all ages and levels of education- while our classes are geared towards an adult audience, we had an absolutely wonderful twelve-year-old student and his mother participate in our short Halloween course as part of their homeschooling curriculum, and they were fantastic! Part of our mission is to reach students who, for whatever reason (monetary or accessibility or illness), could not take a class like this through traditional college classes.

What are you hoping folk will take away from the course/s? (Other than reasons to leave - or not leave - a bowl of milk outside at night?)

Keys. Wonder. Unspolied Milk. A Spell or Two. Reignited Passion. Old Stories. New Stories. Buttons.

Part II of our interview continues tomorrow! 

Tune in to learn about some juicy specifics of The Fairy Tale course beginning in January.

In the meantime, you can read the general introduction to the course HERE and sign up - or send a gift - HERE (scroll down the page to see the payment options).

Here's the sign-up detail summary:

Dates: January 16th, 19th, 23rd, 26th, 30th, February 2nd, 6th, 9th, 13th, 16th – note that these are simply the dates that materials will be posted! You will be able to access everything indefinitely and watch whenever is most convenient to you. 

Total Number of Lessons: 10 

What’s Included: Welcome Letter, Mailed Special Welcome Package, 10 Video Lectures, 10 PowerPoint Presentations, 10 Beautiful PDF “Grimoire Page” Lesson Summaries, PDFs or Links to Any Supplementary Reading, Personal Feedback on Completed Final Assignment if Desired 

Any Additional Materials Needed: No 

Registration Closes: January 15th at Midnight 

Price: $150 – you can pay in one, two, or three installments! Full payment must be complete by the time registration closes on January 15th.

By the way, do you love - or do you LOVE - the design below like we do? If you want to give something extra to the lucky giftee receiving the registration for the course, that they can hold in their lucky little hands, this is now available as a t-shirt or tote bag! You can find the info on that HERE.

Note: All illustrations in this post, barring the Carterhaugh School logo by Rachel Oakes, are either by Edmund Dulac or Arthur Rackham. But you probably already knew that. ;)