Issue 2: Twisted Tales
For our second issue, we asked artists and writers to send us work inspired by fairy tales, folktales, legends, and myths—all told with a twist. Most are told from the villain’s point of view and some are from simply misunderstood character’s perspectives while others show the alternate side of an individual. Either way, we found that their tales are best told on Halloween. Some content may trigger individuals. Please keep in mind that original fairy tales do have dark tones.
We hope you enjoy these twisted tales.
Arsha Adarsh is chronically ill, Desi and too tired for gender. They were born in the UK, but they've fallen in love with the Oregon sky. Their work's appeared in Ang(st), Ayaskala, Ghost Heart, The Daily Drunk and others. Follow them on Twitter @arsha_writes and Mastodon @arsha@writing.exchange, or read their other work at aadarsh.ink
Alexandra Beaumont has always pursued one adventure after another, from exploring the old parts of London to sword fighting at medieval re-enactment battles. She was raised on Arthurian legends, Tolkien and folklore and has a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. Alexandra has recently finished writing her first book, Testament of the Stars: a dark fantasy novel inspired by Elizabethan beliefs in astrology. Outside of her writing life she plays the cello, board games and explores the countryside.
Laura Bibby is the Brisbane-based creator of Bloomurder Zines, which publishes zines about poetry, Shakespeare, mythology and poisonous plants. She is close to finishing a BA in Creative Writing and loves to write short, sharp poetry, flash fiction and fan fiction. Her love of the fantastical and ominous generally shines through in her work.
Stephen Bone's latest pamphlet 'Plainsong' was published by Indigo Dreams in 2018. A pamphlet due from Hedgehog Press in 2020.
Cheryl Byrne is a writer based in Manchester who primarily writes Short Stories. She is the Head of Community for Orton Publishing and as part of this role, is involved in running Orton’s Manchester Writers Circle, a group to support and help writers.
Jason de Koff is an associate professor of agronomy and soil science at Tennessee State University. He lives in Nashville, TN with his wife, Jaclyn, and his two daughters, Tegan and Maizie. He has published in a number of scientific journals, and recently had poetry published in other literary journals, including Analogies and Allegories.
Ilana Drake is a senior at the High School for Math, Science, and Engineering. Ilana’s work has been featured in YR Media, i-D Magazine, Flare Journal, Cathartic Youth Literary Magazine, Bright Lite, Highly Indy, The Forward, The Times of Israel, Jewish Women’s Archive, jGirls, Blue Marble Review, Crossed Paths, Fresh Ink for Teens, The Youth Voices Network & Day One “All of Love’s Vibes” zine, Girls Write Now blogs, Girls Write Now Anthologies (2019, 2020), and YouthBridge-NY blogs.
Amlanjyoti Goswami's recent collection of poems 'River Wedding' (Poetrywala) has been widely reviewed. His poetry has been published in journals and anthologies around the world. His poems have also appeared on street walls in Christchurch, exhibitions in Johannesburg, an e-gallery in Brighton and buses in Philadelphia. He has read in various places, including New York, Delhi and Boston. He grew up in Guwahati, Assam and lives in Delhi.
Amlanjyoti Goswami's recent collection of poems 'River Wedding' (Poetrywala) has been widely reviewed. His poetry has been published in journals and anthologies around the world. His poems have also appeared on street walls in Christchurch, exhibitions in Johannesburg, an e-gallery in Brighton and buses in Philadelphia. He has read in various places, including New York, Delhi and Boston. He grew up in Guwahati, Assam and lives in Delhi.
