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Check out Kate's fabulous finds that you can enjoy, too! This week's pick: The Practical Wristlet This week’s pick is an inexpensive, practical wristlet that you can carry on its own or stick in purses to help keep things organized. It’s the SCOUT Kate wristlet. I bought it on Amazon in June for only $18 in the black gingham check, and it’s practical and earns me compliments. What’s so special about it? Well, it’s the right size for lip balm, a plus-size iPhone, ID, a credit card, a key fob and folding money. You could easily put a small comb in there too. In other words, it carries a lot of essentials. If you want something you can pop into purses, just remove the wristlet handle and go for it. Even better than its size is that it’s made of wipeable coated cotton. And absolutely best of all? It’s padded. Why is that good? Because it makes the wristlet easier to find in your purse, if you are using it on its own, it doesn’t get lost easily. It’s very light but has heft. The only downside is that the brand is summer oriented, so the designs are best for the hotter seasons, but there is a “Cindy Clawford” animal print I think will work great for colder weather, and I’m going to give it a try. Now I need to start thinking of a new pick for next week. See you next then!

Each poem in Stephanie Parent’s collection Every Poem a Potion, Every Spell a Song showcases the poet’s love for traditional and popular variants of fairy tales that shape women’s lives. In a stunning blend of personal confession and narrative exploration, Parent weaves modern life into the plots of famous fairy tales like Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel and introduces readers to lesser-known stories such as The Juniper Tree, Vasilisa the Beautiful, and The Maiden Without Hands. Often, as is the case with her series of poems on Jorinda and Joringel, Parent presents fairy tale plots through multiple lenses, providing new and seasoned readers with innovative ways of understanding the characters. Using words and images that both burn and soothe, Parent leads her readers to confront the beauty and horror of fairy tales as a way of exploring their own relationships, responsibilities, and desires, ultimately concluding that the tales, while imperfect, help us all to discover our identities and save ourselves. The writing in Parent’s collection will cast a spell over readers as they revel in her poetic potions which mingle the mundane with the magical, breathing new life into the old stories that remain an important part of our future. You can find Every Poem a Potion, Every Spell a Song HERE. Kelly Jarvis teaches classes in literature, writing, and fairy tale at Central Connecticut State University, The University of Connecticut, and Tunxis Community College. She lives, happily ever after, with her husband and three sons in a house filled with fairy tale books. She is also Enchanted Conversation’s special project’s writer.

“Ashes” is a fun, exciting, lighthearted read that kept my interest from beginning to end. Had I read it at 12, I’d have adored it. Our heroine, Ashley, is definitely not living the deluxe life as the stepdaughter of the truly horrid Veronica. She’s got two vapid stepsisters to boot—there are so many mean girls in this story! But Ashley is no wallflower. She’s got the spunk to take on the villains and push back. Fortunately, not only does she have an interestingly weird job after school, Ashley also has a terrific bestie, and Harry, her pop star love interest, is genuinely lovable. The positive supporting characters are as well-drawn as the villains. You don’t often see that. And of course, this is a fairy godmother situation. I loved how both Ashley and Harry had points of view chapters. Both of them were relatable, even though this is a supernatural fairy-tale-inspired book. They worry about prom and getting in trouble with adults, and feel shy and experience big feelings. Harry may be famous, but he’s a real person. I don’t want to tell too much, as this story could easily be ruined by spoilers. I’ll just say that even though the story is mostly light, the villain is genuinely treacherous, which definitely makes the book more fun! The book is set up for a sequel, and I’ll happily read it. Because of Fairy Tale Magazine, I also have a lot to compare this book to, and it holds up well against the competition. “Ashes” feels like a young teen’s book, but older teens and adults who want to escape into a charming, light read, will find it to be fun as well. Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of the ebook to read. Review by Kate Wolford

