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Is your bedroom stuffy? Do you find yourself tossing off your bed covers in frustration at 3 A.M.? If so, you’re probably suffering from too much heat in your bedroom. Along with too much light  and the wrong bed linens , hot, stuffy bedroom air is a sleep killer.  Your body needs to cool down  to sleep readily and well. A hot, airless room will ruin good sleep. This is why people who live in big cities or can’t afford whole house air conditioning get window units. It’s why people used to sleep on fire escapes in New York before AC window units became available, and who can blame them? So how cold should your room be for optimal sleep? The best temperature is 65 degrees, but experts say anything between 60 and 67 is good. I personally like 65, because it’s cold enough for me to feel that I must cocoon under my bedding. The need to cocoon releases my body into relaxation and a kind of mini hibernation. Most people are like me, although their perfect temp may vary. Understand that 65 degrees is quite cold for a bedroom. If you’re outside, 65 degrees it’s a bit chilly, but it feels a lot colder inside, because houses are built to be warmer than the outdoors. Obviously, it’s not as cold as a “meat locker,” but I use that term to impress upon you how important it is to cool down at night. Ideally, your room should be extremely dark and chilly. What if you are sharing a bed with a person who hates the cold? First of all, if they don’t much like the cold, but sleep easily and well, then they just need to adjust. After all, the insomniac is the one who is truly suffering. You and your partner could also try the Scandinavian Sleep Method , which allows each sleeper to have their own duvet/blankets, creating their own sleeping nest. Or, if you are really motivated, you can try separate bedrooms, which I strongly advocate. Todd and I haven’t shared a bedroom for most of our long marriage, and it’s made us closer and more affectionate, because we don’t resent each other at night. He piles on the blankets in his room, and I snuggle under my own top sheet and cotton blanket in my own very cold room. Separate bedrooms are on the rise. Married couples sleeping separately is now at 35 percent and rising. The practice is called “ sleep divorce ,” a term I don’t love. Anyway, Todd is a thrasher and a snorer with serious chronic pain since his teens. I’m a chronic insomniac who wakes at the slightest noise, and who must have a cold room, so we both are advocates of this method. Cinderella was probably too dead tired to notice if the ashes were cold or still held warmth from the fire, but those of us who struggle with sleep need a cold, dark room. Period. Next time I’ll tackle air quality and freshness. Until then, sleep easy and dream deeply. Kate Wolford was the publisher and editor of The Fairy Tale Magazine  for many years. She’s now enjoying being Resident Fairy Godmother. Image from Pixabay.

Do you like reading in the sunshine or in the air-conditioned house? Either way, be sure to add The Fairy Tale Magazine’s ocean inspired collection of books to your summer reading list! Mermaids are at the heart of summer fairy tales, and you’ll find the shades of them in Kell Woods’ novel Upon a Starlit Tide , a mashup of The Little Mermaid and Cinderella. Filled with ocean imagery, this book is the perfect thing to quench your thirst for historical fiction and fairy tale. You can read my review here. Mermaid Moon  by Susann Cokal tells the story of a sixteen-year-old mermaid named Sanna who is searching for her land born mother. Like Hans Christian Anderson’s Little Mermaid, Sann must interact with a sea-witch, gaining the legs she needs to uncover the secrets of her family’s past. One of my favorite Little Mermaid retellings doesn’t feature mermaids at all! My Love, My Love; or, The Peasant Girl  is the stunning novel by Rosa Guy that inspired the Broadway musical Once on This Island . This heartbreaking, tropical novel features a young, dark-skinned girl in love with an aristocratic young man. Guy’s descriptions of the people and gods who populate the island will delight readers, and her sophisticated exploration of transformation will make you think of the fairy tale in a new way. Those looking for a more contemporary take on mermaids will enjoy An American Mermaid  by Julia Langbein. In this book, a high school teacher has written a best-selling book about a mermaid and is attempting to take part in its film adaptation. What follows is a humorous and poignant look at disabilities and transformation. You can read my review here . If you prefer selkies to mermaids, you must read Rose Sutherland’s beautiful novel A Sweet Sting of Salt . This sapphic retelling of selkie legends is set along the coast of Nova Scotia in the mid-1830s and it is dedicated to “anyone who has ever been lonely.” I love this book! You can read my review here . The Sea House  by Elisabeth Gifford explores the selkie legends of the remote Scottish Islands. When the bones of a baby with fused tail-like legs are found beneath a house, the new owners must investigate the past if they hope to heal the future. Although House of Salt and Sorrows  does not feature mermaids or selkies, this Gothic retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses by Erin A. Craig is full of nautical details. From the wind swept cliffs to the haunting waves, the seaside settings will keep readers captivated, while the mysterious murders will keep them on the edge of their seats.  Sara Underwood evokes tales and characters from Greek mythology in her novel   Lies We Sing to the Sea . This book forces readers to consider the generational effects of patriarchal violence against women as they follow the story of a young oracle named Leto. You can read my review here . Finally, The Wicked Deep , by Shea Ernshaw, takes readers to the cursed town of Sparrow where, two centuries ago, three sisters were drowned for witchery. Each summer they return, luring boys to the harbor and pulling them under. This spooky tale is sure to add some chills to the hot summer weather. Kelly Jarvis is the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine. Her work has also been featured in A Moon of One’s Own,   Baseball Bard , Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer,   Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly , The Chamber Magazine , The Magic of Us, and the World Weaver Press Anthology Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers . Her first novella, Selkie Moon , comes out in 2025. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/ Cover Image by Pixabay

Dear Fairy Tale Friends, First, we’re sending a giant thank you to everyone who participated in our fundraising contest. We received so many fantastic submissions that our judges tell us the final decisions were difficult to make! Below are the winners for The Fairy Tale Magazine ’s Prose & Poetry Contest 2025: POETRY Poetry Winner Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman Runners Up in Poetry Murray Eiland Helen Patrice PROSE Prose Winner Alison Weber Runners Up in Prose Nomi Mini Sarah Das Gupta Many thanks to our judges for this year's contest:  Deborah Sage, Poetry Amy Trent, Prose Look for the winning stories and poems to be featured in "Spellbound" our upcoming bonus issue of The Fairy Tale Magazine  due out on July 15th! We will host a Zoom reading in celebration of the winners on July 26th.

