A Poem for National Tell A Fairy Tale Day
February 26, 2021
“Again, Papa, please, please, again!” … More A Poem for National Tell A Fairy Tale Day
Category: Fairy Tales & Faery Tales
Very Strange Expressions of Christianity
February 24, 2020
They don’t look very Christian—those strange faces made of leaves, and those women displaying cartoonishly enlarged genitals on the walls of medieval churches. In his article for First Things, British folklorist and historian Francis Young makes a compelling argument that the odd, seemingly pagan expressions of Christianity that are found throughout Europe have more to do … More Very Strange Expressions of Christianity
He Prays For the Faeries
February 24, 2020
“Every night when he says his prayers, he prays for the fairies, that they’ll be saved on the last day”—Eddie Lenihan, contemporary Irish storyteller Read more
Outside Over There; OR Goblin Weddings, Changelings, and the Otherworld
January 21, 2020
I’d shelved the book numerous times as a Children’s Librarian. But it took Victor LaValle’s creepy New York modern fairy tale, The Changeling, to get me to open its pages and actually read it. (It looks vaguely familiar; perhaps I had opened it when scouring the shelves for a book to read aloud for storytime … More Outside Over There; OR Goblin Weddings, Changelings, and the Otherworld
Changelings, Trolls, and Vampires [Book Review of Victor LaValle’s The Changeling]
November 9, 2019
Folklore meets the modern world in Victor Lavalle’s enthralling book The Changeling. A stunning achievement, The Changeling is well-crafted literary fantasy, full of suspense, emotion, and wit. Although obviously folklore-infused, Lavalle’s book is more horror or psychological thriller than fantasy or urban fantasy (which I personally found disappointing). Other readers will have different preferences and … More Changelings, Trolls, and Vampires [Book Review of Victor LaValle’s The Changeling]
A Midsummer Night’s Lullaby
June 21, 2019
TITANIA: Come, now a roundel, and a fairy song; Then, for the third part of a minute, hence;— Some, to kill cankers in the musk-rose buds; Some war with rear-mice for their leathern wings, To make my small elves coats; and some keep back The clamorous owl, that nightly hoots, and wonders At our … More A Midsummer Night’s Lullaby
My Red Shoes
February 20, 2019
Is there power in the color red? Are red shoes inherently magical? I put on my new mud-stomping, shorter-than-Wellingtons, prettier-than-duck-shoes sloggers, and suddenly, I wanted to dance. I’m no Dorothy. I din’t inherit through the death of a witch. I bought them for walking our dog in our mud-pit of a backyard. All winter long … More My Red Shoes
What Does It Mean To Be A Faerie Librarian?
November 28, 2018
I call myself the Faerie Librarian. I like the slant rhyme. The rhyme is more pronounced in my Facebook Faerie News page: Faerie Library. Here I curate fairie references and fairy tale allusions in the news and other sources. Even today, faeries are alive and well in conversation and print! “Like” my Facebook page for … More What Does It Mean To Be A Faerie Librarian?
Tam Lin: A Faerie Story For Mortals and Christians
October 26, 2018
A Sacramental Tam Lin: A Response to Leah Libresco Literary Correspondence In the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries, it was common for authors to correspond to one another, to offer support or to voice disagreement through letters. I was fortunate to meet Leah Libresco at the Doxacon convention last year—I spoke on fairy tales—and I … More Tam Lin: A Faerie Story For Mortals and Christians
Fairy Houses in Upstate New York
October 9, 2018
Look at these Fairy Houses! There’s even a faerie playground! I usually don’t care for fairy houses; they are often too cute and whimsical. THESE are, if you’ll pardon the expression, out of this world. They’re in Tinker Nature Park near Rochester, NY. This one’s my favorite: Each one is a beautiful, unique, creative, artistic … More Fairy Houses in Upstate New York