The Vermilion Emporium by Jamie Pacton is a young adult fantasy novel that drips with beauty as it explores the value and cost of artistic creation. The novel alternates between the limited omniscient perspectives of Twain, an orphan boy who discovers a strand of long-lost starlight, and Quinta, an orphan girl who learns how to weave starlight into lace that can heal wounds, tell stories, and sway opinions. The 17-year-old protagonists discover a magical curiosity shop, become the target of powerful forces who want to use their starlight lace for political gain, and, of course, fall in love. The romance is predictable, as are the forces that conspire to pull the couple apart, but beneath the plot is a poignant commentary on art, science, beauty, and power that leads readers to contemplate the human desire for magic and the terrible sacrifices it requires. Pacton creates an intriguing world where human story and starlight intersect. Her settings burst with color and light. Her characters experience love and loss. The Vermilion Emporium will sweep you away to a fantasy world and return you to reality with a deeper understanding of magic and the artists who create it. Review by Kelly Jarvis

This book comes together in a very meaningful way. By the end, I was teary-eyed, in a good way. The action takes place on a fictional island, (Mallow, outside of Charleston), and at the Dellawisp, a beautiful and haunted old place that’s got a few condos and a lot of ghosts. Indeed, the main characters are all haunted. They include college freshman Zoey, skittish Charlotte, sweet and lonely Mac, and Frasier, the apparent caretaker of the building who has a supernatural relationship with the rare Dellawisp birds who live in the garden. This being a Sarah Addison Allen book, the supernatural unapologetically exists in this story. I’d have been very disappointed if it hadn’t been. But the book itself seems haunted, and like ghosts, the outlines and details come together slowly. That’s okay, because Addison Allen pulls it all together slowly, then much faster and very completely. There are literal and figurative ghosts here, and Addison Allen doesn't shrink from showing that everyone suffers and that everyone keeps secrets. Yet it is not a book about suffering. It’s more a book about how we continue to grow up and surprise ourselves and others all of our days—and beyond. And the last few pages are exceptionally moving. Sarah Addison Allen is back, and in top form. Hooray! NetGalley very kindly gave me this book in exchange for a review. Review by Kate Wolford

Whispers of wind stirred echoes of the past and scattered thoughts of a different time and place through her mind... ~ A. Bergloff In nature, it is the wind that brings in storms, and it is also the wind that clears them away. Wind brings change, and there is beauty in the idea that through the worst storm, the wind will come and usher in the clear blue skies afterwards. This month, The Fairy Tale Magazine is presenting four stories and four poems in the third issue in our series of "weather-works" for 2022 that explore some element of weather - from rain to wind to snow and beyond. So, please enjoy, and as always dear readers... Stay enchanted! - Kate, Amanda, and Kelly "The East Wind listens for the ghosts of last year's sadness..." Windy Season Eve Morton Hear your heart stop in an ocean of silence... The Queen's Temple Alexander Etheridge She could speak with the spirits of the dead during heavy rains... The Stone Sister Betty Stanton All forest adventures should respect nature... Lost and Found in the Rain Alicia Hilton "I am a weather witch, and I would reward each of you with a boon..." Seasonal Affliction Robert Allen Lupton Elf tears do not suffice... Climate Change TS S. Fulk "Who is with you in your storm..." The Shadow Prince Susan K. H. Newman We fly together, up into the light... Light Bird, Shadow Bird Jason P. Burnham MUSIC Sharing an enchanting favorite to accompany this issue: ALL COPYRIGHT to the written works in this issue belong to the individual authors. The Fairy Tale Magazine Editor-in-Chief ~ Kate Wolford Art Director ~ Amanda Bergloff Special Projects Writer ~ Kelly Jarvis Cover Illustration ~ Frank Dicksee Graphics ~ Amanda Bergloff

