Icelandic "Beast" is a GO!

Huge congratulations to Max Gold and the production crew and cast of Beast!

They got their Kickstarter funded with a whole day left till the funding deadline, and sponsors are still signing up. It all means better resources for the production, (including the shouldn't-be-underestimated need for hot chocolate in Iceland during principle photography!).

So the film shoot is ON - and it appears we'll start seeing results of this new Icelandic/Viking Beauty and the Beast, as early as October this year. (Wow.)

In celebration, I've added some more eye candy lovely images from the project.

If you'd like to be part of helping make this project a success you can still contribute to the Kickstarter HERE with any amount from $1 up. For $30, however, you are guaranteed your very own copy of the film. (Since distribution for theaters and ultimately for DVD and Blu-ray aren't yet known, this is one way to make sure you actually see it - and soon.)

Bring on the Beast!

National Poetry Month: "Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty" by Christine Heppermann

April is National Poetry Month and fairy tales seem to encourage a lot of poetry in response. While I cannot begin to keep up with the offerings out there, here's something that caught my eye a while back that I thought would be good to share.

Please note: I have NOT seen this book in person, nor read much more than what I could scour online, so this is really more of an announcement rather than a review. 

"Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty" (released in September 2014) says exactly what's it's about in the title. Author Christine Heppermann expresses the world of young adults trying to deal with body image, self love, media messages, who they really are as opposed to whom they believe they should be and relationships of all kinds. In other words, it has something for everyone. 

The book contains fifty poems (very easy to read if you're not a poetry person too), along with photography that is sometimes modern, sometimes symbolic, created for the volume, providing another window into these ideas, or a reflection on the same. While girls will clearly identify with many of the issues and sentiments explored here, most of those apply to boys too. It's just that we forget that when the image is a girl with a red hood...

Description:

Christine Heppermann's collection of fifty poems puts the ideals of fairy tales right beside the life of the modern teenage girl. With piercing truths reminiscent of Laurie Halse Anderson and Ellen Hopkins, this is a powerful and provocative book for every young woman. E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars, calls it "a bloody poetic attack on the beauty myth that's caustic, funny, and heartbreaking." 

Cruelties come not just from wicked stepmothers, but also from ourselves. There are expectations, pressures, judgment, and criticism. Self-doubt and self-confidence. But there are also friends, and sisters, and a whole hell of a lot of power there for the taking. In fifty poems, Christine Heppermann confronts society head on. Using fairy tale characters and tropes, Poisoned Apples explores how girls are taught to think about themselves, their bodies, and their friends. The poems range from contemporary retellings to first-person accounts set within the original tales, and from deadly funny to deadly serious. Complemented throughout with black-and-white photographs from up-and-coming artists, this is a stunning and sophisticated book to be treasured, shared, and paged through again and again.

The book has been labeled 'feminist', as well as 'caustic' and emotive'. From a review by cecildaily:

One poem reflects on the modern day version of a love charm: “Such spells call for ingredients / missing from my cupboard” it laments. Modern love charms, it explains, do not require “eye of newt” or “tongue of toad,” but instead “plump lips” and “smooth skin.”Another poem shows that once Sleeping Beauty realizes all the things that go into being a girl, “showering, shaving, shampooing, conditioning,” she thinks how much easier it was to be asleep. The poems all illustrate how humans are often told to strive for perfection and how damaging that can be for our self-esteem.

I'm also adding some reviews that reflect my impressions on reading the little I did, and am including screenshots of the Author's Note. I think the latter will be of special interest to fairy tale folk here who've done more than average reading of fairy tales and texts, and know whom she's referring to when she mentions Marina Warner:

“It’s a bit of a mystery how a slender, subversive book of flayed fairy tale poetry can chronicle how the world tries to rob young women of power, while at the same time handing them back that power. Teen girls should read this—so should their mothers, their aunts, their grandmothers…” (Gayle Forman, author of the New York Times-bestselling Just One Day/Just One Year duet) 

“A bloody poetic attack on the beauty myth that’s caustic, funny, and heartbreaking.” (-- E. Lockhart, author of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and We Were Liars) 

“Many of the poems read like something you might find on a smart, funny contemporary women’s website, probably going viral. . . . They each pack their own literary punch; she is, after all, a poet riffing on fairy tales.” (Elle.com)

Have you read "Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty"?