Lori Graham is an American living in Woodbridge, England with her partner, Natascha, 2 bonus kids, 2 cats and 3 chickens. Lori received her B.A. in English from the University of North Florida so that she could have an excuse to read literature and write about it while earning a degree. Lori has worn many hats in her life, including writing for the local newspaper, teaching sign language to high school students, raising 3 kids and is currently working from home as a Student Success Associate for an online college. Lori has had the following work published: “Last Month” in Poems on Global Lockdown and CoronaVirus (Poet’s Choice July 2020), “Out” and “Who Was She?” in Other Worldly Women Press, “Change is Coming” in XR-GLobal Creative XRcreative.org, and “Salty Memories” in The Adriatic (Upcoming).
Michelle Granville is a mixed media artist living in the west of Ireland. Her recent work is a combination of printmaking and collage and she has a particular fondness for using vintage found images and text. Her work has appeared in Riggwelter press, Telltale chapbooks, One sentence poems, Pidgeonholes and elsewhere.
Michelle Granville is a mixed media artist living in the west of Ireland. Her recent work is a combination of printmaking and collage and she has a particular fondness for using vintage found images and text. Her work has appeared in Riggwelter press, Telltale chapbooks, One sentence poems, Pidgeonholes and elsewhere.
Michelle Granville is a mixed media artist living in the west of Ireland. Her recent work is a combination of printmaking and collage and she has a particular fondness for using vintage found images and text. Her work has appeared in Riggwelter press, Telltale chapbooks, One sentence poems, Pidgeonholes and elsewhere.
Alexandra Grunberg is a Glasgow based author, poet, and screenwriter. Her stories have appeared in Daily Science Fiction, Cast of Wonders, and Flash Fiction Online. She is a postgraduate student in the DFA in Creative Writing programme at the University of Glasgow.
After working as a Wildlife Biologist in Boston, San Francisco, and Annapolis, Judy Harding settled in Baltimore where she began writing short stories. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins MA in Writing Program.
Janet Harper is a poet and teacher who lives and works in London. She has been published in The Morning Star and posts for Poets For the Planet on Twitter (@poets4theplanet).
Jenni Wyn Hyatt was born in Maesteg, Wales in 1942 but now lives in Derbyshire, England. She has been published in magazines for traditional verse such as 'The Lyric'. 'The Road Not Taken' and elsewhere. Her subjects include nature, childhood memories, injustice and human tragedy and she also writes short form poetry and humorous verse. She has published two collections, 'Perhaps One Day' (2017) and 'Striped Scarves and Coal Dust' (2019).
Dominic Loise lives in Chicago, Illinois. He is open about and advocates for mental health awareness. His work has appeared on Alchemic Gold Poetry Society, Analogies & Allegories, Calm Down, Push up Daisies!, Raven Review, Refresh, Silent Auctions & Short Editions and in Collective Realms & Emotional Alchemy.
When not reading, Anisha Kaul seeks to pen down her thoughts into a tangible script. Her medium of expression varies, while the urge to express remains intact. Wrapped in her thoughts she is at solace, awaiting a new reflection. You can reach out to her on twitter @anishakaul9.
Rachael Llewellyn is an English novelist. Her previous work includes the Red Creek series (Down Red Creek and Impulse Control, both with Sulis International Press), and her short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and journals. Her first collection of short fiction, Human Beings, is due for publication with Bear Hill Books in 2020. She is currently a PhD candidate at Swansea University, and is completing her thesis on trauma and memory in folklore.
Thokozani Mbwana (they/them) is a queer African Studies scholar by day and an Ancestor-summoning writer and poet by night. Their work explores existing and becoming as well as issues of race, sexuality, displacement, death and Ancestral connections.
Maggi McGettigan is a writer and educator living in Downingtown, PA. Her work can be seen in Halfway Down the Stairs, The Stonecrop Review, and Flora Fiction Literary Magazines. She is currently working on her first novel.
S. McKiernan is a seventeen year old college student and freelance writer, trying to pursue an independent writing career. S. prefers writing Sci-Fi/supernatural stories as a nice distraction from a, let's say, less than ideal reality.