Tossing and turning? Unable to get comfortable? Do your sheets cling to your body? Do they feel crispy or damp? Are they cool or hot? Cinderella surely never thought of such things while sleeping in the ashes, although she may have once she hit the palace. Yet, for the rest of us, the answers to my questions are important for good sleep. Sheets are a key factor for a restful night. The truth is, most people don’t wash them enough and have fallen for the myth that high thread count always means better sleep. But cool, crisp percale sheets may be the answer for you. They’re the only kind I sleep on, and a lot of other people with sleep issues have found comfort in percale. Percale is a 200-400 thread count cotton (never buy a cotton/polyester blend) fabric that admittedly, is a bit on the rough side, but is also very cool. These are the kind of sheets you may remember from childhood. And maybe your mom, like mine, was a firm believer in percale sheets hung out to dry in the sunshine. The resulting super clean, cool, fresh, rough sheets were like a sleeping pill. Sadly, many people consider hanging sheets out to dry to be tacky, but wealthy people do it all the time, and it’s much better for the environment than your dryer. My mother developed a clearing among the trees on our huge lot, and no one complained. (Also, you should know that many states have “right to dry” laws on the books, so no one can complain, legally speaking, in those states.) So, percale is the answer. I get mine from Vermont Country Store . I admit that they aren’t cheap, but they do give hot sleepers like me a cool, crisp night—and heat and stuffiness are the enemies of good sleep. Many people swear by high thread count sheets, saying they love the softness of that fancy Egyptian cotton thread, and if you have them and are enjoying blissful nights of sleep, then I’m both happy for you and envious of you. But if you are tossing and turning, if the ultra-soft sheets cling unpleasantly to your skin, if they feel a little dirty, even when they are clean, because they are too soft, then please do get percale! And now that I’ve mentioned sheets feeling dirty, please know that sheets should be washed at least once a week for insomniacs, while normal sleepers can go two weeks. After than, the collection of body soils makes the sheets much worse to sleep on. I keep a fresh set of sheets handy and will change them in the middle of the night if I can’t sleep. So please, wash the sheets! ( Here’s a detailed discussion on frequent sheet washing that should convince you if you’re skeptical.) That’s all for now. I’m actually laying in bed on my sheets as I type this. I put a fresh set on yesterday, and yes, I did sleep very well last night. Next time, I’ll focus on how cold your bedroom should be for good sleep. Until then, may your nights be cool and sleepy. Kate Wolford was the publisher and editor of The Fairy Tale Magazine  for many years. She’s now enjoying being Resident Fairy Godmother. Image from Pixabay.

