The Endicott Studio for Mythic Arts (founded in Boston in 1987) was originally a bricks-and-mortar studio -- a workspace, exhibition space, and gathering place for creative artists inspired by myth, folklore, and fairy tales. Over the next two decades, it evolved into a nonprofit arts organization (based in Tucson, Arizona and Devon, UK), supporting a wide variety of mythic projects, events, and publications.
One of those projects was The Journal of Mythic Arts, and (more recently) this blog. Endicott has been online since 1997, making JoMA one of the oldest web journals in our field. Our mission was to promote contemporary mythic arts and to provide resources and information for mythic artists, students, and scholars.
When we came on to the web, this mission seemed particularly important because there wasn't much mythic arts information out there yet. Today, happily, it's a different story. Many mythic writers, artists, and performers maintain extensive websites, and there's also a range of good webzines, blogs, discussion forums, and print journals to chose from -- such as Mythic Passages, Fairy Tale Review, Phantasmaphile, Cabinet des Fées, Goblin Fruit, Les Bonnes Fees, Café Irreal, Fantasy Magazine, Stainless Steel Droppings, Dante's Heart, Magpie Magazine, Shaken & Stirred, Chasing Ray, Ullabenulla, and BibliOdyssey; as well as discussion forums such as The Interstitial Salon and Surlalune's, and mixed media 'zines such as Born Magazine and Dreaming Methods.
And so, dear readers, Midori and I have decided it's time for JoMA to come to an end. It has had our volunteer labor for over a decade -- which has been both a privilege and a labor of love -- but now we're both feeling the need to turn our focus to our own creative work. I was quite touched when a review (a year or two ago) referred to Midori and me as "the godmothers and muses of the mythic arts field"...but at the same, I have found myself reflecting on the following words from Anais Nin: "For too many centuries women have been busy being muses to artists. I wanted to be the muse...but I was really trying to avoid the final issue -- that I had to do the job myself." There's a point in a woman's life (since we're not getting any younger!) when it is time to narrow ones focus.
The mythic arts field has changed extensively since the Endicott Studio began. For one thing, it's become recognized as a field...and that, if nothing else, makes me very glad that we've been here all these years. Now, however, it's time for the next generation to pick up the torch and carry it further.
We're not disappearing altogether, however:
- A large selection of material from the archives of the Journal of Mythic Arts will remain online as a mythic arts resource. (Please note that this is archived material only -- links and recommendations will not be updated after 2008.)
- Both Midori and I are publishing personal blogs (In the Labyrinth and Myth & Moor), mixing mythic arts recommendations with other reflections on art, books, music, and the writing life.
Now we throw this open to you, in the Comments thread. What are your thoughts about the mythic arts field? Where do you think it is (or should be) heading next? Please recommend places where Endicott readers can now go for their fix of daily mythic arts...or tell us how myth has affected your own work...or just wish us luck.
Thank you, all of you, for your support of JoMA -- and for being part of the mythic arts community. (And thank you, Carl V., for the very kind write-up you gave the Endicott Studio a while back on Stainless Steel Droppings.)
Many thanks, too, to all the writers, artists, and scholars who generously contributed their work to JoMA and this blog. (The art in this post, for example, is by the lovely Jeanie Tomanek, whose gorgeous, inspiring imagery has graced so many JoMA pages.) Thank you also to our reviewers, Kathleen Howard, Elizabeth Genco, & Helen Pilinovsky; and to Paul Hinze, for all the technical support he provided. And especially to our Assistant Editor, Jamie Bluth. It's been a privilege to work with you all.
- Terri Windling, Devon, UK
So sorry to hear this! But I appreciate all the hard work that had been done and the wonderful writers and artists you've introduced to me! Glad the archive will stay up too. But we'll miss you!
Posted by: Jeannine Hall Gailey | May 28, 2008 at 11:17 AM
Sorry to hear you are going. I have really enjoyed it here and learnt such a lot.