If you have, let us know what you thought.

Ballet: Northern Ballet's "The Shoemaker & the Elves" Comes to Stirling (Scotland)

I honestly cannot remember seeing a 'real' ballet based on this fairy tale. Theater, yes, puppets, yes, some local ballet companies putting together a variety-type show for parents and sponsors, yes, but not a professional performance. So this is pretty cool.

 This ballet has been touring for about a year now and has gotten excellent reviews wherever they've gone. And now they're headed to Scotland.

Note: if you need to refresh your memory regarding the story, the always fantastic SurLaLune has an annotated version you can read HERE. Oh, and don't worry - there will be no naked elves in this production! (It appears they are leaf clad until they get their new outfits.)

Starting April 9th, Northern Ballet will bring a new ballet for children, "The Elves and the Shoemaker", based on the fairy tale of the same name, for a limited run to the macrobert arts centre in Stirling. Designed for children to be both 'real ballet', yet not needing any interpretation to  understand the story, the performance lasts about forty minutes and is the latest in an award winning children's arts series.

Choreographed by Ballet Master Daniel de Andrade, ‘The Elves and the Shoemaker’ is the latest in the award-winning series of Short Ballets for Small People which already includes the hugely popular ‘Ugly Duckling’ and ‘Three Little Pigs’. (source)

Here is a great little preview, including some behind-the-scenes. The music sounds delightful and the palette of what appears to be autumn colors is beautiful:

There is a delightful 'storybook' of the ballet, using photos (you can see an additional gallery HERE) from a special performance, that's worth taking a look at (I'm attempting to embed below) and there are additional resources for teachers and parents who want something to tie in to the ballet.

Sounds like a lot of fun!

If you're interested in going, here are the details:

‘The Elves and the Shoemaker’ is at the macrobert arts centre on Thursday, April 9 at 12.15 p.m., 2 p.m. & 4 p.m. 

For tickets, priced £8.50, call the box office on 01786 466 666 or visit www.w.macrobert.org.

Note: All photos were taken by Brian Slater for Northern Ballet in a special performance.

Fairy Tale Movies Sent "Into the Woods"

A little treat of a trailer for a bonus fun post today, made by someone who clearly loves fairy tales, animated movies and "Into The Woods". While there are a ton of fan made "trailers" mixing up the soundtrack from ads with images from Disney and other films, and I honestly wasn't expecting much, this one is a stand out and worth your time.

It might make you think of those Disney (& more) stories a little differently too...

Enjoy!

Ask Baba Yaga: How Can I Be Happy For My Ex?

The Spring (Baba Yaga and the Wolf) - by Tin Can Forest

Ex's are weird: ex-partners, ex-friends, ex-co-workers - anyone whom you spent a significant portion of your time, energy and care on but is no longer in your life, can really make you wonder why you were so easy to move on from. And are you less now because they have?

Today's question and answer (via poet and oracle Taisia Kitaiskaia* of The Hairpin):

(Originally posted at The Hairpin HERE)

"The black puddle where he left his paw print..." whoa. Isn't that so much like everyone you've cared for who's moved on and seemingly forgotten about you? I have to remember to "drink" the remembrance that I helped them be who they are, as much as they did me. Those 'cubs' grown with their teeth. I'm glad I helped them grow. I'm glad they are not here to bite me. Thanks Baba Yaga.

What do you think of Baba Yaga's advice?

Want to ask Baba Yaga a question of your own?

You can!

There's an email address where you can send your questions

directly to Baba Yaga herself.

AskBabaYaga AT gmail DOT com

To encourage Baba Yaga to continue imparting her no-bones-about-it wisdom (ok, there may be some gristle in there... bones too), I suggest we not to leave her box empty... 