No fairy tale symbol is more iconic than Cinderella’s glass slipper. One glint of a glass heel clicking across a ballroom floor plunges us directly into a Cinderella  story, so it may be a surprise for some readers to learn that in most variants of Cinderella , the shoe that acts as an identifier of the true bride is not made of glass. In Rhodopis , an Egyptian story often cited as an early variant of the fairy tale, the famous footwear is a leather sandal, and in Yeh-Shen , an early Chinese version of Cinderella , the slippers are “woven of gold threads, in a pattern like the scales of a fish.” Even the Brothers Grimm give Cinderella slippers made of silver and gold, but while all of these precious materials are no doubt beautiful, they fail to capture our imagination like the sparkling slippers crafted of cold, hard glass.  Charles Perrault’s Cinderella (which inspired the classic Disney film), may be the only traditional fairy tale heroine to don glass slippers, but she isn’t the only one associated with the beauty of glass. Snow White spends her enchanted sleep in a glass casket, and it is a looking glass that serves as a magic mirror to her step-mother, allowing the queen to see who is ‘the fairest one of all.” The Beast gives Beauty a magic looking glass so she can peer across the miles that separate them, and many of Beauty’s folkloric cousins must search for their own lost husbands at the tops of glass mountains. Even Cinderella’s step-sisters have “looking glasses so large that they could see themselves at their full length from head to foot” (Perrault). Glass items echo through fairy tales because we are naturally drawn to their aesthetic qualities. We delight in the dancing light which glints off glass surfaces and wonder at its reflective properties. Sea Glass , Pixabay Like the protagonists of fairy tales, I have long been drawn to sparkling things, and, in the summertime, I spend hours combing the shoreline looking for pieces of sea glass with miraculous stories to tell. Glass is first created when sand, soda ash, and limestone are heated to a liquid and shaped by human breath. Discarded bottles and drinkware then find their way to the sea where they are tumbled by the ocean waves until their edges are smoothed and their surfaces frosted. When a piece of sea glass finally reaches the beach, its jade, aqua, teal, blue, or white color shimmers in the salty sea foam, a rare jewel among the shells and stones. I collect each piece of sea glass I find, marveling at its transformative journey as I place it in a crystal jar on my windowsill. When the jar is touched by the sun’s rays, my sea glass sends prisms of color across my ceiling and walls, bringing me memories of summer and recollections of the sea. The beauty of Cinderella’s glass slipper has no doubt anchored it in our minds as a symbol of her fairy tale, but the glass slipper may also be synonymous with Cinderella because it shares her transformative qualities. Created from humble substances and shaped by human artistry into something beautiful, glass slippers are sturdy, but fragile, like Cinderella herself. And, although Charles Perrault never mentions sea glass in his fairy tale, I think sea glass is especially evocative of the girl who rises from the ashes to become a royal princess. Sea glass, which is created from discarded materials, proves that even when we shatter, our sharp pieces can be softened by the endless the swirl and tumble of time. Like Cinderella , sea glass shows us that broken things can be beautiful if we transform them with a touch of nature’s magic. Kelly Jarvis is the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine. Her work has also been featured in A Moon of One’s Own,   Baseball Bard , Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer,   Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly , The Chamber Magazine , The Magic of Us, and the World Weaver Press Anthology Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers . Her first novella, Selkie Moon , comes out in 2025. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/

Ebony, Blood, and Snow  is a stunning collection of short stories inspired by traditional fairy tales. Writing in the tradition of artists like Angela Carter, Emma Donoghue, and Anne Sexton, Tish Black presents readers with feminist retellings designed to empower women and smash the patriarchy. Black grounds her retellings in a keen understanding of the female writers and scholars who have studied and worked with fairy tales before her, effectively penning a new group of intriguing stories from folkloric material. The stories in Ebony, Blood, and Snow  are told from both third person and first person perspectives, but each narrative is a clear and concise exploration of a character or tale. “Ebony” provides the back story of Snow White’s mother, “Amethyst” reworks “The Goose Girl,” and “Pine” presents a group of sisters who sneak out of their father’s house not to dance, but to earn their own money. Readers will find a Little Red Riding Hood who hunts wolves and a Rapunzel who escapes from her tower on her own. While the men in Black’s tales rarely act as saviors, women and witches are rewritten as powerful entities who navigate difficult circumstances with a combination of intelligence, cunning, and female rage. Two of my favorites include a Swan Maiden tale that opens with the fabulous phrase “Once upon a time, a king pissed off a witch,” and a nod to the frame tale of 1001 Nights  that showcases the incredible power of storytelling. The thirteen tales in Black’s collection are enticing enough to be read in one sitting, or they can be savored slowly by those looking to contemplate how fairy tale narratives have shaped and can continue to shape our cultural understanding of gendered expectations. Although many of the narratives contain alarming adult themes, the stories beautifully explore the roles of mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives, and the text offer new ideas for empowering women in both domestic and social spaces. If you enjoyed The Bloody Chamber  or Kissing the Witch , you will find much to love in Ebony, Blood, and Snow . You can find the book here , and you watch The Fairy Tale Magazine's interview with Tish Black on our YouTube Channel here . Like and follow to watch Fairy Tale Voices , a series of conversations with writers, poets, scholars, and artists who use fairy tale and folklore in their work. Thank you to the author for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review. Kelly Jarvis is the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine. Her work has also been featured in A Moon of One’s Own,   Baseball Bard , Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer,   Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly , The Chamber Magazine , The Magic of Us, and the World Weaver Press Anthology Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers . Her first novella, Selkie Moon , comes out in 2025. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/