Posted by: Wendy | May 28, 2008 at 11:23 AM
I've just spent the last ten minutes staring at the screen hoping this is a joke, willing the calendar to show April 1st rather than May 28th. I completely understand that you and Midori need the time for yourselves, but is there nothing we can do to help you out and keep JoMA going?
It's both humbling and heart-breaking to have Goblin Fruit mentioned up there. On the one hand, it feels like we're receiving a torch to carry on, but on the other... No one's doing what Endicott's doing, not as broadly and wonderfully as you and Midori are. You're pan-network, you transcend LJs and blogs; you're like an inn at the intarweb crossroads where folk hungry for myth and folklore can eat and drink and make merry. I don't want to see this go away. I want my Sunday Poems and the gorgeous YouTube vids and the stunning artwork by people I've never heard of and the notes about what's happening where. It's brought me so much, I can only begin to say.
I know this is a decision that can't possibly have been arrived at lightly, that you've given it tons of thought, and that you're preparing marvels as you always do. I do wish you the very, very best of luck, and hope you'll take joy in whatever you do next. But I can't help but hope that this isn't really the end, that there will be a place for this blog in your future projects as well.
Lots of love,
Amal
Posted by: Amal | May 28, 2008 at 11:34 AM
I've been a fan of the Endicott Studio almost since its inception. Wonderful stories, erudite articles, info on mythic art and artists galore; what more could a girl want :)
Thank YOU for being such a rich source of inspiration and beauty!
I look forward to watching the continued success of the Endicott Studio as it evolves into its new shape.
Posted by: Donna~Q~ | May 28, 2008 at 11:35 AM
All the best to both of you. I'll be reading your personal blogs. Peace, joy, magic and happiness in the years to come!
Posted by: Robin | May 28, 2008 at 11:36 AM
Thank you for the kind words, everyone.
Amal: Yes, absolutely, we're passing on the torch. It's now up to the next generation -- you and Jessica and Oliver and your peers -- to light new paths ahead. I'm sure they will be fascinating ones. And hey, we're still here to help.
Posted by: Terri Windling | May 28, 2008 at 11:44 AM
I'm echo'ing Amal's sentiments! I'm SO very sorry to see this go. It's where I spend every lunch hour to step outside the business world and remember where my soul lives. Thank you so much for all that you've done to bring mythic arts to our daily lives. And the times I was actually featured on your pages I was honored beyond words. You've certainly helped to give me the confidence to push forward with my own work and follow my heart. And you've given countless hours of inspiration with all the artists, writers, filmmakers, musicians and mythic folk you've introduced us to. Thank you, thank you always. And my very best to all of you. I look forward to seeing where Endicott leads next, and the personal work you each create.
Posted by: Lisa Stock | May 28, 2008 at 11:47 AM
I think I'm still in my stare of shock/hold back the tears unsuccessfully stage of reacting to this post. Hopefully, I'll be able to contribute more to the comments later. Just... I'm completely floored, and saddened, but... I do look forward to more books from you guys.
(Amal and I bid on an original by YOU, Terri, at WisCon. Alas, we did not win. *g*)
Posted by: Jess | May 28, 2008 at 12:23 PM
Oh, how sad! This was one of my favourite blogs to read! But I can totall relate to how time consuming such things are and how important it is to make time for your own creations!
Posted by: Dragonlady | May 28, 2008 at 12:48 PM
I've been reading the Journal since it first began. It has been an amazing source of inspiration and guidance- I came across it just before I went to college, and it opened a window into a world where people are professional folklorists, myth-makers, and writers. It gave me a sense of support in my own creative and folkloric endeavors. Over the course of the Journal's life, I grew from a teenager who loved stories into a folklorist, a writer, and a storyteller. The Journal of Mythic Arts played an important part in that journey- for me and for so many others.
Thank you.
Posted by: Caitlyn | May 28, 2008 at 01:08 PM
Drat, drat, double drat and phooey! So sorry to see you go. You are the first blog I check every day and have continued to fill me with inspiration and wonder. Thanks for all the work you have done and I will indeed keep up with your blogs!