Thank you Baba Yaga (& Taisia).

* Taisia Kitaiskaia is a poet, writer, and Michener Center for Writers fellow. Born in Russia and raised in America, she's had her poems and translations published in Narrative Magazine, Poetry International, and others.

Happy Easter, Ēostre, Passover & Spring Sunday!

Happy Easter!

(Or whatever you call this feast day of flowers, egg-hunts, spring goodness and Monster Chicken visits!)

In honor of the day and also to encourage the sentiment of hope and the importance of keeping our tales, fables and folklore alive, I thought I'd post some gorgeous artwork from Rise of the Guardians  - specifically Bunnymund, who's the guardian of HOPE, and spreads that sentiment with extra enthusiasm (and colorful eggs) during Spring on Easter morning.
            
It doesn't hurt for me personally, that in the movie, Bunnymund is specifically Australian, which, we're told is where the original Spring came from.  (Wow, now that's a story and it works very well with the idea of Australia being nicknamed Down Under, as well as the Persephone myth and our sunburnt land's propensity to blossom instantly, and colorfully, back to life at the first hint of rain...) He also has his Warren Headquarters underneath the continent and tunnels that lead to everywhere in the world, so he can race around the globe in seconds.

I know many people have had an exceptionally difficult year-past and the Winter/Christmas season was really rough. You're feeling tired, overwhelmed and unmotivated and that's completely normal. The great thing about Spring is that nature is eager to help you get through that and tries to show you with each new flower, leaf and egg-hunt giggles that there are still good times to be had.

Let some magic make you smile this weekend and remember your child inside:

So this Spring, hold Hope fast in your hearts and watch it spread wherever you go. Tell your stories, encourage other to tell theirs and renew your wonder of the world. It's an amazing place if you remember how to see it.

Blessings to all my fairy tale friends this Easter Day!

Bunnymnd: "That's a lotta hair fer an anklebiter!"
Merida: "Aye. An' you're a lotta hare..."
Bunnymund: "Fair enough. Least you didn't call me a kangaroo. How'dya like yur eggs?"

ABC's "Once Upon A Time" Just Made One Of Its Smartest Moves Ever Revealing "The Author"

So... refresher for those who haven't managed to keep up with OUAT and a primer for the next episode for those who have:

Note: apologies for the lateness with this but I've only just caught up! 

**SOME SPOILERS AHEAD**

Henry (Regina/Evil Queen's kid and Emma-the-Savior's biological kid) was given a book of fairy tales by his teacher (Snow White/Mary Margaret) to give him hope. This set off the whole "fairy tales are real" thing for Henry and the book has been key to many story lines over the series, whether directly or by clues and foreshadowing that fans search frame by frame for.

The big drive for this season part B? Regina/Evil Queen is working her way back to humanity and doing her best to shed the "E-word" off of her name, but she's been told the only way someone who has been evil can have a happy ending is for THE AUTHOR to rewrite it. (Oh yeah - and Evil Girl Gang - Maleficent, Cruella, Ursula - came to town to complicate things but whatevs. Apart from Maleficent's arc it's just a B-side distraction right now.)

So they've (all) been hunting for The Author.

Last Sunday's episode "Best Laid Plans" had better than average amount of good stuff - lots of magical 101 stuff that wasn't so ridiculously... ridiculous. Just your average unicorn, dragon, magic egg, eggnapping aka baby-snatching (with a heart-wrenching performance by Kristin Bauer who plays Maleficent) and a magical book...  and some good magic-and-consequences writing that felt more 'true fairy tale' for the show than usual. (Yay!)

(Oh wait - magical egg - "Best Laid Plans" - it's the pre-Easter episode - I see what you did there writers.)

Long story short: last Sunday they found him - or, more importantly, they found out whom The Author is: it's... a job title (not a specific person) for the one creating the stories with the magic quill - in the magic book - at that time.*

Click on image to go to many more logo-free screen caps

Pinocchio/August: “There have been many authors throughout time. It’s a job, not a person, and the one trapped in here was just the last tasked with the great responsibility. To record… to witness, the greatest stories of all time and record them for posterity. The job has gone back eons: From the man who watched shadows dance across cave walls and developed an entire philosophy, to playwrights who tell tales of poetry, to a man named Walt. Many have had this sacred job. Great women and men who took on the responsibility with the gravity that it deserved.”

