"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

Only One Week Until...

...Timeless Tales Magazine will open for Rumpelstiltskin submissions! On August 18, they will begin accepting retellings of this classic trickster tale. Short stories or poetry welcome. Pay is a flat rate of $20 per piece. Writers should read the Timeless Tales Submissions page for full details. 

Some musings from from TT's editor, Tahlia: 

Ah, here we are again, gearing up for another issue. What's funny is that we received an astonishing number of poems for our King Arthur issue, but something tells me that a dude with a funny name might not inspire quite as many sonnets as romance and chivalry (SO MANY longing glances and melancholy sighs!). Personally, I believe there's a great deal of potential in the straw-into-gold imagery as a metaphor. We shall see what people come up with. 

If you need inspiration, one of my favorite authors, Vivian Vande Velde, wrote a hilarious book called The Rumpelstiltskin Problem that is devoted solely to picking apart this tale's many plot holes (Why the heck would someone who actually could spin straw into gold do so in exchange for some small pieces of jewelry???). It's a short book and you can probably whiz through it in an evening. 

Most Recent Cover

The cover on my copy of the book

Looking forward to reading everything that gets sent my way. Ready, set, WRITE!

Fairy Tale Review's Charcoal Issue To Focus on Fairy Tales as Forms of Resistance & Protest (Submissions Open)

Artwork by Erika Rier

We feel this is possibly the only way to return to reporting regular fairy tale news at this time: standing with those who refuse to sit down. 

Thank you Fairy Tale Review. 

"Wands up!"

In a time when the shifting political and cultural landscapes of our world are becoming increasingly authoritarian, restrictive, intolerant, and frightening, we have decided to dedicate The Charcoal Issue to fairy tales as forms of resistance and protest. 

A remnant material left behind after a fire, charcoal is also a source with which new fires are created. So, too, is the way of resistance—born from the heat of difficulty and tragedy, but also the fuel we use to light the way forward. 

For the coming issue, we are most interested in fairy tales that challenge the current political climate, fairy tales that resist outdated norms or binaries, fairy tales that reconfigure the faults of older stories, and fairy tales that expose abuses of power. Fairy tales with, as Kate Bernheimer has suggested, “radical strategies of survival. Ways to get out alive.”  (Emphasis by FTNH)

Fairy tales that resist domination. Fairy tales that protest annihilation. 

Submissions will be open from January 1, 2017 to March 31, 2017. The Charcoal Issue will be published in early 2018.

Also, a comment from Fairy Tale Review's Instagram feed, posted with the image at the head of the post:

Sometimes, we feel as though we lack the words to explain what "fairy tales as forms of resistance and protest" mean to us. Sometimes, we need others to help us find the words. 

To that end, we feel very honored to have published "Suddenly," a short piece of nonfiction from Carmen Giménez Smith, earlier this week. 

If you are wondering how fairy tales or folklore could possible be resistance, we recommend reading Suddenly. It will also be very helpful to anyone wishing to submit to the Charcoal Issue.

We wish all those writers and artists looking to contribute, much inspiration, hope, bravery and the knowledge that you are not alone.

Very much looking forward to this issue, Fairy Tale Review!

Timeless Tales Arthurian Legend Submissions Opening Soon

From Tahlia, Editor at Timeless Tales Magazine...

Writers! Dust off your Monmouth, your Malory, and maybe even your Monty Python, because Timeless Tales will soon be accepting retellings of Arthurian Legends!

The submission window will run from March 27 - May 5. Please see our SUBMISSIONS page for full details.

Special Note: Since this theme encompasses many stories, if you submit a retelling that heavily references a specific tale (ie, "Gawain & the Green Knight"), please include the name of the tale in your cover letter. We have a solid familiarity with this genre, but it is vast. So do us a favor and don't assume we're Medieval scholars.  

Also, just for our blog readers, here's a list of hopes and fears I have for this issue:

Fear: Pieces written in Old English. Maybe this is a long shot, but I know how passionate some professors are about the original text of these stories. I'm already having flashbacks to the Chaucer unit in my Sophomore English Lit class with all the crazy spelling...and I'm not just talking "Ye Olde Taverne" like you see at the Renaissance festival. True old English is like another language! I really want to retellings that are accessible to a non-academic audience.

Hope: Smart humor that isn't a total ripoff of Monty Python. One of my favorite takes on Arthurian Legend is Gerald Morris' Squire's Tale series. It mercilessly mocks the irrational plots and outlandish characters of the original tales, but you can tell the author researched his butt off for these books. There's a genuine affection behind the jests, too. I'd love to read some short stories or poems like that.

