The June Book Club - Weep, Woman, Weep by Maria DeBlassie
2025-06-25 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom
We are SO EXCITED that our June book club will feature Weep, Woman, Weep by our friend and colleague Dr. Maria DeBlassie AND that Maria will be joining us for our discussion on June 25th at 7PM ET!
(You might remember Dr. DeBlassie from the absolutely phenomenal bonus she did for our Enchant course, “Conversing with the Tarot to Conjure Main Character Magic”!)
Here’s the description:
“The women of Sueño, New Mexico don’t know how to live a life without sorrows. That’s La Llorona’s doing. She roams the waterways looking for the next generation of girls to baptize, filling them with more tears than any woman should have to hold. And there’s not much they can do about the Weeping Woman except to avoid walking along the riverbank at night and to try to keep their sadness in check. That’s what attracts her to them: the pain and heartache that gets passed down from one generation of women to the next.
Mercy knows this, probably better than anyone. She lost her best friend to La Llorona and almost found a watery grave herself. But she survived. Only she didn’t come back quite right and she knows La Llorona won’t be satisfied until she drags the one soul that got away back to the bottom of the river.
In a battle for her life, Mercy fights to break the chains of generational trauma and reclaim her soul free from ancestral hauntings by turning to the only things that she knows can save her: plant medicine, pulp books, and the promise of a love so strong not even La Llorona can stop it from happening. What unfolds is a stunning tale of one woman’s journey into magic, healing, and rebirth.”
Please note that this book does come with content warnings for assault, domestic violence, racism, and colorism.
Here are couple of the excellent reviews this book has received:
“This may be one of the more compelling, beautiful books that I’ve read this year…An unexpected joy.” ~ Melissa on Goodreads
“If you’re a fan of magical-contemporary novels like Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, The Wood Wife by Terri Windling, or the novellas and stories by Francesca Lia Block, then you’ll be delighted by Maria DeBlassie’s Weep, Woman, Weep.” ~ Hayley on Goodreads
Sounds right up our alley, no? And hey, the book’s subtitle is “A Gothic Fairytale about Ancestral Hauntings,” so you KNOW it’s perfect for Carterhaugh!
Book club sessions where the author joins us are always really special – if you would like to join us, make sure you’re on the $7+ tier on our Patreon for the month of June!

The July Patreon Fairy-Tale Salon
2025-07-03 19:00 - 21:30 | Zoom
Hello everyone! Here is all the information for our July Fairy-Tale Salon –
Date: July 3rd at 7PM ET
Prompt: Movie Night: THE MUMMY!
Quest: It’s time for another salonnières movie night, and we’re doing a SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER (but folklore style!) We’re coming together to watch the 1990s classic, The Mummy starring Brendan Fraser at the peak of his heartthrob era and Rachel Weisz as the librarian we all secretly aspire to be. We know it’s not perfect, but we still love it (and we will die on the hill that this movie is a feminist triumph… from the 90s no less! We don’t have a lot of those.)
To join us, you’ll log on to the Zoom link the same as usual, we’ll all mute and start the film, then we’ll use the chat there to talk throughout the movie. Please note that we do expect everyone to shout “I… AM A LIBRARIAN!” at the appropriate moment ;).
If you’d like to participate, just make sure that you’re on the Salonnières tier or higher for the month of July – see you soon!

The July Book Club - But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo
2025-07-10 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Buckle up for book club this month because we’re reading Hache Pueyo’s novella But Not Too Bold. We’ll be meeting on July 10th at 7PM ET.
But Not Too Bold is the sapphic Bluebeard retelling that happens when you throw Angela Carter, Mexican Gothic, Gaudi, and a bunch of spiders into a blender. It was originally written in Brazilian Portuguese and translated into English by Pueyo.
We cannot emphasize enough: content warning for spiders. If you cannot do spiders, skip this one!
Here’s the official writeup:
“The Shape of Water meets Mexican Gothic in this sapphic monster romance novella wrapped in gothic fantasy trappings.
The old keeper of the keys is dead, and the creature who ate her is the volatile Lady of the Capricious House⁠—Anatema, an enormous humanoid spider with a taste for laudanum and human brides. Dália, the old keeper’s protégée, must take up her duties, locking and unlocking the little drawers in which Anatema keeps her memories. And if she can unravel the crime that led to her predecessor’s execution, Dália might just be able to survive long enough to grow into her new role.
But there’s a gaping hole in Dália’s plan that she refuses to see: Anatema cannot resist a beautiful woman, and she eventually devours every single bride that crosses her path.”
Here are some of the reviews:
“An intoxicating feast for anyone who has found beauty in the monstrous.”―Cassandra Khaw
“Pueyo weaves an exquisite web of a tale, full of enigmatic characters, eerie atmosphere and all-consuming passion.”―Laura Pohl
“Pueyo knows exactly how to blend darkness and evil with cuteness and gorgeous prose. . . . A master of Latin American dark fiction.”―Renan Bernardo
We will not lie to you, 90% of why we’re reading this one is because Sara read it over the weekend and needs to talk about it. The writing is stunning, the setting is ridiculously amazing Spanish Gothic, and it’s wildly creative. Do we buy the romance? NOPE. Do we care? NOPE. Let’s get into this truly bizarre, lush, fascinating little novella!
If you would like to join us, make sure you’re on the $7+ tier on our Patreon for the month of July!

