The fairies of folklore were not the tiny, moth-winged sprites of Disney cartoons – they were magical, alluring, dangerous beings who often appeared in human shape, dwelling in a parallel world beneath the hills, or hidden in the shadows of our own. It is interesting, then, that the word fairy is slang for gay in modern parlance – for it is still the case, in too many places, that being gay or lesbian defines one as an Otherworldly being, different from ordinary mortals, living in a separate realm that can seem both seductive and dangerous. Steve Berman’s new anthology, So Fey, delves into both meanings of the word fairy, using the age-old themes of folklore to tell stories relevant to gay and lesbian life today.
Folk tales have survived for hundreds of years because they address concerns that are constant in the human condition: loss, fear, alienation, survival of calamity, triumph over adversity, and negotiation of rites of passage. The twenty-two authors in this book have taken the threads of old folk tales and woven them into modern adult fairy stories about men who love men, women who love women, and mortals who love creatures of magic. The stories range from light to dark, whimsical to disturbing, introspective to erotic. Berman has mixed tales by talented newcomers with those by long-established, award-winning authors. A few stories are set in fairyland, or take us back in history, but most of the tales unfold in towns, cities, and suburbs much like our own, in places where fairy magic casts its glow on modern life.
The best stories here come from the best-known writers. My personal favorites are Holly Black’s splendid new tale “The Coat of Stars,” modern marchën set on the streets of New Jersey, and Christopher Barzak’s poignant “Isis in Darkness,” about the ways we find family in the most unlikely places. Additional gems include Richard Bowes’ “The Wand’s Boy,” a slippery, quicksilver tale set among the brothels of Gotham; Laurie J. Marks’ “How the Ocean Loved Margie,” an earthy updating of an old selkie ballad (reprinted from The Journal of Mythic Arts, and thus available online here); Delia Sherman’s delightful “The Faerie Cony-Catcher,” about a bold fairy lass in the court of the Faerie Queen; plus memorable stories from Sarah Monette, Melissa Scott, and others. The new writers here have also contributed enchanting, unusual tales -- such as Joshua Lewis’ “Ever So Much More Than Twenty,” inspired by J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan; and Aynjel Kaye’s “From Asphalt to Emerald and Moonlight,” a sensual story of rival fairy siblings, told with great confidence and skill.
“Though queer vocabulary has changed over the centuries,” writes editor Berman, “it is my hope that these stories will serve to remind readers of what fairies truly are.” In this task he has succeeded. These are stories for all readers who have ever loved or desired what they’ve been told that they must not – whether that’s men, or women, or stories of fairies long after childhood is done.
The paintings and sketches in this post are by the Tennessee-born artist Ernie Sandidge. You can see more of Ernie's work in the Endicott gallery and on his website. For more information on fairies and fairy lore from around the world, check out the Summer/Autumn 2006 double issue of Endicott's Journal of Mythic Arts. For information on other books written and edited by Steve Berman, visit his website.
The Nixie's Song, the first book in the new Spiderwick series by dynamic duo Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, is out and its fans are cheering. In her live journal, Holly explains the interesting shift in the new series:
"The Nixie's Song reverses some of the expectations of a Spiderwick book. Instead of being set in a small New England town, in a creepy old Victorian house, and involving a musty old book never seen before, THE NIXIE'S SONG is set in a shiny new development in Florida and the field guide to faeries (a stunning book by the way, reminiscent of Froud and Lee's Fairies, but for a younger audience-MS) in this book has been purchased in a bookstore. We wanted it to be clear that it wasn't the book that was magic, it was the information inside of it. And we wanted to show that if you are really, really unlucky, no matter where you live, you could get into faerie trouble."