Silvatiicus Riddle, Rhysling shortlisted poet Today's interviewee for our Enchanted Creators series is the exceptional poet and writer Silvatiicus Riddle (He/They). He is a Rhysling-Nominated Dark Fantasy & Speculative Fiction Writer who lives on the borderlands of New York City. Riddle's work has appeared in Abyss & Apex, Dreams & Nightmares, Enchanted Living, Eternal Haunted Summer, Spectral Realms, and, of course, The Fairy Tale Magazine . In fact, his poem, “Medicine for the Ailing Mortal, as Told in Seven Stories” published by us May 1, 2024, has been nominated and shortlisted for a Rhysling Award. First of all, Silvatiicus, thank you for agreeing to chat with The Fairy Tale Magazine. We are excited to learn more about you and your incredible work! In your Rhysling nominated, shortlisted poem, “Medicine for the Ailing Mortal, as Told in Seven Stories” you chose iconic fairy tales, shaping each section with advice specific to each tale and its particular challenge. Tell us about how you were able to delve into each tale and create such specific yet profound statements for each?    With this particular poem, which examines seven popular and familiar fairy tales, I wanted to explore, through the lens of poetry, what it would look like to distill the essence of each story in a way that the reader, whom may come to the poem with a certain heaviness upon them, as many of us have in these turbulent times, would carry something away to consider or meditate upon. It was my hope that my words may be a balm that they did not know that they needed or were looking for.   When discussing fairy tales, these stories are often intricately woven with the memories we have of our childhoods. We might see these tales on film as children, or read the stories, and be captivated by the adventure, the wonder, the possibility. Often times, they were foundations for our understanding of morality, or the ability to overcome the varied and difficult trials we might yet face in our lives. Too often, many people leave these stories behind in their formative years, moving away toward adulthood with a sense that they’ve been set adrift in a place that looks nothing like the enchanted or dark forests of the stories they were raised upon, and as such, it can feel like there is no guidance. I certainly know that I have felt that way, as have many of the people that I have spoken to. Countless turn to religion or spirituality for the answers, for some light to illuminate the path forward. Historically, ancestrally, we were led from birth to grave by the bard, or the storyteller by the fire. Their stories were not just for the entertainment of children, however, but to steward those that needed guidance on their passage through the world, for the understanding of their inner and outer landscapes. Every story is ensouled with the purpose of holding dialogue with the parts of us that cannot speak. With this poem, I sought to pay reverence to this ancestral practice, a means of calling home the child within each of us, whom may feel a bit lost or misguided, and to remind each grown person that, through some of their favorite stories, which are universal, cross-cultural, and borderless, that they’ve been given the very tools that they need to take on the challenging and varied story that we all have found ourselves in.   Tell us about the Rhysling, and about what being shortlisted means to you.    So, the how the Rhysling Award works is that during a specific window of time, any active member of the SFPA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association) may nominate any speculative fiction poem published the year before, to be considered for the Rhysling Award. All of those initial nominations become the Rhysling “Long List”. Then, from there, the Rhysling Jury considers each poem, and whittles down the list to 50 short poems and 25 long poems. That final list is the Short List, and that goes on to be published in the Rhysling Anthology for the year, and the members then read each poem and vote for their favorite pieces. The pieces that have the most votes win the award.   Being nominated at all is wonderful, and to be shortlisted is incredibly exciting, and not at all an easy feat. This is my fourth nomination, and my second time being shortlisted. I am always grateful for my writing to be seen; and to be acknowledged by a community of brilliant poets that recognize my work is a deep honor.   Within the poem, your repetition of key words such as “should,” “let,” and “remember” serve perhaps as invocations while also serving as prescriptions. Were those ideas present right from the first draft, or did they emerge over time as you crafted the poem? Can you pull back the curtain on your creative process?    Invocations, as well as prescriptions, yes. With each poem or story that I write, it is my hope that the tales that I spin may function as spellwork to the witch, meditations to the student, and medicine for the wounded heart – another common thread, for to live is to be wounded -- and we all have wounded hearts. My work is as much a balm to myself, as it is for anyone that seeks it out or stumbles upon it by chance. But, wounds are fertile soil, aren’t they? What forests can the right words grow, then, planted where there are cracks, where the pained parts of us hunger for greening, for light?   While I try not to be too intentional with my words (as I believe having too many intentions can actually impede the flow of creativity with too much thought), I knew the bones of the poem for sure: that I wanted the reader to feel an immediate sense that the seven stories are not about other  people, from some dusty century, long-dead, but that each of the stories are their story—it is their life written out upon the page; a private message of hope and resilience, penned just for them. The use of certain words, then, brings in that sense of familiarity and ease, saying: there is comfort to be found here, this is your poem . Please come in . My only other intention that I wanted for each story’s distilled “medicine”, was that I wanted it to be a potent, but gentle reminder that each reader, regardless of circumstance, still very much has their own agency and power.   