Whispers and Warnings: The Secret Trip Into Faerie They Don't Want You To Know About - A FREE Lecture
2025-07-14 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Want to run away to Fairyland?
We don’t blame you.
But here’s the thing. Faerie isn’t a land of sparkles and rainbows. It’s dangerous, seductive, and beguiling. We’re not saying don’t enter the realm—we’re saying you gotta be prepared.
We’re saying bring snacks and don’t eat theirs.
Join two professional folklorists (yes, we got actual PhDs in this stuff) for the secret trip into Faerie they don’t want you to know about—where lore meets chaos, glamor meets trickery, and the truth is weirder (and wilder) than you think.
This isn’t just “believe in magic” energy. This is “here’s the citation” energy.
Whether you’re new to the world of Faerie or you’ve stepped into more than a few mushroom circles in your day, this is for you.
Come curious. Leave enchanted. Possibly changed.

Click here to get all the details and register for this FREE, live talk on July 14th at 7PM ET (will be recorded!)

Carterhaugh Lectures @ The Dublin Irish Festival!
2025-08-01 - 2025-08-03 | Coffman Park, 5200 Emerald Parkway, Dublin, OH, 43017, United States
We’re thrilled to announce that we’ll be giving three talks at the Dublin Irish Festival in Columbus, Ohio again this August! Our talks will be –
Saturday, August 2nd
1:30PM-2:15PM – “Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray and Irish Fairylore”
5:30PM-6:15PM – “Irish Folklore and Bram Stoker’s Dracula”
Sunday, August 3rd
1:00AM-1:45AM – “Terrors of Irish Fairylore”
All of our events will take place in the Spoken Word tent.
Click here for more information about the festival and get your tickets!

The August Book Club - Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu
2025-08-19 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Join us on August 19th, 2025 at 7PM ET to discuss Anne Ursu’s Not Quite a Ghost (as recommended to us by Hannah and many others in the Carterhaugh community!)
Here’s the description:
“The house seemed to sit apart from the others on Katydid Street, silent and alone, like it didn’t fit among them. For Violet Hart—whose family is about to move into the house on Katydid Street—very little felt like it fit anymore. Like their old home, suddenly too small since her mother remarried and the new baby arrived. Or Violet’s group of friends, which, since they started middle school, isn’t enough for Violet’s best friend, Paige. Everything seemed to be changing at once. But sometimes, Violet tells herself, change is okay.
That is, until Violet sees her new room. The attic bedroom in their new house is shadowy, creaky, and wrapped in old yellow wallpaper covered with a faded tangle of twisting vines and sickly flowers. And then, after moving in, Violet falls ill—and does not get better. As days turn into weeks without any improvement, her family growing more confused and her friends wondering if she’s really sick at all, she finds herself spending more time alone in the room with the yellow wallpaper, the shadows moving in the corners, wrapping themselves around her at night.
And soon, Violet starts to suspect that she might not be alone in the room at all.”
We absolutely loved this moving, creative, and beautiful story. Here are some reviews:
“This is a story about a haunted house—but it’s also a fresh, modern look at unexplained health issues, COVID-19 anxiety, changing friendships, and blended families. Compulsively readable and relatable, Ursu’s twisty middle grade novel is highly recommended.” — School Library Journal [Starred Review]
“Anne Ursu has done it again: Not Quite a Ghost is a tender-yet-fierce hug of a story, complete with heartbreaking (and heartwarming) friendship ups and downs, a sensitive and honest exploration of invisible illness, and a truly creepy thing that lives inside the walls of a very special house. I want to press this beautiful book into the hands of everyone I know.” — Claire Legrand, New York Times–bestselling author of Some Kind of Happiness

“Ursu draws on familiar elements of ghost stories and the renewed attention Long COVID has brought to chronic illness to create a deeply poignant exploration of what it means to be sick in a way the rest of the world dismisses.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books [Starred Review]
If you would like to join us, make sure you’re on the $7+ tier on our Patreon for the month of August!