So maybe the statement isn't quite as clear as those of us who care about these things would like but it's a HUGE shift from the Disney-centric universe we've seen to date. It implies the stories were real, as in had a historical basis, but then that's the premise of the show, so with that in mind, it's fine.

Really glad to see women being referenced along with the men. And I'm OK with them mentioning Walt because it's true. (And he created the parent company that runs the show, so it's a nice "thank you" in a way.)

Whether or not it heralds a change with regard to the ideas driving the stories from here on out, and more fairy tale history is mined as a result (unlikely but I can always hope), I thought this one scene - and key building block in the OUAT universe - was noteworthy enough by itself to mark it here.

The best thing I see in this is that all those passionate fans (and there remain many) who haven't the slightest clue that fairy tales have a life beyond (and well before) Disney, are going to absorb this, and the idea will make its way back into the public consciousness.

So: cheers to writers Kalinda Vazquez, Jane Espenson and the rest of the OUAT team! You've done your storytelling heritage proud.

Prediction: Eventually Henry will become an Author. Heck - at this point it's like he's been in training for it!

Fairy tale bonus of the day:

What if Tom Riddle is The Author?

*So maybe there's been some mischief-writing that needs remedying but do they need the specific writer who wrote that in the first place to fix it? Or will any Author, past of future, do? Dum-dum-daaah!

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!

Theater: (Legend of) The White Snake Now Playing At San Diego's Old Globe Theater

The Old Globe Theater in San Diego California, is bringing a Chinese folktale to the stage! The White Snake, also known as Legend of The White Snake and Madame White Snake, (originally White Lady or White Maiden) is now considered one of China's Four Great Folktales and this production is reported to be a visual feast (something the photos show beautifully as well). The reviews are glowing and promise that the production will endear audiences of all ages to this popular Chinese fairy tale.

Summary:

Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman creates an enchanting theatrical spectacle with live music and sumptuous visuals. In this visionary staging of a classic Chinese fable, a gentle serpent transforms into a beautiful woman. She falls in love with a dashing young man and decides to stay human forever, until a wicked monk discovers her true identity and vows to destroy her. The White Snake is an unforgettable theatrical event for all ages that NPR called “strikingly beautiful.” The New York Times proclaimed that Zimmerman “creates richly imagistic works—her eye refines and refinishes, drawing ever-sharper pictures from the texts she theatricalizes.”

From La Jolla Light:

Charm is all over The Old Globe Theare’s production of the Chinese fable “The White Snake,” directed by Tony Award-winner Mary Zimmerman. Globe’s artistic director Barry Edelstein accurately summed up her talents when he called her a practitioner of the stage director’s art at the highest level. 

Zimmerman’s proficiency with staging fables, myths and ancient tales is why “The White Snake” resonates with audience members from beginning to end. Costumed musicians who take their place before the stage lead off this joyous journey.
High on a mountaintop, two kindred spirits have had enough of their boring lifestyle and commands from Fa Hai, the wicked holy man. Having studied ancient traditions, the two have the ability to transform themselves from snakes into women, which makes White Snake (Amy Kim Waschke) and Green Snake (Tanya Thai McBride) ready to seek an adventure. They talk about listening to music, socializing with people and maybe even falling in love, as they make their way down the mountain. 

The exquisite set changes from designer Daniel Ostling include transporting the women through a stage-sized cloth that represents the clouds they fly through. Arriving at their destination they find a world full of color, beautiful costumes, Chinese paintings and lanterns.

   

(Read the rest of the review HERE)

If you're interested in going “The White Snake” currently runs matinees, evenings through April 26, 2015 at The Old Globe Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park, San Diego. Tickets from $29 at (619) 234-5623 or theoldglobe.org