Is there a specific tale that you return to time and again? What do you think it is that draws you back to it?   One tale that I return to time and again, that I also did not mention here, and perhaps it is a bit more modern than the others, is that of Peter Pan. Some people don’t consider that to be a fairy tale due to its length and the intended age of its readers, but still others do. I certainly believe it to be, as fairy tale is not simply the story that is told, it is also a spirit , which is why literary fiction can be fairy tale, song lyrics and musical orchestrations, epic tales, as well as poetry. With Peter Pan, I was never so seen as when I encountered that story for the first time, and have revisited Neverland many times since. A boy whom could speak to the fairies, and could fly, living inside the solid and very-much-real land of make believe? It was like J.M. Barrie knew me personally. Growing up as a queer boy/person with undiagnosed neurodivergence can certainly feel a lot like being something other-than-human, with all of the intended connotations that such a word might invoke. It’s a magical, horrible, treacherous, adventure between worlds that often, desired or not, leads you toward a life of solitude, wonder, high-strangeness, and a certain loneliness. Such a thing might, if ever, only be remedied by aligning yourself with other “lost boys” that, perchance, may understand the peculiarities of the world in a similar way as you do. As I’ve gotten older, time has only solidified this for me. The world has a way of changing grown-ups into pirates. Well, long ago, I’d made up my mind that I never want to be a pirate. I always want to fly, I always want to hear the fairies speak. Even if it means being disinvited from a society that wasn’t designed for someone like me. So, that story, for me, is my personal, designated fairy tale. It is comfort, it is resilience, it is hope and reassurance. For me, it is home.   Are there particular poets, artists, or stories that influence your work?   Yeats has my heart. Patricia McKillip speaks to my soul. Angela Carter, the madness and beauty in her words, carries me onward, even when I feel that I can go no further. I’m forever indebted to Jim Henson. Brian and Wendy Froud’s work on Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal set me on a path of understanding the breadth of magic, its limitless world of possibilities, and that there were people out there, in this very strange land that I find myself, that could help birth such things into being. Ray Bradbury rewired my brain when first I found “The Halloween Tree”, when I was seven, and the illustrations that accompanied his many works, most often drawn by his long-time friend and artistic collaborator, Joseph Mugnaini. I’m also deeply influenced by writings on witchcraft, occultism, esoteric practice, folklore, and the modern and historical documentation of real-life faerie encounters. Writers like Tolkien, Charles de Lint, Terri Windling, Alan Moore, Octavia Butler have all encouraged me to carve the magic from the marble of my own work. Of course, I can’t fail to mention my contemporaries in Speculative and Fantasy poetry today, and I honor each of them that work tirelessly creating magic, mystery, and beauty within the industry. Some of the modern poets that, for me, are really keeping the art form alive and interesting: Angel Leal, Pedro Iniguez, Angela Acosta, Lauren Scharhag, Theodora Goss, Dr. Sara Cleto, and Dr. Brittany Warman, to name a few. Artists whose work lives inside me, stoking the fires of my imagination: Jana Heidersdorf, Charles Vess, Andy Kehoe, Omar Rayyan, Seb McKinnon, Cory Godbey. Good art means everything to me. Good writing means everything to me. When you see a painting that transports you, when you read a sentence that takes your breath away? It’s a feeling like no other. You are, undoubtedly, encountering the sacred, and what it means to be alive.   What draws you to speculative or fairy tale-inspired poetry?    I am a punk boy that envisions a better world. Creativity is resistance. I am deeply interested in the re-enchantment of the world, and exploring, through writing, the continuation of awe, wonder, and magic that is intrinsic to humanity from childhood, or for some, may be sought and acquired later on. Speculative poetry and fiction are founded on the premise of possibility –– what is possible if only the laws, rules, and sociological elements of our world were the same or similar, but somehow bridged with the Other . Fairy Tales are a tradition stretching far back into human consciousness, a golden thread that runs through the heart and deep into pre-recorded history. But, what is it anchored to? Why are we so enamored of the fairy tale? It follows us through the centuries in the same way that spiritual traditions do. While the speculative gives us possibility, fairy tales give us the numinous. At any given moment, we are surrounded by a thousand forgotten gods ready to bless our step, or perhaps to curse us for our arrogance; they lean outward from the world that we, egotistically, built atop their own, rebuffing them of their needs of things like prayer and offering, whilst we go about worshipping ephemeral things like money and time. Their mythologies once lived inside of the oral traditions, which, crafted and hewn by the years, have become what we know as fairy tales. Fairy Tales connect us to that sacred place beneath our feet, to our very roots, to our healing, and to alchemy. We can begin to find self-alchemy in the study and understanding of fairy tales. Then, if we allow ourselves that transmutation that only fairy stories can provide, well, I think that begins to appease the gods and spirits that have been waiting so terribly long for the respect of acknowledgment. Who we are, where we come from, what we are capable of, is very much alive inside of fairy tales. They give us the understanding of our world, and the speculative expands upon it. As someone that seeks to live his life in awe, magic, wonder, and possibility, it’s a natural draw toward these genres and traditions, and through them, I am holding a vision of the world in renaissance.   There is a quality of warmth in so much of your writing that exudes a soothing embrace, a feeling of being held and comforted even in the darkest dark. Can you speak to that as a focus of your creativity? Is it a conscious choice you make, or does it flow naturally from your mind/pen?    