Smithsonian Associates: The Little Mermaid
2025-08-20 18:45 - 20:45 | Zoom
Today, the wildly popular 1989 Disney film ensures that most people think of the tale of “The Little Mermaid” as one of triumph, a story of colorful underwater band scenes, daring ocean adventures, and happily ever afters. But the literary fairy tale that loosely inspired the classic movie is a haunting narrative that frequently leaves its readers unsettled, even melancholy. It is often a big surprise to read Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” if you don’t know how different it really is.
Andersen’s mermaid wants to be part of the human world, but unlike her Disney counterpart, she fails to meet the terms of the sea witch’s bargain and dies. Though this conclusion is a far cry from the happy ending most expect, it is in line with traditional folkloric tales of mermaids. The heart of the mermaid’s story is always longing: longing for love, longing for a human soul, longing to be part of a world that seems forever closed to her. Many other creators have taken a crack at revising the mermaid’s tale of longing, ranging from Hayao Miyazaki’s anime Ponyo to Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué’s literary fairy tale “Undine,” with varied tones and takeaways.
Folklorists Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman do a deep dive into “The Little Mermaid” fairy tale to discuss folkloric and literary tales that inspired the story and what, if anything, it has to do with Andersen’s troubled and complicated life. They also explore how the story has been retold in contemporary times, including but also moving beyond Disney.
Click here to get your tickets!

The August Patreon Fairy-Tale Salon
2025-08-26 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Hi all, here is all the information for our August Fairy-Tale Salon!
Date: August 26th, 2025 at 7PM ET!
Prompt: Bring Your Favorite Poem
Quest: The poet Andrea Gibson recently passed away from ovarian cancer at the incredibly young age of just 49. The outpouring of love for her work (and the reposts of some of her most beautiful poetry) inspired us to dedicate our August salon to the pure wonder that certain poems can inspire. For our meeting, please bring one or two of your favorite poems to share – these can be pieces that especially moved you, texts with truly great stories, or even poems that you wrote! Aim to leave us breathless with the magic of text and sound and thought and moment.
If you’d like to participate, make sure that you’re on the Salonnières tier or higher for the month of August – see you soon!

The September Book Club - Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis
2025-09-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Join us on September 18th at 7PM ET to discuss the hilarious and delightful novel Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis!
Okay, so here’s the publisher’s description:
“Queen Saskia is the wicked sorceress everyone fears. After successfully wrestling the throne from her evil uncle, she only wants one thing: to keep her people safe from the empire next door. For that, she needs to spend more time in her laboratory experimenting with her spells. She definitely doesn’t have time to bring order to her chaotic library of magic.
When a mysterious dark wizard arrives at her castle, Saskia hires him as her new librarian on the spot. ‘Fabian’ is sweet and a little nerdy, and his requests seem a little strange – what in the name of Divine Elva is a fountain pen? – but he’s getting the job done. And if he writes her flirtatious poetry and his innocent touch makes her skin singe, well . . .
Little does Saskia know that the ‘wizard’ she’s falling for is actually an Imperial archduke in disguise, with no magical training whatsoever. On the run, he’s in danger from Saskia”s enemies and her new-found allies, too. So when Saskia finally discovers the truth, will their love save them – or be their doom?”
And that’s, like, fine, right? Neither of us know if we would have actually picked this one up based on that description alone though.
But here’s the thing – the actual novel is SO much better than that description (or the odd paperback version of the cover) hints at! We think this Goodreads review sums it up much better:
“What an absolute delight this book was, and oh, do we need more gentle heroes! This lovely new story from Stephanie Burgis features a rakish Queen of Villainy and her gentle librarian–who harbors some serious secrets. If you love hidden identities, slow burn romance, and learning to face the ghosts of your past–by learning to draw strength from those you love–then this story is for you.
Burgis turns so many stereotypes on their head, but by far the one I loved the most was what makes us strong – or weak. Gentleness as strength. Radical kindness. Loving and leaning on someone allowing you to find your own strength and stand strong. What a beautiful story! And don’t be confused–the true villains certainly get their just deserts, but figuring out what that is and how to go about it is also part of our characters’ arc, and I loved that.
This is an adult romantasy, and it certainly hits the expected romance notes within a fabulously fantastical world, but there are also plenty of twists to keep you intrigued, and so much heart. Also! Crow friends, our hero nerding out over fountain pens, a troll housekeeper and the absolute best found family! What more could you want?
Highly recommend!”
Fair warning – this book IS romantasy, so there is a bit of spice, but honestly it’s pretty mild for the genre. Trigger warning also for death, childhood abuse, and what looks a lot like PTSD.
If you would like to join us, make sure you’re on the $7+ tier on our Patreon for the month of September!

The September Patreon Fairy-Tale Salon
2025-09-24 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Hello everyone! Here is the info for our September Fairy-Tale Salon!

Date: September 24th, 2025 at 7PM ET

Prompt: Our Uncritically Loved Reads/Watches

Quest: Admit it – there’s some book, some movie, some TV show out there that you absolutely know is SO BAD… but you love it anyway. Maybe it’s a TV show you watched in your formative teen years that has aged like bad cheese. Maybe it’s a book you refuse to read on public transportation… but devour before bed. It could be a movie with the most unbelievable romance ever written that still, somehow, cheers you up every time you watch it. Or, to take it a slightly different route, maybe it’s a book/movie/etc that you think actually IS perfect… so much so that you just cannot tolerate any criticism on it at all because it makes you so upset! Let discuss our beloved little secrets.
If you’d like to participate, just make sure that you’re on the Salonnières tier or higher for the month of September – see you soon!