The Golden Age of Illustration is a term applied to a time period (1880s - 1920s) of unprecedented excellence in book and magazine illustrations by artists in Europe and America. Advances in technology at the time allowed for accurate and inexpensive reproductions of their art, which allowed quality books to be available to the voracious public demand for new graphic art. When many people think of the Golden Age of Illustration, Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, and other male artists come to mind, but there were also female artists that excelled during this time. Margaret Evans Price was one such artist that produced magical work, so learn a bit more about her and her art below... Margaret Evans Price (1888 - 1973) was an American children's book illustrator and author, but did you know that she was a co-founder of Fisher Price, one of the world's most popular toy manufacturers? Margaret was interested in art from a young age and when she was twelve, she sold her first illustrated story to the Boston Journal. She received a formal art education in Boston at the Boston Academy of Fine Arts, then moved to New York City for freelance illustration work. There, she worked for publications like Harper & Brothers, Rand McNally, and Stecher Lithography creating illustrations for children's books of fairy tales and myths. But illustration work was not her only career path as in 1930, along with her husband, Irving L. Price, Helen Schelle, and Herman J. Fisher, Margaret co-founded the Fisher-Price toy company that still exists today. She was the first Art Director of Fisher-Price where she designed push-pull toys based on characters from her children's books. Margaret continued to exhibit her art in national galleries in the U.S. after the formation of Fisher-Price. Her art was not only published in children's books, but also in Nature Magazine, The Women's Home Companion, and Pictorial Review. A permanent collection of her works are housed at the New York Historical Society. Margaret's simple, graphic style, combined with her beautiful compositions, makes her art enchanting for children and adults. Check out her work below: From Once Upon a Time - A Book of Old-Time Fairy Tales, 1921 From Enchantment Tales for Children, 1926 From A Child's Book of Myths, 1929 From Once Upon a Time - A Book of Old-Time Fairy Tales, 1921 From Off to Bed, 1920 Cinderella & Her Godmother, 1939 From Once Upon a Time - A Book of Old-Time Fairy Tales, 1921 The Land of Nod, 1916 The Old Woman & Her Pig, 1928 From A Child's Book of Myths, 1926 On the Road to Storyland, 1926 From A Child's Book of Myths, 1926 Beauty & The Beast, 1921 Little Red Riding Hood & The Wolf, 1921 From A Child's Book of Myths, 1926 And if you'd like to read a full children's book that Price illustrated, you can find The Troubles of Biddy HERE Enchanted Conversation's contributing editor, Amanda Bergloff, writes modern fairy tales and speculative fiction. Her work has appeared in various anthologies, including Frozen Fairy Tales, After the Happily Ever After, and Uncommon Pet Tales. Follow her on Twitter @AmandaBergloff Join her every Tuesday on Twitter for #FairyTaleTuesday to share what you love about fairy tales, folktales, and myths. Also, if you like sharing your #vss fairy tales on Twitter, follow @fairytaleflash and use #FairyTaleFlash so we can retweet! Cover: Amanda Bergloff

Editor's Note: Today's Poetry Showcase is a summer jewel of a poem originally published in 2016. Enjoy! The Summer Fairy wears a sea-green bikini under a diaphanous yellow tunic and shiny flit-flops on her feet. Her wings look like bright, intricately patterned Japanese paper lanterns. She has a small fan at the back of her neck that magically whirs to life when it gets very hot. The Summer Fairy’s eyes are the blue of a chlorinated swimming pool in August; her voice sounds like the boom and rushing spatter of a July thunder storm. The Summer Fairy can sometimes be glimpsed in the floating dark spots you see after staring at the sun too long. Because she is the best swimmer of all the fairies, you might also catch sight of her through the glaze of sunlit water on your face as you break the surface from diving. The Summer Fairy enchants adults into taking extra vacation days and makes children forget everything they learned in school that year. In the city, she goes to picnics in parks and parties on apartment rooftops where she clings to swizzle sticks and the little paper umbrellas in drinks and snacks on dips with baby carrots, buzzing over them like a firefly. Afterward, the hostess will wonder why she ran out of appetizers when she made sure to buy extra. Often the Summer Fairy is drawn by the scents from street fair booths that sell magical oils and incense. Then she’ll help the Tarot card readers by whispering secrets to them about their clients. She’ll make vegans want to eat greasy sausage and peppers and corn dogs. Her hair becomes woven with blue and pink wisps of spun sugar as she whirls around for a fun ride in the cotton candy machine. If you win at the street fair toss games or wheels of fortune, it’s because she likes you, and wants you to have a large sparkly stuffed unicorn. If you always lose, try leaving her some funnel cake and a vanilla milkshake on your kitchen floor by moonlight. The Summer Fairy answers those anonymous ads on Craigslist posted by people who have fallen in love with an attractive stranger glimpsed once while commuting. Usually, it's her they’ve seen, and when they meet again, she whisks the unsuspecting, besotted humans off to Fairyland, never to be seen till many seasons later. She’ll deposit them, spent but happy, like empty soda cans on the nearest cold beach in the fall. Lorraine Schein is a New York writer. Her work has appeared in Strange Horizons, Mad Scientist Journal, Gigantic Worlds, Aphrodite Terra, and the anthologies Drawn to Marvel, Phantom Drift, and Alice Redux. Detail from Alphonse Mucha painting.