It’s interesting, because often times when I set out to write a poem or story, I don’t begin with the intention of crafting something warm, inviting, or comforting. There are many pieces of mine, still, where such things are not explicitly found in the end, but, perhaps, they offer the glimmer that there might be something to hold on to, something left to be told, to hope for, or settling into a new paradigm to be found yet. I can think of a few poems or stories of mine where the protagonist goes through a terrible transformation, where such a thing might be the apex of a horror or suspense story to the avid reader, where one might find themselves in an abusive or desperate situation, but ultimately find comfort in their transformation or transportation to another realm; whether they’ve sacrificed their humanness to become a spirit of Halloween, for example, exploited their lycanthropy to take on tyrannical kings, or have run away from a broken home to join the faeries in their Bealtaine revelries.   I’ve been through a lion’s share of my own troubles, finding myself in abusive situations more than once, battling chronic illnesses, facing internal struggles with mental health, and outer struggles that are often worsened by living inside of a socio-political landscape that sees people like me as second class, or burdensome, and that is all putting it delicately. It is worth noting, always, that I am still in a place of privilege because of where I live, the color of my skin, and my presenting gender. To have such a privilege has given me certain advantages in life that are not afforded to everyone equally or equitably, regardless of my struggles. We also live in a time when there is unprecedented access to information, where the stories of people an ocean away, or even from the cities we live in, can be imbibed and understood while waiting for the coffee to brew ––  stories of people that we are encouraged to view as enemies can be instantly humanized and heard, when they are given a platform to speak without censure ––  people in need of help, and understanding, reassurance, hope, and love. Being raised on the likes of great individuals such as Mr. Rogers, Bob Ross, Paul Reubens, Steve Irwin is not something I would soon forget. It lives in my marrow. In this lifetime, it is my calling to write. When I sit at my desk, when the words come, even if they are terrifically dark, the question is a voiceless one that is always on my heart: how can I help?   That is why I started my Substack newsletter, The Goblin’s Reliquary . Social media is a fickle thing, at the whim and detriment of its billionaire owners and shareholders. I figured that if I can reach people directly, sans algorithms, I can share my writings with the people that have decided that they need my words or my presence, and through the lens of my own life and perspective, with the aid of folklore, poetry, fairy tale, the mythopoeic, the great writers and thinkers that have come before, I can potentially help someone by sharing my own cultivated fire, and perhaps, they may even help me. That’s the legacy that I want, that is something we should all strive for –– if some of us can learn to thrive in the land of dragons, we must lift someone else up onto the backs of the great beasts, so that, beyond the oppressive smoke and ash, they may know that we still live in the land of the sun. And, through our stories, we can show others that they, too, might learn to fly, and that every darkness, even that which we hold inside, is a doorway into hidden beauty. Be sure to find Silvatiicus Riddle's Substack newsletter , and don't forget to read the nominated poem. You may find Silvatiicus at Facebook.com/SilvatiicusRiddleAuthor  or Instagram @Silvatiicus Kristen Baum is Editor in Chief of The Fairy Tale Magazine . She is also a writer and composer blending fairy tales, film music, and fantasy into poems and songs and film scores.

In this captivating new fantasy story from professor and scholar Dr. Jack Zipes, two young witches named Anja and Zack set out to save the world from the technological power of an evil dictator named Nexus. Zack and Anja are sixteen-year-old twins with the power to shapeshift into the form of birds and bees as they descend upon an island restoring joy with their dancing. Separated from their parents after the rise of Nexus and guided by a benevolent witch, the twins must locate the Wellikans, the indigenous beings who dwell under the ground and resist Nexus’ tyrannical control. Young readers will be delighted by the engaging characters of Anja and Zack who maintain positive mindsets as they meet adversity, and they will also be sensitized to the dangers of spreading false news and the importance of maintaining resistance against unlawful power. Zipes’ background as a scholar of fairy tale and a political activist permeate the story, but the rich plot and well-rounded characters will keep children reading. Although the adventure narrative is exciting and the moral is poignant, my favorite part of the book is its deep understanding of story itself. The narrator speaks directly to readers, claiming what follows is true and penetrating the action to explain details and assure readers that he does not lie. The book contains brilliant layers of narration, and even as it reaches its conclusion, it tells readers that “this ending is only the beginning.” Young readers looking for a compelling adventure and adult readers interested in contemplating how stories interact with perceptions of power will find much to love in Zipes’ excellent prose. The Wrath of Peace or How the Wellikans Saved the World is a hopeful tale that will inspire readers to stand up to oppression while they recognize the beauty still to be found in nature and humanity. I truly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of Anja and Zack’s adventures! You can find it here , and you can see The Fairy Tale Magazine's interview with Dr. Jack Zipes on our YouTube Channel here . Like and follow to watch Fairy Tale Voices , a series of conversations with writers, scholars, poets, and artists who use fairy tale and folklore in their work. Kelly Jarvis works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine . Her work has also appeared in A Moon of One’s Own,   Baseball Bard , Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen , Eternal Haunted Summer,   Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly , Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers, The Chamber Magazine,  and The Magic of Us . Her debut novella, Selkie Moon , publishes in June, 2025. You can find her at Kellyjarviswriter.com .

