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 … Continued
Unlikely to star in a fairy tale anytime soon, flies nonetheless play a role in the Grimm Brothers’ “The Brave Little Tailor.” A breakfast annoyance, seven flies are felled by the meek clothier with a single swat, his personalized belt which reads “seven in one blow” leading to a series of adventures in the garment-maker’s … Continued
No tour of fictional turtles is complete without mention of the Chinese Bixi
The Translucent Issue is coming.
Pre-order nownothing moves
let white rush in
the eyes,
still
in the display
once
Scruple convinces Gargamel to locate the quill, which is protected by fire-breathing griffins in Castle Quill
We’re thrilled to announce our Pushcart Prize nominations, all from The Ochre Issue. Poetry: Christopher Citro, “We’re Actually Fabulous” Laura Grothaus, “Pinocchio Revisited” Rebecca Perea-Kane, “The Kunstkamera, St. Petersburg” Prose: Courtney Bird, “The Diamond Girl” Muriel Leung, “How to Fall in Love in a Time of Unnameable Disaster” Rachel Richardson, “The Bear’s Wife” We wish … Continued
Sometimes, house-dwelling bears and house-dwelling humans can actually seem to get along.
Interspecies romances, or animal brides and bridegrooms, are a staple of fairy tales. Often, the animal object of affection is actually a human who has been transformed, and this animal guise unsurprisingly makes romance difficult. Above: An interspecies courtship in Baroness d’Aulnoy’s “The White Cat” In “The She Bear” from Giambattista Basile’s 1634 collection of … Continued
Once in the woods, the criminals chicken out and simply abandon the children