Hello Enchanted Friends: I’m busy picking stories and poems for the next issue, and with that in mind, I want to let you know that the August issue will be a small one. We will then go on hiatus in terms of buying and publishing new work through the end of the current year. That means submission windows will not be open again for publication in 2022. We are doing this to allow us to save money and time for the new publication we are launching in 2023! This is a long post, but please read the whole thing. I hope you’ll like what I’m saying here. Here are some of the big changes: We have a gorgeous new site thanks to Amanda Bergloff, Art Director and all-around-site genius. Our theme for 2023 is LOVE, with a special emphasis on romance. There will be two reading periods for next year’s submissions. I haven’t nailed down the dates exactly, yet, but I’m thinking that the first will be from early December of this year through mid-January, 2023. The second will probably be from the beginning of next May through mid-June. I’ll announce them formally in the next couple of months. We are publishing four issues next year. We will still be paying $50 per work (and probably buy around 30 total works next year), but I am going to allow a wider range for length, because some writers would rather be paid less per word and tell a longer story. That has been a consistent concern for many writers for years when they submit to us. The four issues next year will be available in a splendid digital magazine form from the platform ISSUU. The issues will be filled with art, poetry, short stories and “The Best of” from years past. (Best of writers will be contacted and have a new contract when we do that, and can refuse to participate.) At the end of the year, we will publish a print yearbook for 2023. That means that stories and poems (including “The Best of”) published digitally from 2023 will be on actual paper! At last! We will formally be doing business as “The Enchanted Press,” starting Jan. 1, 2023. We will also be a nonprofit. That means that what we earn has to significantly go to the health and welfare of the business, and that’s how I’d like to run things. Our financial statements will have to be filed with the state of Indiana starting in January, because we will have to be transparent. The other reason why we are going nonprofit is that we are going behind a paywall starting in January, and I hope that knowing the magazine is run as a nonprofit will encourage people to pay the low subscription rate per year. I haven’t decided how much the subscriptions will be, but they will not be high cost, I promise. Yes, you will be able to buy single digital issues, but the value of a yearly subscription will be higher. The yearbook will be sold separately. We are going behind the paywall so the magazine can continue. It’s that simple. With the stock market in a mess, inflation on the rise, and my husband and I approaching our retirement years, I have to find a way to keep the magazine going and at least have it break even. But we hope to do so much more. If enough people subscribe and become patrons, we can become a small-time book publisher of anthologies and poetry chapbooks. We dream of making The Enchanted Press a small but very real player in the fairy-tale/magic realism segment of the book market. To that end, in addition to subscriptions, we’ll be offering memberships at different levels to help support the site, and we’ll be selling merchandise on the site. We will not be using Patreon—and that campaign was suspended at the beginning and of this month—but will have our own pledge system that cuts the cost of Patreon out. We hope the added value we offer next year will encourage people to subscribe and buy memberships that will allow The Enchanted Press to expand. Next to last: There will be a spectacular serialized novel for subscribers in 2023, and I couldn’t be prouder! I’ll be dropping more hints in the future, but it’s by Lissa Sloan, one of my favorite writers. (That’s in addition to all the great work the very talented Kelly Jarvis, Contributing Editor, will be doing for the magazine.) Finally, Enchanted Conversation has officially become The Fairy Tale Magazine. To be honest, I got tired of having to write out Enchanted Conversation a long time ago, and I want the publication to reflect fairytalemagazine.com. The new site will reflect the name change. That’s all! Feel free to comment below or email me at katewolford1@gmail.com. Yours in Enchantment, Kate Wolford