Fear: Too many love triangles. So many filmmakers and playwrights have reduced Arthurian legend to the Lancelot/Guinevere affair. Simply changing the setting to the wild west or modern day won't save this trope from being overdone. There's more to King Arthur than a tragic romance. 

Hope: Fairy tale crossovers. I especially hope someone sends me a tasty 12 Dancing Princesses/Knights of the Round Table mashup, but this genre is ripe for other combinations. 

So what are you waiting for? Get writing!

Northlore Series Open Call for Submissions!

We just recently posted a review by OUABlog reviewer, Leena Naidoo, HERE, for the first volume in this series, "Folklore" and now an exciting opportunity from Nordland Publishing has arisen.

Here's the announcement from the official website:

Open Call for the Northlore Series 

  

We are pleased to announce the second open call of the series: Myth. 

We are looking for short stories between 3-8000 words and Poetry of any length.
This collection will contain the secret history of the Norse gods.
“Over a period of 400 years, Christianity came to the Scandinavians, sometimes at the point of a sword.  

Slowly it spread, until only small pockets of the old religion persisted. 

The gods of the North understood their time had come. They withdrew from the world, disappearing into the realm of myth. 

But they did not die. This is their story.” 

Three books, three themes, one vision: Northlore.

 

Before you submit your work, please be sure to follow the publication guidelines.

DEADLINE EXTENDED! Timeless Tales Magazine Cover Contest (with Publishing & Cash Prize!)

A very cool opportunity and announcement from Tahlia at Timeless Tales Magazine!

We're hosting a cover contest! 

Here are the details, in case you missed them in the first announcement: 

The Prize: $40 to the contest winner and the possibility of future paid gigs in the future. Your cover will be featured on our Baba Yaga issue and credit will be given inside the issue to your work, including a link to your portfolio/website. 

The work of Five Favorite Runners-Up will be chosen to be featured in a blog post when our cover is revealed.   

The contest will be judged solely by me (Tahlia) and is completely based on my opinions and vision for the magazine.  

Submissions announcement image only - you do not need to reference these visuals in any way!

THE RULES: 

• WHEN: From Now Until August 15th 2015, 12am CST -- winner announced before the end of August 16th, 2015 (CST) 

• WHERE: Email all submissions to timelesstalesmagazine@gmail.com with the words "Baba Yaga Cover Contest" in the subject line. 

• FORMAT: PNG preferred, but will also accept high quality JPGs. Please label the file with your name. 

• SIZE: Either 940 x 900 or 816 x 1056

Elements it must include:

1. The title "Timeless Tales Magazine". Would ideally like it to use our official logo's font, but will consider different fonts. See this Dropbox link for PNG files of our title:https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hg3ve42d9cxzsza/AAAwihto9ob4HrbSfVJdWbEKa?dl=0 

2. The words "Baba Yaga" somewhere. 

3. The words "Issue #5" somewhere.  

4. A graphic that vividly represents our theme, Baba Yaga. This could be your interpretation of Baba Yaga herself or it could be her infamous house, her mortar/pestle, or anything else you feel captures an aspect of those tales. 

5. Your bio in the body of the email that we can use if you win. If you want to include a few lines about your process coming up with the cover design, feel free. 

6. Optionally, I've included TT's Hourglass logo in the dropbox graphics (See item #1). I've never found a way to incorporate it into a cover, but if you want to try using it, feel free to give it a try. 

IMPORTANT: Please avoid classic storybook styles.  

We are aiming for a style that looks like a modern magazine cover (or vintage/retro at the oldest).

For example, you notice that our 12 Dancing Princesses doesn't look fairytale-ish because we want to prepare our readers for a variety of genres, from sci-fi to westerns, in our magazine. 

Look at our other covers for inspiration HERE. 

Don't forget to check out the mini-covers we create for each story, too (click on each issue to view the mini-covers for each)! 

Please only use graphics you legally have a right to use. 

Please, please, please don't put me in the awful position of getting a nasty email from a photographer/artist saying we're using their image without asking permission.  

Have fun, be creative and think outside the usual boxes!  

You're always welcome to email me (Tahlia) questions at timelesstalesmagazine@gmail.com, if you want to run a risky idea by me before creating it. 

Here's the countdown to the NEW DEADLINE!

Have fun and good luck!