Annmarie McQueen is a London-based digital marketer and graduate of Warwick University’s creative writing programme. She’s been published in numerous magazines including Dear Damsels, Buried Letter Press and Avis Magazine. Her prose also appeared in the anthology The Little Book of Fairytales released by Dancing Bear Books.
Rebecca Metcalfe is a 24 year-old writer originally from Essex, UK. She now lives in an attic in Manchester with two black cats. She has an MA in Victorian Literature and now works part time in a museum and part time in a restaurant. Her work has also been published in Spelk, Lumpen Journal, Flash: the International Short Story Magazine, Three Drops from a Cauldron, and Foxglove Journal, among others. She can be found on Twitter at @beckyannwriter
Fiona Mossman is an enthusiast of words, mountains, and beautiful things. She is a sometime library worker who lives in Edinburgh and has just finished a degree in Book History.
C.G. Nelson has been an avid reader of poetry since she was thirteen years old. Her first loves were Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allan Poe. C.G. Nelson is a new poet. She went to the University of Washington, where she graduated with a degree in English and Philosophy. Find her on Twitter @CGNelsonwrites.
Charlotte Newbury is a poet from South East England with an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Exeter. She likes witchcraft, ecofeminism and spider plants. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in LandLocked, Perhappened, Rejection Letters and others. You can find her on twitter @charnewbpoet.
Dr. Chinmayee Padhya is an ENT surgeon by profession. She enjoys Art and literature as a hobby as well as traveling around the globe.
Emily Prince is an Australian writer living in Scotland. Her work has appeared in Gutter, Sonder, Voiceworks, and Clover & White among others. In 2017 she was runner up in the Emerging Writer Award facilitated by Moniack Mhor and The Bridge Awards, and her work has been read at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and the Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas.
Liz Chadwick Pywell is a York-based, lesbian poet and writer of short stories and flash fiction, and an English and Drama teacher when she’s not writing. She has recently had work published by Forever Endeavour, Nightingale & Sparrow, Visual Verse, Outta Time, Dare to Create, Mooky Chick, Ang(st) and Kalopsia. She sometimes performs at open mic nights in York when the country’s not in lockdown.
Lucy Rose (INFP/T) is an award-winning screenwriter/director and a published writer. She is a charity shop addict, can be found drinking copious amounts of tea and obsessively buying books that were printed in the 70s (they have the best book smell). Her first films, The Sycamore Gap (2018) and Peak (2019) both attended BAFTA-Qualifying Festivals. In 2019, she received funding from the BFI Network for her short film ‘She Lives Alone’, which is currently visiting festivals (one of which is an Academy-Award Qualifying Festival). Lucy is proudly LGBTQ+ & Working Class 🏳️🌈 Lucy also has a BA (Hons) in Film and Television production and is currently studying a Masters Degree part-time in creative writing. Most recently, her prose was featured in The Same Havoc Anthology from The Selkie.
Cyrine Sinti is a Writer and Dancer who believes in sharing culture through fiction. She is a lover of folklore, history, and mythology – in particular, German. Alongside her Gypsy background, Cyrine is passionate about sharing more of her two heritages with a wider audience. She has been published in Crepe & Penn, gal-dem and others. She can be found under any full moon surrounded by candles and flowers; telling herself this is all perfectly normal. Or online @CyrineSinti.
Libby Taylor is a twenty-year-old poet and aspiring author from Leicestershire, England. She studies English Literature and Creative Writing at university, and she also works as a News Journalist for her university's newspaper and as a Non-Fiction Editor. When she is not writing or working on her blog she is usually reading a fantasy novel, or playing with her pets. You can also find her work published in Vaughan Street Doubles, Pendemic, Yellow Paint Magazine, and more.
Milly Webster is a 22-year-old poet and student. She graduated in June 2020 with a 2:1 from the University of Lincoln in BA English and Creative Writing and will start her MA in Creative Writing in October 2020. Her undergraduate dissertation was a collection of poetry centred around bisexuality and bi-erasure.