The October Book Club - A Sorceress Comes To Call by T. Kingfisher
2025-10-21 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Join us on October 21st at 7PM ET to discuss T. Kingfisher’s A Sorceress Comes to Call, which is one of the best fairy-tale retellings we’ve read in the last several years. And it’s a “Goose Girl” retelling, which is very rare to see in a novel-length retelling!
The vibe is Regency-romance setting but make it Gothic horror and also hilarious? We honestly don’t know how she does it.
Here’s the starred review from Publishers Weekly: “With this riff on the Brothers Grimm’s “The Goose Girl,” set in a fantasy world inspired by Regency romances, Hugo Award winner Kingfisher (Nettle & Bone) continues her hot streak of deeply compassionate, thrilling, and often laugh-out-loud fairy tale retellings. Cordelia, 14, grows up in a house without closed doors. Her mother, Evangeline, is a dangerous enchantress who regularly compels her into total obedience. The first time Cordelia’s allowed some privacy is when Evangeline moves them into the home of her suitor, Squire Samuel Chatham—a home Evangeline means to seize and remake to her specifications by whatever means necessary. The Squire’s sister, Lady Hester, feels an awful presentiment of doom and is on the defensive around Evangeline, but only Cordelia knows the true, murderous extent of her mother’s powers. Can Cordelia speak up against a mother who controls her so completely? Would Hester even believe her if she did? The dual narrators—terrified fish-out-of-water Cordelia and tenaciously sensible Hester—are nuanced, distinctive, and frequently funny. Kingfisher’s remarkable skill for crafting scene-stealing secondary characters is also on full display in ruthless cardsharp Imogen Strauss, über-competent butler Willard, merry widow Penelope Green, and the mysteriously magical horse Falada. Expertly blending humor with folkloric horror, this incredibly satisfying fantasy will delight Kingfisher’s fans and newcomers alike.”
Content warning for parental abuse, murder most fowl, and creepy horses.
We hope you sign up for this one! It’s a spectacular book and perfect for the month of Halloween. To join us, make sure you’re on the $7+ tier on our Patreon for October!

The October Patreon Fairy-Tale Salon
2025-10-27 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Hi everyone! Here is the info for our October Fairy-Tale Salon –
Date: October 27th at 7PM ET
Prompt: HALLOWEEN!!
Quest: It’s been a while since we’ve done a straight-up Halloween-themed salon and, since the October salon is a bit late in the month this year, we figured this was the perfect time to do so! Come and tell us your favorite Halloween traditions, talk about your most beloved decorations, or regale us with the legend trip you went on when you were 14 that you’ll never forget. We want to hear it all!
If you’d like to participate, make sure that you’re on the Salonnières tier or higher on Patreon for the month of October – looking forward to seeing you there!

The November Patreon Fairy-Tale Salon
2025-11-13 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Hello everyone! Here is all the information for our November Fairy-Tale Salon –
Date: November 13th at 7PM ET
Prompt: Movie Night: KPop Demon Hunters!
Quest: Ready to finally see what all the hype is about? Join us on Thursday, November 13th, to watch the absolutely DELIGHTFUL Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters! This film is a ridiculously good time, but it also draws on some really fascinating Korean folklore (which you can read about here and here if you like!)
To join us, log on to the Zoom link the same as usual, we’ll all mute and start the film, then we’ll use the chat there to talk throughout the movie. Singing IS encouraged, even if we won’t be able to hear you!
If you’d like to participate, just make sure that you’re on the Salonnières tier or higher for the month of November – see you soon!

The November Book Club - All of Us Murderers by K.J. Charles
2025-11-20 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Join us on November 20th at 7PM ET to discuss K.J. Charles’ All of Us Murders! It’s a TON of fun, one of the best depictions of ADHD we’ve ever seen in a novel, and the perfect Gothic November read.
Here’s the description: “When Zeb Wyckham is summoned to a wealthy relative’s remote Gothic manor, he is horrified to find all the people he least wants to see in the world: his estranged brother, his sneering cousin, and his bitter ex-lover Gideon Grey. Things couldn’t possibly get worse. Then the master of the house announces the true purpose of the gathering: he intends to leave the vast family fortune to whoever marries his young ward, setting off a violent scramble for her hand. Zeb wants no part of his greedy family–but when he tries to leave, the way is barred. The walls of Lackaday House are high, and the gates firmly locked. As the Dartmoor mists roll in, there’s no way out. And something unnatural may be watching them from the house’s shadowy depths… Fear and paranoia ramping ever-higher, Zeb has nowhere to turn but to the man who once held his heart. As the gaslight flickers and terror takes hold, can two warring lovers reunite, uncover the murderous mysteries of Lackaday House–and live to tell the tale?”
And here are some reviews!
“Twisty, atmospheric, and more than a little indebted to Agatha Christie, this satisfying whodunit with a queer twist will keep readers up all night.” – Publisher’s Weekly
“All of Us Murderers balances loathsome characters, a plethora of dastardly twists and well-earned romantic reconnection. Fans of historical romance and mystery lovers with a taste for steam will not put this book down till the last body is buried.” – BookPage
“The mist from the English moors creeps eerily over this story laced with romance, mystery, and intrigue.” – Booklist
Charles’ trigger warnings include: Romance with heavy Gothic vibes. Ableism directed against a character with ADHD. Homophobia. Misogyny. References to rape, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, child abuse (not shown on page). Horrible family. Murder. References to enslavement, the slave trade, and abuse of enslaved people. False imprisonment. Character in grip of phobia. Spiders.
Arachnophobes, if you can take references to spiders but just want to avoid longer passages with graphic text, there are two scenes to avoid –> Chapter 13: skip from where Zeb goes upstairs after leaving Wynn, and go straight to the next chapter. Chapter 23: Don’t read the first paragraph. Then towards the end of the chapter, when Zeb is leaving the library, you might also want to skim over after the dialogue line, “Whatever you do, stay quiet” for the next few short paragraphs until the para beginning, “Eternity passed”. (Sorry, that one is harder to mark in the text!)
To join us, make sure you’re on the $7+ tier on our Patreon for November!

