"The hospitality at this Fairy Tale Lobby couldn't be warmer!"
…when one simpleton looked at the other simpleton and said, “Hey, let’s start a fairy tale discussion group.”
“Good idea!” replied her companion. “I like talking about fairy tales about as much as I like talking about … about anything! So. Let’s discuss.”
She sat herself down on the nearest tree stump and looked expectantly at her companion. She was the simpler of the two simpletons.
“No. I don’t mean let’s talk about fairy tales right here and now. What I mean is, lets invite our friends who love fairy tales to think and write and talk and … discuss them all together.”
“Good idea!” replied the simpler simpleton. “Let’s go get ‘em and sit ‘em all down in one place and start ‘em talking amongst themselves.
The first simpleton heaved a great sigh and said, “Well, but that’s kinda hard. Because they don’t all live close by. I was thinking maybe we could write e-mails to each other about fairy tales…”
“Ooh-ooh-ooh!” said the second simpleton. “I’ll make a blog!”
The two simpletons pondered and posited, they predicted and postulated, and in the end they resolved to go and ask Enessen the wizard if they could become a National Storytelling Network Discussion Group.
Now, it may have been a short time and it may have been a long time, I can’t say, but at last they arrived at the wizard’s cottage, the magic words were spoken, and the enchantment descended upon them like a mist. They remained at the wizard’s cottage where they built a humble little fairy tale lobby.
“So now,” said the more sagacious simpleton to the simpler simpleton, “It’s time to deliver the goods.”
…..
So, with the simple leading the simpler, we’ll meet you all right here at the Fairy Tale Lobby and invite you in to share … wondercake, a crust of bread, our magic beans … and we hope you’ll leave the gift of your comments.
Long live wise fools everywhere! Finally, we have a place to gather!
This simpleton finds welcome rest here in the Story Forest while on his way to Happily-Ever-After. He looks forward to talking to other simpletons about the tales of faeries and other folk. Thanks Megan and Mary Grace.
Blessed be Mary Grace and Megan.
As a British simpleton who began to believe that the telling of fairy tales was a lost art in the New World I am more than delighted – I am positively thrilled beyond measure – to have the fairy world suddenly revived and demanding much of us all.
Don’t know if Facebook’s search engine is the simpleton or if I get to claim the title, but Fairy Tale Lobby doesn’t get you to the site there. You must enter The Fairy Tale Lobby and then it magically appears.
How like a fairy tale where you must give the secret magic words exactly and then the door opens.
Congratulations to all of us simpletons wise enough to find this and show tales of wonder still draw an audience. I knew it, but hope this gives power and a magic sword for all true believers.
Love it, Lois! Who’d a thunk the secret magic word was “The” ???
Hi there, I’m a storyteller and folklorist (in training) and play harp and sing. I love folk and fairy tales, especially used as healing stories. I also love reclaiming fairy tales for adults – weaving the spice back into them and surprising audiences with their earlier oral versions. I’m excited about this blog!
In answer to the question: What makes it a fairy tale? Hmm… magical elements, simplistic story, yet deep symbolic meaning… to me fairy tales are the inner world turned out. That is, the inner workings of the human condition laid out for all to see. They are a safe place for the less acceptable desires and emotions to be explored, such as jealousy, envy, anger, fear, and so forth. They’re usually bursting with deep insight and wise guidance, yet they’re so simple. They’re perfect little stories : )
That was almost our first “Fairy Tale Question of the Month,” or FT?OM, as Megan and I have taken to shorthanding it. Maybe it should be the next one, or soon.
We’ll be posting the FT?OM on the magical third day of each month on (don’t forget the magic word “THE”) The Fairy Tale Lobby FBpage-for all comers and on Storytell, where it all started, then preserving some of your best responses on Vasalisa’s blog. Now that it is up and running and we simpletons are assembling, we can definitely post the question here, too.
But don’t let that keep you from chatting about it right now!
I am looking forward to the discussions. Tonight I am planning to tell “Sprig of Rosemary” (Lang’s Pink) at a swap. It will be the topic of my “Fairy Tale of the Month” blog. Will Mary Grace’s “Fairy Tale Question of the Month” appear here?
Charles — Yes, it will. Thursday or Friday.
So nice to have these discussions to look forward too.–Jane
Oh my goodness, so exciting! Fairy tales are the heart and soul of my storytelling! I’ve been collecting them since I was 8, but it’s so hard for me to find anyone who knows much about them or really loves them. This is so wonderful! Thank you for being here!
From one of your simpleton fans, many thanks for getting this blog up and out into the great world. Most of the time, I feel that Fairy Tales carry the information to meet, survive and thrive in these perilous times. And if the blog makes KIm W. excited then I am all for it.
There was a time, not so long ago, not so far away, when fairy tales were my bread and butter, but now I find the Historical, Factual, curriculum based stor-ee is what schools are hungry for and therefore puts meat on my table. Any other thoughts on this dilemma?
Not right off the bat, Brian, but that just might have to be one of our upcoming “Fairy Tale Questions of the Month.” (See the December question and some of the responses on Fairy Tale Lobby Blog at http://www.facebook.com/FairyTaleLobby.)
Megan Hicks is hilarious. Her diction is too. Cool start to a hot idea.
Great start! I’m a lover of fairy tales too,and have been since I was a child and reading my father’s collection of My Book House books. I’ve been collecting them myself in recent years.
Nice to see Mario here :) He’s been a blog friend for several years.
YAY!!! : )
Beautiful
Ready…set…go!
Aye. An’ simple is as simple does. So let’s be havin’ a simple chat now, shall we? How about we start with the question: What makes it a fairy tale?
And that is the major question.
Allow me briefly to introduce myself: Mario Rups, librarian, cataloguer at the Smithsonian Institution Libraries. Professional pigeon-holer, in other words. I’ve had a life-long fascination with fairy tales, folk tales, and ghost tales — any tale, really, that has an element of magic or the supernatural or the occult, of “the other”, including myth and legend.
Frankly, for my own purposes, I have settled for simply the term “tales” to cover the lot of them (except ghost stories, perhaps) because the boundaries are so fluid, especially if you start including modern fiction. I’m looking forward to seeing what pigeon holes professional storytellers might use.
BTW: white snow on a white background has a creepy, ghostly effect when the invisible flakes drift across the letters. Thought for a while there that something had gone kerflooey with either the screen or my eyesight! :-)
About the snow — It’s a wordpress thing that lasts until mid-January, and then the dandruff will disappear.
[laughs] The snow is a javascript residing on another site — I’ve “borrowed” it and tucked it into my wiki for the sheer joy of it. Also onto my library’s “Tech Services” wiki, although no one seems to have noticed it yet. :-( You — or WordPress — gave me an early Christmas present with it.
I look forward to sharing that crust of bread with all of you. And thanks for featuring Vasilisa—she’s one of my favorites.
The magical mist must of rested on them so lightly for it seems they did an amazing amount in the time of one sunrise to sunset.
Oooooo- this is exciting. I love fairy tales and although they only make up a smidge of my repitoire I sure love hearing and reading them. Plus- anything Megan is involved in is worth checking out.
I agree wholeheartedly! This is going to be fun!