It would have been sensible and coherent if I had done a sleep series during the many months FTM’s focus was on “Sleeping Beauty,” this year. Sadly, I’m occasionally neither sensible nor coherent, so I’m doing it now. Note: It’s not too late to enjoy our fantastic “Sleeping Beauty” issue, “Briar and Thorn.” To be fair, the fact that I’m focusing on sleep in June is relevant to me personally: My sleep is much worse during the summer, and I’m not alone. Research  supports the theory that the extensive light we receive on these long, sunny days really does make us more wakeful in bed. In my case, the light I receive in my extremely sunny house during these months means that I have a lot of trouble sleeping when it finally does grow dark. That may be happening to you as well, so this week I’m focusing on how to control sunniness during your waking hours to help you sleep when it’s dark. More importantly, I’m giving you one of my best sleep tips, period. Here it is: You have to purchase room darkening shades if you are having trouble sleeping. I’ve tried many different types over the years, so I know that the shades have to completely cover the window, all over, to prevent light leaking in. Alas, most shades and curtains, at every price point, are ineffective at controlling light leaks, and believe it or not, the light leaks can be more destructive to sleep than full-on sunny windows because those leaks are so piercing and concentrated. My life-saving answer has been these blackout curtains that I wrote about  in March during a righteous rant about the evils of Daylight Savings Time. They are really a shade rather than a curtain have a metal frame that you insert inside your window’s frame. The actual UBlockout roller shades go inside the frame you’ve inserted. Absolutely no sunlight leaks through. Your bedroom will be totally midnight-dark all day and night. I’m revisiting these shades to help you maximize your experience with them, should you decide to buy them. Here’s what you need to know: First, UBlockout shades are not cheap, although the price varies according to your number of windows as well as their size. To be transparent, we have three large windows in our master bedroom, and they cost us about $1,500 all together. Fortunately, UBlockout frequently has sales—plus most people with chronic insomnia are not foolish enough to build a house with three massive windows in their master bedroom, like I did. If you have smaller and fewer windows, you’ll pay much less. Nonetheless, I would have paid triple to have shades that work this well. Second, careful measuring with all blackout shades is essential to success. UBlockout shades will not do their job if the measurements are off, and they need to be within a 1/16th of an inch to work well. Fortunately, UBlockout has excellent instructions and videos to help you measure properly, but it’s likely to take two people to do the job. I promise it wasn’t hard for Todd and me to do the measuring, so you can do it too. Third, installation is not difficult, but it is time consuming as there are many screws to put in. Once again, if you read the instructions and watch the videos, you’ll be in good shape. Being very, very careful in measuring and installing will change your sleepless life! I am not being paid in any way by UBlockout, but I’m telling you that if you buy these shades, you’ll sleep better and longer. They’ve added an average of 45 minutes additional sleep time for me in the last six months, bringing my nightly average up to 7.25 hours per night. I haven’t slept this well in 35 years. They make the room totally dark at night, and prevent waking too early due to morning sunlight, a real problem when the sun wants to creep in at 5:30 AM. Before I leave you, let me cycle back to how to reduce your overall sun intake during the summer. I’ve found that if I go into my bedroom in the afternoon and read or meditate (or even work) for an hour, with the blinds completely closed, my body clock resets well for the evening, so when I go to bed later, it’s easier to fall asleep. The “dose of darkness” in the afternoon really helps. If an hour is too much time for you, even 15 minutes or so in a thoroughly darkened room will help you reset and decrease the sleep-deficit effects of all this sunlight. Any darkness will help . I promise. Next time, I’m going to discuss sheets and why they are so very important to successful sleep. People take them for granted, but sheets absolutely affect sleep quality. As for Cinderella, I suspect that if you work as hard physically as she did before moving to the castle, sleep is probably easy. In 2025, most of us aren’t doing that much physical labor, so we need some help. Until next time, hope you have long, sweet dreams! Kate Wolford was the publisher and editor of The Fairy Tale Magazine  for many years. She’s now enjoying being Resident Fairy Godmother. Unsplash image by Jp Valery.