The December Patreon Fairy-Tale Salon
2025-12-11 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Hello everyone – back again by popular request, the winter solstice brings another round of BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS! Here is the info for our December Fairy-Tale Salon!

Date: December 11th, 2025

Prompt: Bring Your Favorite Book From the Second Half of the Year!

Quest: It’s become a salon tradition for us to ask our salonnières to talk about their favorite books on the summer and winter solstices, and we’re excited to continue that tradition this December! What book has just delighted you recently? What book has really made you think? What book do you just want more people to know about? Bring it to salon this month – we can’t wait to learn all about it (and who knows, maybe it will be an upcoming book club pick!)
If you’d like to participate, just make sure that you’re on the Salonnières tier or higher for the month of December – see you soon!

Smithsonian Associates: Christmas Ghost Stories
2025-12-15 18:30 - 20:30 | Zoom
Today, the December holidays are all about joyous magic, warm evenings curled by the fire, and celebrations of the triumph of good and light in the world. Traditionally, however, the winter season also ushers in the terrors of the dark and the cold. One of the most fascinating, long-established cultural traditions that blends these very different impulses is the Christmas ghost story.
Folklorists Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman of the Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic trace the history of the winter ghost story, sharing tales and exploring how it became tied to Christmas. They discuss tales from medieval Britain, Christmas carols, and the boom of periodicals in the 19th century and reveal the extent to which Charles Dickens is responsible for the Victorian Christmas ghost story craze. Lest Dickens get all the credit, they also introduce you to other iconic writers of the era. Finally, they explain why this tradition has largely faded and where traces remain.
Click here to get your tickets!

The December Book Club – Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
2025-12-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Join us on December 18th at 7PM ET to discuss Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree! December is the best time for cozy fantasy, and we felt like we could all use some lower-stakes fun!
Here’s the description: “After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time. The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is. If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won’t be able to go it alone. But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.”
And here are some reviews!
“This is a story about following your dreams, even when they take you away from who you thought you had to be. It’s sweet, beautiful and, most of all, kind. I hugely recommend this book.” – Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of Every Heart A Doorway
“A gentle little cozy set against an epic fantasy backdrop. . . . This charming outing will please anyone who’s ever wished to spend time in a fantasy world without all the quests and battles.” – Publishers Weekly
“An orc retires from adventuring to start a fantasy city’s very first coffee shop. This setup combined with the positive messages of defying societal stereotypes, letting go of violence to build peace, and trusting in your friends feels like a premise from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. . . . Legends & Lattes is a novel, and shop, that will delight anyone who enjoys coffee-shop alternate universes, slow-burn romances, and the vindication of friendship.” – Booklist, starred review
To join us, make sure you’re on the $7+ tier on our Patreon for December!

