Folklore & Fiction

The last and greatest of the Fianna goes to the otherworld for a twelvemonth and returns an old man. Join me for a discussion of fairy time, and come away with suggestions for characterizing internal conflict in your storytelling. (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/usheen )

A far-future psychopath is forced to take an empathy drug and spends the journey to his execution reflecting upon reparations he can never make to his victims. Join me for a discussion of forgiveness and atonement in my novelette titled "He Who Steals the Sun Shall Bear Its Gravity." (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/summer-solstice-dispatch-2022 )

Join me for a discussion of Icelandic folklore in my short story entitled "B is for Burned/Every Broken Creature," which was published in the F is for Fairy anthology of short fiction. (Companion Dispatch: https://csmaccath.com/blog/summer-solstice-newsletter-2019 )

This episode of the Folklore & Fiction podcast was first published as a newsletter in May 2019. I'm recording it as a supplemental podcast now so that new listeners and subscribers have an opportunity to engage with the material. In it, I'm writing about the personal experience narrative genre with help from scholars William Labov and Joshua Waletzky, Sandra K.D. Stahl, Gillian Bennett, and ot...

A nobleman's daughter makes love to a knight and risks everything to rescue him from the Queen of Fairies. Join me for a ballad about the heroine of Carterhaugh, her bravery, and her beloved, and come away with recommendations for creating your own fictional magic system. (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/tam-lin )

This episode of the Folklore & Fiction podcast was first published as a newsletter in April 2019. I'm recording it as a supplemental podcast now so that new listeners and subscribers have an opportunity to engage with the material. In it, I'll be introducing the memorate genre with help from scholars Carl W. von Sydow, Lauri Honko, Diane Goldstein, and others, helping you analyse a memorate, a...

Fe, fi, fo, fum! A clever young heroine outwits a giant to save the lives of her sisters and returns to his house on behalf of a king to steal a sword, a bag of gold, and a ring. Join me for a discussion of violence and sanitization in fairy tales, and come away with suggestions for writing multilingual characters. (Companion Dispatch: https://csmaccath.com/blog/mollywhuppie )

This episode of the Folklore & Fiction podcast was first published as a newsletter in March 2019. In it, I'll be introducing the legend genre with help from scholars Linda Dégh and others, contributions from the Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore Archive, and a wee chunk of fiction by Patrick Rothfuss. (Companion Dispatch: https://csmaccath.com/blog/what-legend )

A young widow of invincible courage helps the ghost of a murdered man find peace. Join me for a tale about Margaret Barnekow - a larger-than-life Swedish matriarch - and come away with writing exercises geared toward teachers of middle school students. (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/the-specter-in-fjelkinge )

This episode of the Folklore & Fiction podcast was first published as a newsletter in February 2019. In it, I'll be discussing the myth genre with help from scholars Alan Dundes, William Bascom, and others, helping you analyse a myth, and discussing ways to bring myth to your story craft. (Companion Dispatch: https://csmaccath.com/blog/what-is-a-myth )

A king with an embarrassing secret forces his barber to keep it on penalty of the man's life, but the reeds and trees themselves sing out on the barber's behalf. Join me for a discussion of absolute power, and come away with a better understanding of theme in storytelling. (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/the-king-with-the-horses-ears )

This episode of the Folklore & Fiction podcast was first published as a newsletter in January 2019. In it, I'll be introducing you to folklore genres with help from scholars Alan Dundes and others, discussing how the concept of genre can be both helpful and problematic, detailing a few ways to classify genres, and showing you how to use this information as a storyteller. (Companion Dispatch: h...

A maiden takes a lover and nearly hangs for it until her beloved offers everything he has in exchange for her life. Join me for a discussion of transgressive sexuality in an old, well-loved English ballad, and come away with recommendations for adapting ballads yourself. (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/maid-freed-gallows )

An ugly princess mocked by the kingdom makes a fraught deal with the merfolk for a belt and necklace that will turn her into a legendary beauty. Join me for an exploration of the little known tale of magic behind my forthcoming podcast radio play titled "The Belt and the Necklace." (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/winter-solstice-dispatch-2021 )

A brother and sister transformed by a wicked stepmother. A knightly father who comes to their rescue. A brutal punishment by fire. Join me for a discussion of women and power in tales of magic, and come away with a hoard of folkloric storytelling prompts. (Companion Dispatch: https://csmaccath.com/blog/atu-450-little-brother-and-little-sister ) Of note, friend of the show Peter Chiykowski is offer...

A devout king of cats returns from his pilgrimage to Mecca. A devout king of mice prepares to welcome him. Mousey subjects express misgivings about the whole reformed cat thing. Join me for a fable that tackles a difficult topic, and come away with a few tools for tackling difficult topics yourself. (Companion Dispatch: https://csmaccath.com/blog/atu-113b )

A beautiful princess who will only wed a man who can tell her a story whose beginning is impossible and whose end is untrue. A storyteller who specializes in the absurd. Join me for a tale that might belong in many categories and a discussion of its many narrative treasures. (Companion Dispatch: https://csmaccath.com/blog/atu-2014 )

Three mayoral candidates who decide to let a stranger govern the city of Cork and a brush-maker who doesn't recognize himself in the trappings of office. City fathers who believe it's possible to shift a church by pushing it. Where's the funny? Join me and find out. (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/atu-1284-and-atu-1326 )

Join me in a discussion of weak humans, strong monsters, and the power relationships between them. Come away with a better understanding of folk poetry and song. (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/atu-1096-sewing-contest )

Join me in an exploration of folkloric elements in my forthcoming climate change fable, "Metal Crow and Ghost Crow." (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/summer-solstice-dispatch-2021 )

Join me in a discussion of a Realistic Tale type for the unreal, and come away with an exercise designed to help you craft better lies in storytelling. (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/atu-852-lying-contest )

Join me for the first in a new series of supplementary dispatches and podcasts addressing the intersections between climate change, ecology, folklore, and the sacred. (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/atu-780-singing-bone-supplement )

Join me in an exploration of a popular tale type and its Child Ballad variants, and come away with a few guiding questions for subverting folkloric narratives. (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/atu-780-singing-bone )

Join me in an exploration of a tale type with a very spooky motif, and come away with an exercise designed to help you make the most of it as a storyteller. (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/atu-365-dead-bridegroom-carries-his-bride )

Join me for an exploration of a little tale type with a lot of hidden depth, and come away with an exercise designed to help you make the most of that depth as a storyteller. (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/atu-60-fox-and-crane-invite-each-other )