Check out Kate's fabulous fairy tale finds that you can enjoy, too! This week's pick: AN OUTRAGEOUS TREAT! I try to keep my picks affordable, but every once in a while, I find something so ridiculously fun, I go for it. Today, that’s “The Grand Chateau” gift box. Yep, it’s a box that holds a gift box and it’ll set you back about $125. I know, $125 is just too much, but this confection of card stock, glitter, crystals, and a chandelier—and that’s only part of the list—is so in your face frou-frou Marie Antoinette, that I simply have to share it. This beautiful confection opens the doors of the paper chateau (the exterior is beautifully line drawn) complete with a paper doll queen and gold medallions giving a lot of the decor. It’s too much, but it is delightfully rendered. It would be perfect for a little person who wants tosee where Cinderella lives after the happily ever after or for tucking a special gift like jewelry or concert tickets inside for a grownup who likes things on the fancy side. Unfortunately, because of Etsy shareability rules, I can’t do more than give you the link to the chateau, but the picture today is of a terrific Cinderella’s Pumpkin Coach box, which our heroine can ride in to and from the chateau. Kind of a twofer. Both are from Gilda’s Curated Designs. Stay enchanted! Kate See you next week!

Welcome to EC's October Witch Issue! Wild and perfect, they belonged to the night with their hair flowing around them and their song of moonlight and magic that turned the midnight hour into something new and strange. ~ A. Bergloff They are shadow and light. Dust and fire. Earth mothers and formidable foes. Reflections of the past and mysterious visions of the future. They are the ones who live at the edge of our vision and beckon us to follow them into their arcane world of earth and bone. They are witches, and EC is featuring them with some enchanting tales for the month of October. So please enjoy our Halloween contest winning story, the honorable mention tale and a poem, along with some other witchy treats from EC's archives below, and as always, dear readers... Stay enchanted! - Kate, Amanda, Molly, and Kelly First Place Mike Neis Honorable Mention Judy Lunsford A Wishing Spell Kelly Jarvis MUSIC Sharing one of our magical favorites to accompany this issue: ALL COPYRIGHT to the written works in this issue belong to the individual authors. The Fairy Tale Magazine Editor-in-Chief ~ Kate Wolford Art Director ~ Amanda Bergloff Special Projects Writer ~ Kelly Jarvis Graphics ~ Amanda Bergloff

Editor’s note: It’s not often that EC gets a submission that includes the work of a professional artist and writer like Lauren Mills. That’s right. The adorable image, “Berry Harvest,” that goes with this delightful and unexpected poem is also by Lauren. You’re going to love this! A fever led the witch to bed, Too weak to find a cure. Her ragged breath, her aching head, No more could she endure. A healer she had been to all Who dared to seek the crone; But none would heed a witch’s call She’d face her end alone. At dusk she spied a little light Float by her garden wall. She fancied that a fairy might Be tucked inside, quite small. She rose and stumbled out her door To see what might be there, Then crawled across the leafy floor With no one there to care. Then, one by one, she watched them come From out of mist and dew. Her heart like rapid wings did hum To glimpse them as they flew. Their hair like tufts of milkweed down Was lifted by the breeze. Each gossamer and silky gown As sheer as wings of bees. They sang and played a lively reel. Those dainty feet did dance Upon the tufted chamomile, A golden-fairy prance. With fragrance as a sweet caress Into a dream serene, Her eyes half closed in drowsy bliss; She saw the strangest scene. A tiny, wounded mouse was laid Across the blossomed-bed. A mossy pillow, fairy-made, Was set beneath his head. One wrapped him in a petal shawl. One kissed his tiny cheek. With thorn removed, he stood up tall, And thanked them with a squeak. The next to come was old brown toad. They set his broken toe. His gratitude he shyly showed By croaking rather low. At last there came a chickadee, Her feathers not quite right. The fairies worked so carefully To sew them back, snug tight. And just when she began to think Of taking slumber there The fairies turned and with a wink Wove flowers in her hair. What happened next, she could not say; The tunes began to fade. By dawn’s first light they flew away. She hobbled from the glade. When she awoke upon her bed, The dew upon the lawn, With fragrant herbs around her head- Her fever? It was gone! *** Bio: Lauren A. Mills has been a visiting art professor at the University of Hartford in Connecticut and Hollins University in Virginia. She is the author and illustrator of several books for children including, The Rag Coat, The Dog Prince, Tatterhood and the Hobgoblins, and Fairy Wings which she co-illustrated with her husband, Dennis Nolan, and which won the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) Golden Kite Award. She and her husband have a grown daughter. They live with their Italian Greyhound, Ollie, in Western Massachusetts at their homestead called Faun Hollow. Lauren, a self-proclaimed Hedge Witch, grows herbs that go into her Faerie Botanica of healing teas and body care products that she makes for her family and friends.