The January Book Club - Higher Magic by Courtney Floyd
2026-01-08 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
On January 8th at 7PM ET we’ll meet to discuss Higher Magic by Courtney Floyd – we’re giving you advance heads up for this one, since our meeting will be a little earlier in the month (and also to give you lots of time to read this one because it is a DELIGHT!)
Here’s the description: “First-generation graduate student Dorothe Bartleby has one last chance to pass the Magic program’s qualifying exam after freezing with anxiety during her first attempt. If she fails to demonstrate that magic in classic literature changed the world, she’ll be kicked out of the university. And now her advisor insists she reframe her entire dissertation using Digimancy. While mages have found a way to combine computers and magic, Bartleby’s fated to never make it work.
This time is no exception. Her revised working goes horribly wrong, creating a talking skull named Anne that narrates Bartleby’s inner thoughts—even the most embarrassing ones—like she’s a heroine in a Jane Austen novel. Out of her depth, she recruits James, an unfairly attractive mage candidate, to help her stop Anne’s glitches in time for her exam.
Instead, Anne leads them to a shocking and dangerous discovery: Magic students who seek disability accommodations are disappearing—quite literally. When the administration fails to act, Bartleby must learn to trust her own knowledge and skills. Otherwise, she risks losing both the missing students and her future as a mage, permanently.”
Could this BE any more perfect for us?? We can’t wait to talk about it with you!
Here are some reviews!
“Higher Magic is my catnip. By what dark arts I know not, Floyd has summoned up a wonderful wizard-grad-school slice-of-life, replete with organizing, romance, anxiety, camaraderie, and courage. More please!” – Max Gladstone, NYT Bestselling Co-Author of This is How You Lose the Time War
“Floyd creates a spellbindingly accurate reimagining of the grad school experience, where magic does little to improve the struggle of trying to succeed in academia for neurodivergent or nontraditional students…A campus novel with a fantasy twist, Floyd’s debut will charm anyone who’s had to fight for their place in higher education.” – Library Journal
“Higher Magic is a magical treat with charm, magic, mystery, and subtle commentary about friendship, acceptance, and inclusion.” – San Francisco Book Review
To join us, make sure you’re on the $7+ tier on our Patreon for the month of January!

The January Patreon Fairy-Tale Salon
2026-01-13 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Hi everyone! Here is the info for our January Fairy-Tale Salon –
Date: January 13th at 7PM ET
Prompt: New Beginnings
Quest: January is a time for new beginnings and making plans. So we want to know – what are you most looking forward to in 2026? Do you have a trip coming up? Did you finally sign up for those piano lessons you’ve always wanted? Is your first ever book coming out? We can’t wait to hear about it! (And no, it doesn’t have to be especially folklore-y, though of course it’s fun if it is!) We want to start the year off with some happy, anticipatory energy and get into the mindset of making 2026 the best it can be!
If you’d like to participate, make sure that you’re on the Salonnières tier or higher on Patreon for the month of January – looking forward to seeing you there!

The February Book Club - The Summer War by Naomi Novik
2026-02-05 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Join us on February 5th at 7PM ET to discuss Naomi Novik’s beautiful novella The Summer War! A short one about different kinds of love for the short month when we celebrate love :).
Here’s the publisher’s description:
“Celia discovered her talent for magic on the day her beloved oldest brother, Argent, left home. Furious at him for abandoning her in a war-torn land, she lashed out, not realizing her childish, angry words would become imbued with the power of prophecy, dooming him to a life without love.
While Argent wanders the world, forced to seek only fame and glory instead of the love and belonging he truly desires, Celia attempts to undo the curse she placed on him. Yet even as she grows from a girl to a woman, she cannot find the solution—until she learns the truth about the centuries-old war between her own people and the summerlings, immortal beings who hold a relentless grudge against their mortal neighbors.
Now, with the aid of her unwanted middle brother, Celia may be able to both undo her eldest brother’s curse and heal the lands so long torn apart by the Summer War.”
And here are a few reviews:
“This surprisingly tender paean to love of all kinds is a treat.” – Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“… a magical, medieval-esque folk song captured on paper […] that will transport you into another reality for at least a couple of hours.” – Reactor
If you would like to join us, make sure you’re on the $7+ tier on our Patreon for the month of February!

The February Patreon Fairy-Tale Salon
2026-02-19 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Hi all! Here is the info for our February Fairy-Tale Salon (we apologize that this info is coming out a bit later than usual!) –
Date: February 19th at 7PM ET
Prompt: Embracing the Weird
Quest: Has anything really weird, or unexplainable, or even straight up supernatural ever happened to you? Have you ever followed an intuition that worked out fantastically, had an odd encounter you couldn’t really explain away, or had something happen to you that made you say “well, THAT was weird!” We want to hear all about it! If you can’t think of anything, we encourage you to go back to an older prompt of ours about small world stories: small world stories are unexpected encounters and connections that make you think “wow, what a small world” like running into your 8th grade teacher while on vacation in a different country or finding out you and your future husband attended the same birthday party when you were six years old, that kind of thing. That absolutely works for this prompt too!
If you’d like to participate, make sure that you’re on the Salonnières tier or higher on Patreon for the month of February – looking forward to seeing you there!

Smithsonian Associates: Snow White
2026-02-23 18:30 - 21:00 | Zoom
In 1937, our perception of fairy tales was forever changed when Walt Disney Productions released its first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The film was a massive critical and commercial success. Culturally, it reset expectations of what fairy tales are, who they’re for, and what they represent.
Yet the 1937 Disney film is only a part of a much bigger “Snow White” tradition. Walt Disney based his film on Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm’s 19th-century short story “Little Snow-White,” but variants of the story can be found all over the world, from “Eliduc,” a medieval narrative poem by Marie de France, to “The Young Slave” by Giambattista Basile. Even William Shakespeare told a version in one of his romance plays.
Every version of this fairy tale revolves around a deadly conflict between a mother figure and her daughter, and themes of beauty, jealousy, rivalry, cannibalism, and death remain prominent throughout its history. Contemporary creators continue to reimagine the tale in formats ranging from big-budget Hollywood films to quirky short stories to inventive novel-length retellings.
Folklorists Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman do a deep dive into the fairy tale of “Snow White,” revealing folkloric and literary tales that provided the bedrock preceding Disney’s version and examining how the story has been retold in contemporary times. This lecture also includes prompts for audience interaction.
Click here to get your tickets!

