ESWM Inaugural Issue: East of the Sun and West of the Moon
ESWM Submission Guidelines
“Once upon a time . . . these words are an incantation, signaling the beginning of a spell of enchantment -- a magical spell, or a spell in the sense of a timeless period, or often some combination of the two. They describe a then that could have occurred at any time, in any place, a then which hovers in a delicious void of possibility. However, the thing that we -- the modern readers, lovers, enchanted connoisseurs of Fairy tales -- can sometimes forget is that the prospects of the then can be equally relevant in the now. Fairy tales, folk tales, legends, and myths -- fantastic stories of all kinds -- are as relevant to the modern world as they ever were.” (Helen Pilinovsky)
Goals
It is our goal, with East of the Sun, West of the Moon, to encourage writers and artists, both young and old, just starting out or already established, to explore the fairytale genre as well as those myths, legends, and folktales they have grown up with and to find themselves inspired to perpetuate these stories in whatever ways they feel themselves thus drawn.
With a myriad of tales to choose from we have decided to theme each issue with a single fairytale. We are looking for creative revisions of that tale which remain true to the essence of the tale. We hope each writer or artist will incorporate elements of the tale creatively within their retelling, or rendition, of the story, and that each submission connects well to the prompt.
This is a collaborative, creative effort and every issue will have its own set of prompts — the intention is to create a web of fairytale retellings and interpretations that stresses on diversity, inclusion, and the merging of boundaries, based on the principle all storytellers understand: “sometimes, the best truths are found in fiction.”
Themes
“Fairy tales and folklore, legends and myths, tales of wonder of every sort and type, these are written not only in the languages of the mundane world -- French, German, Italian, English -- but also in the language of symbols,” writes Helen Pilinovsky. “In a number of stories, symbols such roses symbolize innocence (i.e., the roses that wreath Sleeping Beauty’s kingdom, the rose brought to Beauty by her father from the castle of the Beast). The themes of these stories frequently demonstrate the values of the culture that tells the tales. They are mirrors helping to emphasize the true ideals of their societies -- tellingly, symbols of truth in tales such as Snow White. For example, a society that emphasizes the worth of virginity produces tales with a preponderance of such symbols of chastity, not only roses, but also blood red cloaks, and fragile, transparent, membranous slippers.”
Therefore, in each issue, along with the overlying challenge of playing with the themed fairytale, there will be a number of symbols, themes, and motifs that writers and artists alike can draw upon for inspiration.
ISSUE ONE Specific Guidelines
With a myriad of tales to choose from we have decided to theme each issue with a single fairytale. And, what more appropriate tale for the first issue than that which it has been named for, “East of the Sun and West of the Moon.”
Your contribution might be a retelling of this tale from another perspective, or playing with genre elements. It might be a poem or illustration inspired by some aspect of the tale. But it could also be any work of art, fiction or criticism that develops one of the many themes of the tale, including, but not limited to:
The Magic of Threes
Shape-Shifting
Bears
The Character of the Winds
Trolls
A Golden Spinning Wheel, Comb, or Apple
Coming of Age
Breaking of a Curse
Rags to Riches
And above all don’t be afraid to think outside the box, to explore other genres (such as science fiction or the supernatural), to try something different. We love to see where creativity has led someone!
The reading period for Issue One will close on 10 DECEMBER 2012
Please send your submissions and all related queries to [email protected]
ESWM General Guidelines:
Fiction Submissions:
1. No more than 3000 words per story.
2. Simultaneous submissions accepted.
3. Make sure your story complies with the theme of each issue.
4. Along with each submission, author must submit a statement (no longer than a page) explaining what about the prompt inspired their particular story and highlighting the specific elements which tie it to East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
5. Please submit a 1-2 sentence biographical note.
Poetry Submissions:
1. No more than two poems per submission.
2. Simultaneous submissions accepted.
3. Make sure the poems comply with the theme of each issue.
4. Along with each submission author must submit a statement (no longer than a page) explaining what about the prompt inspired their particular poem(s) and highlighting the specific elements which tie it to East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
5. Please submit a 1-2 sentence biographical note.
Artwork:
1. No more than two pieces per submission, unless in specific cases the number of pieces ties into the theme of the issue. For example, “the magic of threes” which is a prompt for the first issue.
2. Simultaneous submissions accepted.
3. To be clear, we are open to any format. If you think it is art, submit it.
4. Each submission must include a statement by the artist (no longer than a page) explaining what about the prompt inspired their particular piece(s) and highlighting the specific elements which tie it to East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
5. Please submit a 1-2 sentence biographical note.
Other:
1. We are open to multiple formats—text, art, and photographs certainly, but also podcasts, data shows, videos, and anything else that your creative imagination produces.
2. No more than one submission per issue.
3. Each submission must include a statement by the author (no longer than a page) explaining what about the prompt inspired their particular piece, as well as why they picked the format they did, and highlighting the specific elements which tie it to East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
4. Please submit a 1-2 sentence biographical note.
Literary Criticisms:
1. This includes, but is not limited to: articles, essays, and reviews concerning fairy and folk tales, folklore and mythology.
2. Although we do request that the criticism contain or focus on elements that appear in the specific fairytale for each issue, in certain cases a compelling enough essay might be chosen anyway.
3. No more than one submission per issue.
4. Please submit a 1-2 sentence biographical note.
For any further queries please contact us at [email protected].
Finally, I have to add that East of the Sun, West of the Moon is an experiment, and like all experiments, it can go either way. It could be a wonderful success, or it could be a dismal failure. Of course, since I pitched it and I love this idea, I don’t want it to fail, but I also want writers and artists who understand it is an experiment, who are willing to be brave, willing to straddle that contradiction of being both fluid and inventive, yet true to the fairytale type/culture, and most importantly, to the craft of writing itself.