Posted by: Kim Power | May 28, 2008 at 01:35 PM
A bipartite response:
oh no, oh no, say it isn't so!
oh yes! how wonderful to evolve!
That quote from Anais Nin strikes close, of course. There does indeed come a time when it is time to turn inwards again and go deep, to focus one's creative energies in a narrower beam.
Selfishly, I'm sorry: you've inspired me for the last 5 years, through a divorce, a rebirth, a major relocation and reinvention of myself from the verdant east coast to the high mesas of New Mexico.
But I'll watch your new space, and Midori's and continue to find joy in your writings, artwork, thoughts.
vaya con dios!
judith
Posted by: smallsatori | May 28, 2008 at 02:04 PM
*gasp* I too can hardly believe it. I Thank you for all the work and inspiration you have given us. My art has been touched by your forging the way. The concept that this is a field as you say warms my heart to no end.
All the best and brightest of blessings to you both and your creations. I will most certainly follow on to your new blogs and look forward to what's in store.
Thank you again, truly
Cat
Posted by: Cat Mallard | May 28, 2008 at 02:09 PM
I am so very sorry and also glad as it means you will all have more time to make fabulous books and other things. But selfishly sorry still. I don't know if I would be a writer without what you've done.
Thank you.
Posted by: Holly Black | May 28, 2008 at 02:13 PM
And I only just discovered you a month or two ago! Did I give the Journal the mouse-kiss of death?! Ah, not so egocentrically, sorry to see you go, but...
To know when to let go and move on is a great skill - one great thing can too easily become ossified by holding on too tightly. There will be (and are) other mythic art nexi, nexus, nexuses, nexotamii... whatever... and whilst being an Elder is a great place to be for a while, the joy of stepping into the new vision-space is a great rebirth, no?
So, good luck with all your new projects and dances - I'll be following all the footsteps with glee.
Into the vision! Good on you all.
Tom
Posted by: Tom Hirons | May 28, 2008 at 02:33 PM
Dear Terri & Midori,
Everyone above has already said more than we could, but I am very very sad to see this, and also deeply thankful for everything you've given to your readers and to the field of mythic arts over the years. More than godmothers of the field, you have been the branching mother-tree, green with life and mystery, that allowed the rest of us saplings to take root. You have given us inspiration and nourishment. The sunlight that came to us through your boughs came green-tinted and wondrous: you helped us look around at our world again and see it as if for the first time.
I am deeply sorrowful to see Endicott close. Reading this post was a shock. I am so glad that all the archives will stay up, and I can't wait to see what you & Midori each create next.
Go with our respect, admiration, and with the certainty that your Endicott project will be terribly missed. I have been drunk on Endicott too many times to celebrate with both of you without pain as you move on to new projects, but I do know that whatever is coming, it will be exciting!
Posted by: Dante's Heart | May 28, 2008 at 02:34 PM
You will be GREATLY missed -- and the journal's contributions will be remembered!
Posted by: Tim Pratt | May 28, 2008 at 02:38 PM
Oh, no! While I absolutely sympathize with the need for more personal time and space, I am devastated to hear that Endicottstudio will close down. It's been one of my favourite sources of inspiration and has opened my mind to many new and wonderful directions of art and literature.
I hope that the contents at least will remain accessible, even if the journal and the blog close down!
Posted by: Juno | May 28, 2008 at 04:17 PM
Wow! It is hard to put into words what the Endicott Studio has meant to me over the years.
I first fell in love with the idea of mythic arts through my graduate studies, which focused on fairy tale literature. I was amazed by Terri's collection The Armless Maiden and it inspired me to completely redirect my life. It took many years and many different masks, but I am finally on the way.
Endicott Studio (and all the writers and artists linked to it) was my companion and muse through my evolution. But life has taught me that everything is temporary and ever-changing. Endings are beginnings. Friends and companions may go away but they are never lost.