The March Book Club - Cinder House by Freya Marske
2026-03-12 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Join us on March 12th at 7PM ET to discuss Freya Marske’s fascinating novella, Cinder House! This Gothic “Cinderella” retelling delighted us with its originality, and we can’t wait to talk about it with you!
Here’s the publisher’s description:
“Ella is a haunting.
Murdered at sixteen, her ghost is furiously trapped in her father’s house, invisible to everyone except her stepmother and stepsisters.
Even when she discovers how to untether herself from her prison, there are limits. She cannot be seen or heard by the living people who surround her. Her family must never learn she is able to leave. And at the stroke of every midnight, she finds herself back on the staircase where she died.
Until she forges a wary friendship with a fairy charm-seller, and makes a bargain for three nights of almost-living freedom. Freedom that means she can finally be seen. Danced with. Touched.
You think you know Ella’s story: the ball, the magical shoes, the handsome prince.
You’re halfway right, and all-the-way wrong.
And here are a few reviews:
“A fairy tale by way of Shirley Jackson… dark and appropriately haunting.”―The New York Times
“Gorgeous, whimsical, romantic, and bittersweet, Cinder House both whisks you away and holds you over a flame. I was bespelled.”―Ava Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Absolutely delightful. One of the most unusual fairy-tale retellings I’ve seen in a hen’s age. I enjoyed it enormously!”―T. Kingfisher, New York Times bestselling author
“An incredibly unique and shadowy ‘Cinderella’ retelling, full of tenderness and whimsy and featuring a heroine who cannot help but haunt readers.”―Library Journal (starred review)
“This novella impresses from its chilling opening to its inspired, polyamorous take on happily ever after. Lovers of fairy-tale retellings, gothic fantasy, and fierce queer joy will be enchanted.”―Booklist (starred review)
If you would like to join us, make sure you’re on the $7+ tier on our Patreon for the month of March!

Fairylore Book Signing at Virginia Highland Books
2026-03-14 13:00 - 15:00 | Virginia Highland Books, 1034 North Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA, 30306, United States
Join us live and in-person on Saturday, March 14, 2026 at 1PM ET for a book signing of our brand-new book, Fairylore: A Compendium of the Fae Folk at Virginia Highland Books in Atlanta, GA!
Get your copies of Fairylore signed, chat about our latest work, and enjoy a fun, relaxed atmosphere.
Don’t miss this chance to connect with us and grab a signed book! We’ll also have special book plates AND bookmarks available (while supplies last!)
RSVP and get more information here –> https://vahibooks.com/event/2026-03-14/book-signing-dr-sara-cleto-dr-brittany-warman

The March Patreon Fairy-Tale Salon
2026-03-25 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Hi all, here is all the information for our March Fairy-Tale Salon!
Date: March 25th, 2026 at 7PM ET!
Prompt: The Funniest Thing You’ve Encountered This Month
Quest: This March is seriously in need of some humor, so your salon quest is to share the funniest thing you’ve encountered this month – tell us about a joke that absolutely cracked you up, a cat t-shirt you had to buy immediately because you couldn’t stop giggling about it, the most spot-on perfect meme, a show you saw that you’re still laughing about days later, and/or a book you re-read whenever you need a good chuckle. If it made you laugh recently, we want to hear about it!
If you’d like to participate, just make sure that you’re on the Salonnières tier or higher for the month of March – see you soon!

The April Book Club - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
2026-04-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Join us on April 16th at 7PM ET to discuss Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries! Yes, we’re finally reading this delightful book about a very practical folklorist (shout out to prior book club pick, Emily Tesh’s Silver in the Wood!) doing fieldwork on actual fairies.
Here’s the description: “Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party—or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people. So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, muddle Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her. But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones—the most elusive of all faeries—lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all—her own heart.”
How could we not love a book where the protagonist is making an encyclopedia of fairies?? ;).
Here are some reviews!
“The world-building here is exquisite . . . and the characters are just as textured and richly drawn. This is the kind of forlorn, folkloric fantasy that remembers the old, blood-ribboned source material about sacrifices and stolen children, but adds a modern gloss.” – The New York Times Book Review
“A darkly gorgeous fantasy that sparkles with snow and magic.” – Sangu Mandanna, author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches (another former book club pick!)
“The full cast of characters, well-developed faerie lore, and pervasive sense of cold add depth to the delightful proceedings, which include scholarship, yes, but also danger and a hint of romance.” – Booklist (starred review)
We can’t wait to talk about this one with you all. To join us, make sure you’re on the $7+ tier on our Patreon for April!