“Once upon a time . . . these words are an incantation, signaling the beginning of a spell of enchantment -- a magical spell, or a spell in the sense of a timeless period, or often some combination of the two. They describe a then that could have occurred at any time, in any place, a then which hovers in a delicious void of possibility. However, the thing that we -- the modern readers, lovers, enchanted connoisseurs of Fairy tales -- can sometimes forget is that the prospects of the then can be equally relevant in the now. Fairy tales, folk tales, legends, and myths -- fantastic stories of all kinds -- are as relevant to the modern world as they ever were.” (Helen Pilinovsky)
Goals
It is our goal, with East of the Sun, West of the Moon, to encourage writers and artists, both young and old, just starting out or already established, to explore the fairytale genre as well as those myths, legends, and folktales they have grown up with and to find themselves inspired to perpetuate these stories in whatever ways they feel themselves thus drawn.
With a myriad of tales to choose from we have decided to theme each issue with a single fairytale. We are looking for creative revisions of that tale which remain true to the essence of the tale. We hope each writer or artist will incorporate elements of the tale creatively within their retelling, or rendition, of the story, and that each submission connects well to the prompt.
This is a collaborative, creative effort and every issue will have its own set of prompts — the intention is to create a web of fairytale retellings and interpretations that stresses on diversity, inclusion, and the merging of boundaries, based on the principle all storytellers understand: “sometimes, the best truths are found in fiction.”
Themes
“Fairy tales and folklore, legends and myths, tales of wonder of every sort and type, these are written not only in the languages of the mundane world -- French, German, Italian, English -- but also in the language of symbols,” writes Helen Pilinovsky. “In a number of stories, symbols such roses symbolize innocence (i.e., the roses that wreath Sleeping Beauty’s kingdom, the rose brought to Beauty by her father from the castle of the Beast). The themes of these stories frequently demonstrate the values of the culture that tells the tales. They are mirrors helping to emphasize the true ideals of their societies -- tellingly, symbols of truth in tales such as Snow White. For example, a society that emphasizes the worth of virginity produces tales with a preponderance of such symbols of chastity, not only roses, but also blood red cloaks, and fragile, transparent, membranous slippers.”
Therefore, in each issue, along with the overlying challenge of playing with the themed fairytale, there will be a number of symbols, themes, and motifs that writers and artists alike can draw upon for inspiration.
ISSUE ONE Specific Guidelines
With a myriad of tales to choose from we have decided to theme each issue with a single fairytale. And, what more appropriate tale for the first issue than that which it has been named for, “East of the Sun and West of the Moon.”
Your contribution might be a retelling of this tale from another perspective, or playing with genre elements. It might be a poem or illustration inspired by some aspect of the tale. But it could also be any work of art, fiction or criticism that develops one of the many themes of the tale, including, but not limited to:
The Magic of Threes
Shape-Shifting
Bears
The Character of the Winds
Trolls
A Golden Spinning Wheel, Comb, or Apple
Coming of Age
Breaking of a Curse
Rags to Riches
And above all don’t be afraid to think outside the box, to explore other genres (such as science fiction or the supernatural), to try something different. We love to see where creativity has led someone!
The reading period for Issue One will close on 10 DECEMBER 2012
Please send your submissions and all related queries to [email protected]
ESWM General Guidelines:
Fiction Submissions:
1. No more than 3000 words per story.
2. Simultaneous submissions accepted.
3. Make sure your story complies with the theme of each issue.
4. Along with each submission, author must submit a statement (no longer than a page) explaining what about the prompt inspired their particular story and highlighting the specific elements which tie it to East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
5. Please submit a 1-2 sentence biographical note.
Poetry Submissions:
1. No more than two poems per submission.
2. Simultaneous submissions accepted.
3. Make sure the poems comply with the theme of each issue.
4. Along with each submission author must submit a statement (no longer than a page) explaining what about the prompt inspired their particular poem(s) and highlighting the specific elements which tie it to East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
5. Please submit a 1-2 sentence biographical note.
Artwork:
1. No more than two pieces per submission, unless in specific cases the number of pieces ties into the theme of the issue. For example, “the magic of threes” which is a prompt for the first issue.
2. Simultaneous submissions accepted.
3. To be clear, we are open to any format. If you think it is art, submit it.
4. Each submission must include a statement by the artist (no longer than a page) explaining what about the prompt inspired their particular piece(s) and highlighting the specific elements which tie it to East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
5. Please submit a 1-2 sentence biographical note.
Other:
1. We are open to multiple formats—text, art, and photographs certainly, but also podcasts, data shows, videos, and anything else that your creative imagination produces.
2. No more than one submission per issue.
3. Each submission must include a statement by the author (no longer than a page) explaining what about the prompt inspired their particular piece, as well as why they picked the format they did, and highlighting the specific elements which tie it to East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
4. Please submit a 1-2 sentence biographical note.
Literary Criticisms:
1. This includes, but is not limited to: articles, essays, and reviews concerning fairy and folk tales, folklore and mythology.
2. Although we do request that the criticism contain or focus on elements that appear in the specific fairytale for each issue, in certain cases a compelling enough essay might be chosen anyway.
3. No more than one submission per issue.
4. Please submit a 1-2 sentence biographical note.
For any further queries please contact us at [email protected].
Finally, I have to add that East of the Sun, West of the Moon is an experiment, and like all experiments, it can go either way. It could be a wonderful success, or it could be a dismal failure. Of course, since I pitched it and I love this idea, I don’t want it to fail, but I also want writers and artists who understand it is an experiment, who are willing to be brave, willing to straddle that contradiction of being both fluid and inventive, yet true to the fairytale type/culture, and most importantly, to the craft of writing itself.