Good luck Terri, Midori and everyone connected to Endicott Studio. I appreciate all you have done over the years!
DoAn
Posted by: DoAn | May 28, 2008 at 04:39 PM
I understand the need to be one's own muse, and I am eager to see what you all are able to create with this new time. And I will miss your presence here and thank you for all the wonderful new artists, books and worlds you have introduced over the years.
Posted by: Andi | May 28, 2008 at 04:49 PM
Thank you so much for all your hard work at the Endicott Studio. I've been a fan for a long time but it took me until now to write. Funny how that works. I will truly miss it. Blessings to you both and thanks!
Posted by: Sara Light-Waller | May 28, 2008 at 05:21 PM
Thank you so much for the wonderful site - and thanks for keeping it online even after it stops being updated. It will continue to inspire me.
Best wishes with your new efforts!
Posted by: Sjh | May 28, 2008 at 06:22 PM
No. Thank *you* for all you've done.
Posted by: Erzebet YellowBoy | May 28, 2008 at 06:25 PM
I think my heart skipped a beat when I read this post, and I sat very still for a minute, hoping it was not true. I have not been a long time reader of the JoMA, but I have found it has quickly become a magical corner of the 'net where I can indulge in what I love and refuel for everyday life. I'll make sure to follow up on the work of the torchbearers, I am sure I will be delighted.
Thank you for being here, for being an inspiration, and for keeping the Journal up as a very valuable archive!
Posted by: Amy | May 28, 2008 at 08:27 PM
I actually put my head down and moaned. You have been one of my best habits. So, so sorry to see you go.
Many thanks for the wonder and the learning.
Blessings!
P. Peters
Posted by: Pauline | May 28, 2008 at 09:29 PM
I'm so sad to hear the JoMA and this blog won't be continuing on, but I'm extremely happy for the both of you to know you'll be devoting yourselves to your own art and writing and bringing that into the world, and if stopping this to focus on that makes that happen, then I can't really be sorry at all. Thank you for everything.
Posted by: Christopher Barzak | May 28, 2008 at 09:32 PM
Oh... I am feeling terribly, selfishly and utterly sorry for myself (while totally understanding the need for focus and redirection) to be at the end of Endicott and JoMA. It has been as close a place to catch a glimpse of Other - a true Borderland itself - as anything I have experienced. I have been introduced and exposed to so many thoughts and images and people that I'm sure I would not have come across any other way. It has changed the way I see interfacing with the world...
I wish you both (and all Endicott contributors) well, and hope to still be able to experience your presence, thoughts and creations in some form - both on the internet and out in the world.
Posted by: tlchang | May 28, 2008 at 11:18 PM
I have been reading the site for years and purchased/read so many books because of your recommendations.
One of my prouder moments was when I was able to contribute to JOMA last year with a piece on White Darkness and the Scott expedition.
You guys are two f my heroes.
Posted by: Colleen | May 29, 2008 at 12:43 AM
This blog has been a wonderful thing to read. While I am very sorry to see it end, I know that sometimes one feels the need to move on. Thank you for all you have done. Best wishes with what comes next! <3
Posted by: Auriea | May 29, 2008 at 12:48 AM
Thank you so much for inspiring me almost everyday. You'll be missed.
I wish you both the best in your next endeavors!
Posted by: Johari | May 29, 2008 at 04:44 AM
I feel absolutely gutted this morning, but also profoundly grateful for Endicott Studio and this blog. The entire spectrum of mythic art is so profoundly important to our collective humanity. I feel that it's really up to all of us who care about myth to continue to write, draw, paint, speak, create and dream. Thank you Terri, Midori, and everyone associated with Endicott. May your paths through The Forest be straight, true, and starlit.
