Did you know the whole idea of Carterhaugh (our online school) started as a joke?

Why did Brittany’s dissertation committee once tell her, in the immortal words of Taylor Swift, you need to calm down?

What happens when we apply foodways (the cultural study of food) to fairy tales, fairy food, and Fat Studies?

(Spoiler alert: we meander through the pitfalls of Thanksgiving and take a deep dive into the Juniper Tree – a male Snow White story – and a half a dozen other fairy tales.)

And what can we learn from our shadow tales?

What even is morality in the context of fairy tales?

Click here to find out.

We have something really special for you this week – and it’s another freebee!

Derek Newman-Stille – our colleague and one of our favorite humans in the world – interviewed us last week for their Speculating Canada project. And they’re really good at interviewing. We’ve heard other seasoned folklorists say they’re the best interviewer they’ve ever worked with, so it’s not just us being biased!

Even better, Derek is completely brilliant, super on our wavelength, and a complete joy to talk to, which means we can all relax, nerd out, and follow the conversational white rabbit wherever it chooses to roam through the land of folklore and fairy tales.

The origin story of Carterhaugh, what folklore is and why it matters, the baggage and magic of food, the stories that make us the angriest – it’s all here.

Click here to give it a listen, and if you have any questions, let us know in the comments!

(We’re trying a new thing where we answer your questions in short videos on TikTok. Ask us your burning folklore-y questions, and you might see your answer posted soon!)

Enjoy! And thanks again to Derek for the fantastic interview!