Tahlia Merrill Kirk

Editor of Timeless Tales Magazine

www.timelesstalesmagazine.com

Baba Yaga Cover Contest for Timeless Tales Magazine (With Publishing + Cash Prize!)

A very cool opportunity and announcement from Tahlia at Timeless Tales Magazine!

In the past, I've always designed TT's front covers myself using the wonderful, magical design website, Canva. Considering that I have no background in art, I usually feel fairly satisfied with the result. But for a long time, I've pined after the possibility of having a real artist design them.  

Thanks to a new paid freelance writing gig, I finally have a little extra room in our budget to host a cover contest.  

Here are the details: 

The Prize: $40 to the contest winner and the possibility of future paid gigs in the future. Your cover will be featured on our Baba Yaga issue and credit will be given inside the issue to your work, including a link to your portfolio/website. 

Submissions announcement image only - you do not need to reference these visuals in any way!

The work of Five Favorite Runners-Up will be chosen to be featured in a blog post when our cover is revealed.   

The contest will be judged solely by me (Tahlia) and is completely based on my opinions and vision for the magazine.  

THE RULES: 

• WHEN: From Now Until August 15th 2015, 12am CST -- winner announced before the end of August 16th, 2015 (CST) 

• WHERE: Email all submissions to timelesstalesmagazine@gmail.com with the words "Baba Yaga Cover Contest" in the subject line. 

• FORMAT: PNG preferred, but will also accept high quality JPGs. Please label the file with your name. 

• SIZE: Either 940 x 900 or 816 x 1056

Elements it must include:

1. The title "Timeless Tales Magazine". Would ideally like it to use our official logo's font, but will consider different fonts. See this Dropbox link for PNG files of our title:https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hg3ve42d9cxzsza/AAAwihto9ob4HrbSfVJdWbEKa?dl=0 

2. The words "Baba Yaga" somewhere. 

3. The words "Issue #5" somewhere.  

4. A graphic that vividly represents our theme, Baba Yaga. This could be your interpretation of Baba Yaga herself or it could be her infamous house, her mortar/pestle, or anything else you feel captures an aspect of those tales. 

5. Your bio in the body of the email that we can use if you win. If you want to include a few lines about your process coming up with the cover design, feel free. 

6. Optionally, I've included TT's Hourglass logo in the dropbox graphics (See item #1). I've never found a way to incorporate it into a cover, but if you want to try using it, feel free to give it a try. 

IMPORTANT: Please avoid classic storybook styles. 

We are aiming for a style that looks like a modern magazine cover (or vintage/retro at the oldest). Look at our other covers for inspiration HERE. 

Don't forget to check out the mini-covers we create for each story, too (click on each issue to view the mini-covers for each)! 

For example, you notice that our 12 Dancing Princesses doesn't look fairytale-ish because we want to prepare our readers for a variety of genres, from sci-fi to westerns, in our magazine.  

Please only use graphics you legally have a right to use. 

Please, please, please don't put me in the awful position of getting a nasty email from a photographer/artist saying we're using their image without asking permission.  

Have fun, be creative and think outside the usual boxes!  

You're always welcome to email me (Tahlia) questions at timelesstalesmagazine@gmail.com, if you want to run a risky idea by me before creating it. 

The clock starts ticking... NOW!

Have fun and good luck!

Tahlia Merrill Kirk

Editor of Timeless Tales Magazine

www.timelesstalesmagazine.com

Timeless Tales Magazine Opens for Submissions Again Very Soon.. (Psst! The Tale To Twist Is Baba Yaga!)

Here's a Public Service Announcement from Tahlia Kirk, editor of Timeless Tales Magazine:

Here ye, here ye! We will soon be opening submissions again. Here are the bare minimum facts, but for goodness sake, please read our full submission guidelines before submitting: http://www.timelesstalesmagazine.com/#!submissions/c1vmu 

• All accepted writers will receive $15 for their stories.
• Length: Up to 2,000 words. Under 1,500 preferred.
• We have received some of our best stories from previously unpublished writers, so don't be shy!

This time, our theme is that most infamous of witches: Baba Yaga. This is a theme picked by TT's readers and I'll admit that I'm a bit nervous because I don't have a strong background with Eastern European folklore. For our last issue, we had several highly scholarly stories that pulled on obscure details from Greek mythology and I was pretty proud that I could track with most of them. But this time, I've been boning up on my research because I want to be prepared for whatever our writers might throw at me.