Sincerely,
Mary Stephens Mitchell
Posted by: Mary | May 29, 2008 at 05:04 AM
Dear Terri and Midori--so saddened by this but do understand that even good things must sometimes come to an end. Be heartened by the outpouring of respect and affection from your many readers and devotees--including me. My thanks forever for all the wonderful things you did for me over the past few years-so many people have found my art because of you. It is a bittersweet honor to have my work grace your farewell page. I look forward to following along on your personal websites. Best wishes for the future
jeanie tomanek
Posted by: jeanie tomanek | May 29, 2008 at 05:36 AM
If this means more time for your fabulous selves to make art, then that's a good thing -- but what you did here and with JoMA will be well remembered and greatly missed. xxx
Posted by: Gwenda | May 29, 2008 at 05:38 AM
Having been around here since its beginnings, I am sorry to see the site disappear. I have had it set as my "Home" page on my browser so it is the first place I get to visit each day. I guess will need to switch it back to Endicott Studios proper again. Thanks for everything, though. This has been my primary resource for mythic fiction and artwork. Starting from here I have set off to explore in every direction that has been suggested and beyond. Thanks, y'all - it has been a great ride.
P.S. - Will we finally get a chance to find out how "Molly Black" is doing?
Posted by: Rob Blake | May 29, 2008 at 05:41 AM
While I'm very sad and a little stunned to see things coming to a close here, I'm even more grateful for all you've generously given of your time, effort, and creativity over the years. The Journal of Mythic Arts and the Endicott Studio blog will be remembered as a rich and unique creations in their own rights. The work here and at the journal has enriched my life and the lives of so many others. As has been said before me *THANK YOU* doesn't begin to cover it! All the best to you both!
Posted by: Etain | May 29, 2008 at 06:39 AM
While I'm sorry to read this, I can understand. Endicott has been such a powerhouse, such a contributionspeaking personally, Farrago's Wainscot wouldn't have gotten off the ground quite the way it did without your help.
Thanks for all you've done, and best of luck in the next phase.
-Darin Bradley
Posted by: Darin Bradley | May 29, 2008 at 07:10 AM
I'm deeply saddened, but also glad for you.
May you find your own muses in yourselves and in the worlds you love.
Posted by: Grey Walker | May 29, 2008 at 07:20 AM
I'm sorry to read this. I'm a newbie, or at least a newbie relative to people who have been reading this for ten years...so I'll begin digging my way through the archives to learn and be further enlightened. Thank you for this inspiring resource and I'll be reading your personal blogs as well!
Posted by: Sally | May 29, 2008 at 07:34 AM
Endicott has been such an amazing resource for me. It rekindled my creative spirit, introduced me to numerous artists and writers, and has helped me to place my own work in context of the wider world. I found Endicott roughly a year ago, and it helped to change so much in my life for the better, really enriching my creative experience, and exposing me to so much new information and fantastic, wonderful things. I will miss it dearly.
Thank you both SO much for all the work and passion you have dedicated to this endeavor. I look forward to your future works and projects. I am so very dismayed to see this go-- Amal has said it well:
"But I can't help but hope that this isn't really the end, that there will be a place for this blog in your future projects as well."
Grateful,
Lori
Posted by: Lori | May 29, 2008 at 09:11 AM
You've been my muse and inspiration for years, through a difficult time in my artistic life. I finally found some resolution through experimenting and I would never have done that without you and the fine folks at Endicott Studio and Friends.
I am a better writer for it all.
THANK YOU!
And yes, go do your work and create, create, create!
P.S. I built a huge English cottage garden in Mississippi while reading this blog!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Janie Harrison | May 29, 2008 at 09:38 AM
Oh you have given me a sense of kindred spirits and delight over the past few years I will miss Endicott and wish you all the very best!
Posted by: Robyn Bright | May 29, 2008 at 10:29 AM
Can't wait to see what you will do next!
Posted by: Tigana | May 29, 2008 at 10:39 AM
Thank you for all the inspiration you've offered people right across the world. You are some of my greatest heroes. I've loved reading the journal all these years, but I can understand the need to focus on your own work as well. Thank you for keeping the journal open as an archive as well, it's a very precious body of work to many people. We'll be keeping an eye out for your next work. :)
Posted by: Liz Adkins | May 29, 2008 at 01:15 PM
Dear, dear, dear Terri and Midori,
I have loved JoMA since its first inception, and words cannot express how deeply I have loved the Journal, the Redux, and all the many projects that Endicott has created. I think that I may be the one guilty of calling you both muses in the Faerie Magazine article, but I meant it in the best possible way, in that you chose to live as artists and writers!