The April Patreon Fairy-Tale Salon
2026-04-22 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Hi all! Here is the info for our April Fairy-Tale Salon –>
Date: April 22nd, 2026
Prompt: Spring Renewal
Quest: Spring is officially in bloom, the plants are coming back to life, and we’re thinking a lot about renewal. Sometimes what you need isn’t to start something completely new, but instead to breathe new life into something you already love. For this salon, we’d love to talk about the things that you’re renewing, reinvigorating, and revitalizing. Maybe you’re just getting back into reading poetry, or you’ve vowed to nudge a little life back into your neglected vegetable garden. Maybe you want to reconnect with an old friend! Tell us what you’re doing to bring the energy of spring renewal into your life this month.
If you’d like to participate, just make sure that you’re on the Salonnières tier or higher for the month of April – see you soon!

FREE Queen of Wands: Tarot and Folklore Workshop!
2026-04-28 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
There’s a kind of woman people write poems about.
She’s the woman brave enough to interpret her story.
She owns the room without asking permission.
The tarot calls her Queen of Wands.
And on April 28th at 7PM ET, we’re hosting a powerful FREE event where you’ll learn to read the story within your tarot through the lens of folklore and fairy tale – so you can trust yourself more deeply, see your path more clearly, and step into that same fire.
Look, tarot isn’t a magic eight ball or a winning lottery ticket.
We’re also folklorists, not literal Magicians.
But what we do know is that there’s still magic in the world. There’s magic in you and in the stories you tell yourself. There’s magic in learning to understand yourself, your choices, and your own power through a deck of cards.
This workshop will reconnect you with your intuition and sense of self, helping you create more moments of clarity and beauty as you step into being the confident interpreter of your life.
Let us show you how to read the tarot like a folklorist.
Click here to register for free!

The May Patreon Fairy-Tale Salon
2026-05-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
Hello everyone! Here is all the information for our May Fairy-Tale Salon – YOU ASKED FOR IT!
Date: May 21st at 7PM ET
Prompt: Movie Night: Excalibur!
Quest: We are doing another salon movie night together! Join us on Thursday, May 21st, to watch the iconic 1981 King Arthur film Excaibur! We’re doing this in response to overwhelming demand, so dress in your best medieval-by-way-of-the-80s best and prepare to have a delightful and hilarious time.
Content Warning: Nudity, creepy hungry birds. (Again, this movie is from 1981, and we find it more bizarre and majestic than disturbing, but YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.)
To join us, log on to the Zoom link the same as usual, we’ll all mute and start the film, then we’ll use the chat there to talk throughout the movie.
If you’d like to participate, just make sure that you’re on the Salonnières tier or higher for the month of May – see you soon!

The May Book Club - The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao
2026-05-28 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Join us on May 28th at 7PM ET to discuss The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao, a surreal, Studio-Ghibli-esque book about destiny and finding your place in the world.
Here’s the description: “You can’t buy a ticket for the Elsewhere Express. Appearing only to those whose lives are adrift, it’s a magical train seeming to carry very rare and special cargo: a sense of purpose, peace, and belonging. Raya is one of those lost souls. She had dreamed of being a songwriter, but when her brother died, she gave up on her dream and started living his instead. One day on the subway, as her thoughts wander, she’s swept off to the Elsewhere Express. There she meets Q, an intriguing artist who, like her, has lost his place in the world. Together they find a train full of wonders, from a boarding car that’s also a meadow to a dining car where passengers can picnic on lily pads to a bar where jellyfish and whales swim through pink clouds. Over the course of their long, strange night on the train, they also discover that it harbors secrets—and danger: A mysterious stranger has stowed away and brought with him a dark, malignant magic that threatens to destroy the train. But in investigating the stowaway’s identity, Raya also finds herself drawing closer to the ultimate question: What is her life’s true purpose—and is it a destination the Elsewhere Express can take her to?”
And here are some reviews!
“A stunning, visual fever dream of a story akin to both the game Spiritfarer and Erin Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea—a character-driven tale wrapped in a sparklingly creative spectacle of a world that inhabits a Studio Ghibli–like chaos even as it comes with a well-organized passenger rulebook.”—Booklist (starred review)
“With its poetic, descriptive prose, The Elsewhere Express takes the reader on a magical ride exploring loneliness, life’s purpose, and ultimately human connection through a playful, surreal tale. Without question, the book will delight fantasy enthusiasts as they nestle into this perfect escape, a story that whisks them from the mundane and into an imaginative wonderland they might not want to leave.”—J. Penner, author of A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic
“A delicately layered dream of a book that glimmers with the promise of hope after grief, The Elsewhere Express will carry you to the stars.”—Molly O’Neill, author of Greenteeth
To join us, make sure you’re on the $7+ tier on our Patreon for May!