“This is a story about a man who thought he was a bird and the woman who helped him find his humanity again.” With this stunning opening, Jane Rosenberg Laforge plunges readers into a heartwarming and heartbreaking story that weaves fairy tale with historical romance. The Hawkman: A Fairy Tale of the Great War  explores the relationship of two people who have faced illness, bloodshed, and poverty. Eva Williams, an American schoolteacher and writer working at a small college in Bridgetonne, England, initiates contact with Michael Sheehan, an Irish veteran of World War I who is suffering from the memory of his harrowing experiences in the trenches. Michael is disheveled in his appearance. His long, matted hair and coat that billows like feathers have led the townspeople to paint him as The Hawkman, a hybrid creature who scavenges like an animal and preys upon unsuspecting children. When Eva offers Michael her hand, taking him back to her cottage to feed and bathe him, the two begin a relationship steeped in wonder and truth. Rosenberg’s prose is lyrical and her narrative is layered. Readers are given flashbacks into Eva’s childhood experience and Michael’s war days, and at several points throughout the novel, the characters engage in storytelling which adds meaning and poignancy to their growing relationship. Although Rosenberg is primarily reworking “The Bearskin” by The Brothers Grimm, a fairy tale which explores animal-human hybridity and metamorphosis, the text is filled with other fairy tale and folkloric references as well. Readers who enjoy magical realism tales like David Almond’s Skellig  or Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings  are sure to enjoy Rosenberg’s exquisite prose and exploration of humanity. The Hawkman  is a fairy tale set in a real world environment, and its beautiful ending will leave readers dreaming about the power of compassion and love. This is a book I will remember always. You can find it here . Kelly Jarvis is the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine. Her work has also been featured in A Moon of One’s Own,   Baseball Bard , Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer,   Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly , The Chamber Magazine , The Magic of Us, and the World Weaver Press Anthology Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers . Her first novella, Selkie Moon , comes out in 2025. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/

I don’t know about where you are, but as usual, summer has arrived far too early in Northern Indiana, and the ever-hotter weather has made me a summer Grinch. From this point on, I’m hunkering down until October, when I come alive again. I always think of Cinderella living somewhere in Western or Central Europe in the 17th century, with summers far cooler than what we now experience in the Midwest. But of course, Cinderella is a point of view as much as anything, and her story can be told in subtropical or Arctic conditions and still ring true. In any case, here in real life, I get through the summer by pretending it’s not happening as much as possible. I tend the garden early in the morning, and then spend every minute I can indoors. The AC is kept at 67 degrees during the day and 66 at night. The shades are closed. I’m like a heat avoidant, senior citizen version of Sleeping Beauty. I “sleep” in the AC until my senior citizen Prince Charming comes home from work each day. Then we huddle with the dog in the fake cool air until we repeat I all again the next morning. Does this seem grim to you? It is. Summer is a burden to many people in the USA because of the brutal heat, and I have no way of sugar coating that. To those of you who still love summer, I have to ask, why? I’d really like to know. Do you rub ice cubes on your wrists? Do you wear elaborate sun hats? Do you binge Lifetime holiday movies full of fake smiles and even faker snow? Is there a place you visit in your head where it’s always 65 degrees during the day and 40 degrees at night (my dream temperatures)? I’d love some answers! Let me know. In the meantime, I’ll be melting and reading here in Indiana. Kate Wolford was the publisher and editor of The Fairy Tale Magazine  for many years. She’s now enjoying being Resident Fairy Godmother. Image from Pixabay.

Spells for Success: 40 Spells to Set Intentions and Manifest Everyday Wins  is a box filled with beautifully illustrated and laminated spell cards that will enrich your life and well-being. Created by Lauren Parker, a longtime folk witch and magical practitioner, this deck is perfect for those who practice the craft or for those simply looking to infuse magic into their lives. The author of the collection believes that spells come from a place of need and want, and she has divided her spells into four categories: Money and Career , Health , Love and Romance , and Personal Growth . Some spells are designed to produce immediate results while others may take years to manifest results, but all of the spells are designed to foster personal growth and community peace. In addition to receiving spells, those who purchase Spells for Success  receive an overview on how to set an intention, tips on meditation, information on the Law of Attraction, and instructions for building a magical toolbox, making oils, and using sigils. Best of all is the author’s reassurance that spell work is a craft meant to help us bring about desirable outcomes. Parker teaches us that we are our own magic; our voices, bodies, and creativity are the tools that bring about positive change. She equates spells to the wishes we make on birthday candles and the pinky swears we vow to our childhood friends. Parker’s spells are everyday magic that will fill your life with enchantment. The deck of cards is pleasing to flip through, and the spells ask you to use dance, light, mirrors, oils, herbs, and candles to set the tone for manifesting your desires. You will find a Spell for Hope and a Healthy Family Spell , a Spell to Quit a Bad Habit  and a Better Communication Love Spell . My favorites spells include the Emotional Portal Spell , the Love Yourself Moon Spell , and the Choose Your Own Adventure Spell . Parker has inspired me to embrace the magic of the everyday, and I will keep these spells close to me as I learn to enchant my life. If you are interested in rituals which can stimulate your creativity and move you toward your own vision of success, Lauren Parker’s Spells for Success  is a must. The beautiful box makes a perfect gift for yourself or for someone you love. You can find it here . Kelly Jarvis is the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine. Her work has also been featured in A Moon of One’s Own,   Baseball Bard , Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer,   Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly , The Chamber Magazine , The Magic of Us, and the World Weaver Press Anthology Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers . Her first novella, Selkie Moon , comes out in 2025. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/