Terri, you taught me so much that damage is merely a part of the heroine's journey, that no matter what life throws at me I can be plucky and brave, a real Kate Crackernuts! Midori, you taught me that there are many masks that I can wear, many roles to play throughout my lifetime.
I applaud your decision to pour your time and energies into your art and writing. Life is so very finite, and you are both so very talented. I remember when interviewing Terri she said that one of the reasons she chose to make the risky move to only edit part time was because she had spent too many years making other people's dreams come true, and now she needed to follow her own dreams. I can't wait to see more of her dreams made manefest.
Thank you both for all of your work and inspiration! I look forward to seeing what you two create!
Love,
Chandra
Posted by: chandracerchionepeltier | May 29, 2008 at 03:12 PM
Dear Terri and Midori,
I'm one of your younger fans (16 years old) I started reading your blog when I was 14 and it has been a great comfort to me over the years to know that people are as passionate about myths, folktales and art as I am. I visited your blog and site habitually and relied heavily on your story selections. I know this is not the final goodbye to either of you personally, but it is with a heavy heart that I bid farewell to THE source for mythic art.
I admire both you so much, your anthologies are spellbinding (can't wait for the CINDERELLA GAME). I hope that I may become as good an artist and writer as both of you and that one day I will be able to meet you and thank you for inspiring a lonely boy with dreams in his head.
With the greatest hope for success in whatever area you decide to pursue and my loving gratitue,
-Garrett B.
Posted by: Garrett | May 29, 2008 at 05:39 PM
I have enjoyed JoMA for years. It helped me get through my first year of working on my PHD. I will truly miss seeing it everyday as it was one of the few websites I count as an addiction. Best wishes to both you and Midori Snyder.
Posted by: V. Ronn | May 29, 2008 at 05:48 PM
Oh, it hurts my heart to know the beautiful Journal is coming to an end.
There are not enough words to thank you, Terri and Midori, for the wealth of inspiration and information many of my friends and I have discovered on the Endicott Studio site. Endicott's presence has truly changed my life, and I will be forever grateful!
I can only imagine the extensive amount of time it takes to keep the Journal and blog up and running. As sad as I am to see them end, I'm happy you will have that time for
new creative adventures.
Wishing you both all the very best!!!
With love and gratitude,
Meg F.
Posted by: Meg | May 29, 2008 at 06:17 PM
I wish you well and look forward to new horizons! Its been wonderful to see this story evolve, and I have no doubt the next will be just as exciting!!! Blessings and good journey!
Posted by: Ulla | May 29, 2008 at 08:08 PM
Oh woe!!! Where will be without this wonderful site? It has always been such an illuminating pleasure to visit JoMA. So many books recommended and enjoyed, such varied journeys I've set off on, guided by fingerposts to exciting new realms. Thank you, thank you, thank you Terri and Midori. You've enriched us all with your knowledge, enthusiasm and artistry. But I can see how you both must feel the need to move on, and to vacate your posts as muses, so that you have the space and time to pursue your own dreams.
Thank you for showing my work, and for writing about it insightfully. Thank you for that encouragement. Kind words irrigate and make the blossoms open. You've done so much for so many. You are both, in the real world as well as in the mythic sense, our HEROES!!!!
Clive H-J
Posted by: Clive Hicks-Jenkins | May 30, 2008 at 02:05 AM
Hello, I've only recently found Endicott and was horrified to see that you're closing it - but also really pleased for you that you're moving on, developing new projects and your creative work.
Thank you for everything you have already done, and very best wishes for the future to you all.
Posted by: lurking helen | May 30, 2008 at 04:24 AM