I'm excited, though! There may be a ton of witch stories out there, but there aren't many Baba Yaga specific novels/movies, so there's lots of untapped potential here. Here are a few ideas you might use:

1. Baba Yaga/Little Mermaid mashup (perhaps a tad obvious, but could still be awesome)

2. Sci-fi Baba Yaga (because I would love to see her chicken house as a chicken space ship or something)

3. Baba Yaga as a Western 

4. Ivan and the Beanstalk 

5.  Baba Yaga as a Genie/Djinn

6. How Cinderella might have ended differently if her fairy godmother had been Baba Yaga

Think outside the box. Challenge yourself. Be bold. SUBMIT!!! (Errr, that came out more dictatorial than intended, but you get the idea). 

FTNH: Someone please write Number 6. I totally want to read that!

Introducing "Tiny Donkey" and the Brief Fairy Tale Essay

A donkey prince learns to play the flute and find happiness in “The Little Donkey.” by the amazing Andrea Dezsö

There's a new fairy tale journal in town! Fairy Tale Review - the respected literary fairy tale journal that publishes yearly - is supporting the launch of this new undergraduate journal, which invites people from all over to contribute.

From Fairy Tale Review:

Tiny Donkey: Brief Essays from FairylandWe are thrilled to announce the launch of Tiny Donkey, an undergraduate journal of short-form fairy tale nonfiction. The journal is the result of collaboration between Fairy Tale Review editorial assistant Wren Awry,Fairy Tale Review founder Kate Bernheimer, and Fairy Tale ReviewManaging Editor Joel Hans. 

Tiny Donkey will publish short essays (up to 400 words in length) that explore fairy tales through scholarly, personal and cultural lenses. 

We are incredibly excited to give undergraduate writers the opportunity to explore their love of fairy tales in a unique form. Through Tiny Donkey, we hope foster the next generation of fairy-tale writers, scholars, and educators—the very same kinds of people who have made Fairy Tale Review what it is today, and will continue to manipulate the contemporary fairy tale into wildly innovative forms.

And from Tiny Donkey itself, there is this information:

Donkey Prince by Paul Hey

You can write Tiny Donkey essays from a lot of different angles (our first three posts include a piece that analyzes a film in relation to Bluebeard, one that ties in wolf re-introduction in New Mexico to wolf tropes in fairy tales, and a personal essay about hollow mountains, Jack Tales and the coal industry in Appalachia). You might come up with an entirely new idea, or turn a class paper in to a polished micro-essay. We’re open to challenging and unique form and content, just get in touch!

Sounds pretty wonderful, doesn't it? I look forward to seeing future fairy tale essay innovations.

And if you're asking "why Tiny Donkey?" I can tell you that Tiny Donkey is an official off-shoot of Fairy Tale Review, which may give well read fairy tale readers a clue... (The particular donkey I believe they are referring to is a prince who is yet to come into his own.)

No matter what "skin" you are currently in, this journal gives you the opportunity to see what's really inside.

If you're looking for inspiration, checking out the Fairy Tale Review's mini-blog feature, Fairy Tale Files, which bring eclectic fairy tale related ideas together on a theme. They're like the written version of mini mind maps and are great for getting your creative juices pumping.

Good luck fairy tale writers!

Note: Did you know Angela Carter wrote a version of Tiny Donkey for children? It's a little illustrated book (now out of print of course).

Reminder & Update: Submissions Call for "Frozen Fairy Tales" Anthology

A special note from Kate Wolford of Enchanted Conversation. 

World Weaver Press and I are working on taking submissions for an upcoming fairy tale anthology set in winter. I can't emphasize enough that the field is wide open. 

We're super interested in holiday-related stories, but as long as a story is set in winter, it has a chance. A sense of winter and its perils and possibilities must be part your story.

Please familiarize yourself with  the kind of tales I've published on EC in the past. You can do that by looking at tales that have been published on EC. Just go to  fairytalemagazine.com and look under the banner for relevant details. 

Please note, it's new fairy tales we're looking for. No other kind of story. 

Also, don't make them too short. We've got a book to fill and a limited budget. By the same token, super-long ones have a lesser chance as well.

Full submission details for this anthology can be found HERE.

My book, Beyond the Glass Slipper, gives a lot of perspective on how I see fairy tales and how to make them new.

Also, there will be a giveaway for fabulous fairy-tale art by Paula Richey soon, so keep visiting the site. 

Kate Wolford

Creator & Editor - Enchanted Conversation

If you love fairy tales and have been looking to add to your paid published resume, or want to be published but haven't yet, this is an opportunity for you! 

PS: You have just SIX WEEKS till the deadline!