Editor Interview: The Fairy Tale Magazine

fairy tales renewed

Cabinet des Fees
Dante's Heart
Journal of the Mythic Arts
Paradoxes of Mr. Pond
Marvels and Tales

Hans Christian Andersen
Brothers Grimm
Madame D'Alnouy
Charles Perrault
William Blake
Coleridge
Wordsworth

We explore the classic fairy tales. We want re-imaginings of tales like "Snow White," "Cinderella," "Beauty and the Beast," etc., that make them new. We do not want stories retold simply with new details; we publish stories and poems that re-see the old tales in new ways. We also do not look for brand-new fairy tales from scratch, as some publications do. We love those, but that is not our mission.

First, respect the genre. We can tell when writers and poets think that tossing off something cute or trivial will work for a publication that focuses on fairy tales. It is insulting and wastes everyone's time.
Second, read, read, read, read the submission guidelines and the publication. Follow the submission guidelines and enjoy the works we publish, but do not slavishly imitate the latter.
Third, love fairy tales. Read the old classics and allow their enchantment to engulf you.
Fourth, comment on our chosen selections. Enter our contests, participate in our unpaid guest blogging program. This lets us get to know the writer/poet. That way, we have an idea of what the writer/poet can do, so if we do see a submission that might be chosen, but needs a little work, we have faith that the creator can do the rewriting. Plus, we expect our writers and poets to support the publication as readers and participants. It's called Enchanted Conversation, after all. That means interaction.

The ideal submission is inventive, but not for novelty's sake. It shows a deep understanding of language and how three words can convey far more than 30. The ideal submission can be sad, scary, silly or funny (funny is VERY hard), but it gives us a sense of what it means to be human. Fairy tales have the power to do that, and so should the works we publish.
The ideal submission entertains us.
On the practical side, the ideal submission shows respect for the genre and the publication.

1) Blowing deadlines
2) Thinking we are a children's publication
3) Thinking we are an "adult" publication -- we see ourselves as age 13 and up publication
4) Ignoring that we clearly are not interested in gore, vampires, sci-fi and sword and sorcery type writing. We like them, but they are not the genres we are interested in.
5) Assuming that even though a story or poem is not related to any theme we have, we still might use it

We want two line bio's. Period.

We read the entire submission.

First, I read them. Then, if I like a piece, I send it to someone else on the team. Usually, we agree. If we don't, I just make a decision. I get final say on everything, but what other staffers think really does matter. They can persuade me.

First, for much of the year, I teach writing to 80-90 college students per semester. This means time is of the essence. But when it comes to Enchanted Conversation, I spend significant time responding to emails, formatting chosen submissions, paying people, drumming up readership, picking and enhancing art for the publication, and generally scrambling to make EC the best I can.