Here’s a list of all the events and publications that we can link you to in the coming weeks.

Events

August 5 at 6:45PM ET

Smithsonian Associates – Bluebeard – Though it’s yet to receive a Disney makeover, “Bluebeard” has a long history and a surprisingly strong presence in the annals of the fairy tale. The classic version by Charles Perrault tells the story of a beautiful young girl who is swept off her feet by a wealthy man and brought to his splendid castle. When she enters the forbidden chamber, she discovers that he has murdered all his previous wives, and she only escapes their fate with the aid of her siblings. Though Perrault’s version ends with commentary on the sin of female curiosity, the narrative itself sits at odds with the moral and points back towards older folk versions of the story.

Variants of the “Bluebeard” story can be found around the world, from India to Africa to Wales, always revolving around a murderous husband and the wife determined to escape his violence. Sometimes the bride is a bit of a trickster figure who can pose or parse riddles, and sometimes she’s able to rescue the women who married before her. Occasionally, she possesses abilities that are supernatural in scope. Always there is a desire to understand whom she has married, followed by a bid to escape.

Though the tale isn’t anthologized often in the 21st century, it certainly proves that, historically, not all fairy tales were intended for children. It was wildly popular on the English stage in the 19th century, and it’s proved irresistible for contemporary creators, who continue to reimagine the tale through poetry, novels, and film.

Folklorists Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman of the Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic do a deep dive into the fairy tale of “Bluebeard,” exploring what some of the oldest versions look like, why it has periods of popular resurgence, and how the story has been retold in contemporary times.

Click here to get tickets!

August 13 at 7:00 PM ET

Book Club – Join us on August 13th at 7PM ET to discuss Cecilia Tan’s delightful novella The Mystery of the Bitten Peach!

Here’s the description: “Meet Mei, a young Chinese American who has discovered she has the mystical ability to transport herself anywhere that is spiritually “China”-including Chinatowns around the world and different eras of Chinese history. As an adoptive child of the diaspora, Mei was raised in America with no knowledge of Chinese folklore or fairy tales, but when an antiques dealer friend needs help retrieving a mythic artifact-a jade carving of a peach that represented same-sex love in ancient China-she’s game to give it a try. Her quest sends Mei not only into the past, but on a journey of self-discovery.”

And here are some reviews!

“Not to be missed.” – Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Will Become the Sun

“Cup your hands around this enchanting tale of romance, art, and magic, and savor its juice. An absolute gem!” – Jadie Jiang, author of Monkey Around

“The kind of story that burrows into my brain.” – Emma Mieko Candon, author of The Archive Undying

This is a shorter read, but it features a lot of the book club’s absolute favorite things, so it would be a great first read with us if you’ve been considering signing up! To join us, make sure you’re on the $7+ tier on our Patreon for August!

August 20 at 7:00 PM ET

Fairy Tale Salon – Here is the info for our August Fairy-Tale Salon.

Prompt: Your Biggest Personal Summer Success

Quest: For a lot of people, summer seems like the perfect time to start something new. People tend to take “vacations,” where they start a new hobby, learn something new, read something amazing, or just finally get around to that “spring” cleaning. For this salon, we want to hear about your biggest successes of the summer. What’s something you did recently that made you really proud of yourself? Bonus points if your success is folklore-y!

If you’d like to participate, just make sure that you’re on the Salonnières tier or higher on our Patreon for August!

June–September 2026

Summer Reading Challenge – Welcome to the 2026 Carterhaugh School Summer Reading Challenge!

Ready to stretch your brain, find amazing new-to-you authors, return to beloved favorites, and feel terrifyingly accomplished? Want to read some books with us?

First up, some challenge logistics, followed by the challenge checklist.

All are welcome to enjoy the challenge. Come read your heart out!

HOWEVER. If you’d like a chance to win a fabulous PRIZE (spoiler: it’s a box of books) and to support our work, you can enter by:

1. Joining our Patreon at any paying level (we strongly recommend the book club tier – our book club is legendary, the community is wonderful, and if you’re doing this challenge, you belong in there!) and
2. Commenting on each weekly designated challenge thread with what you’re reading to fulfill it.

One lucky winner who comments on all 15 threads will win THE GRAND PRIZE – a care package shipped to your door full of folklore-y books, stickers, and some additional surprises! Sadly due to unpredictable and rising costs for postage, we can’t send the prize to international readers. They are still welcome to participate in the challenge though!

Check out the 15 challenge categories and our recommendations here!

Current Courses Available

Find Your Fairy Tale Mini-Course ($17) – Find Your Fairy Tale is a bite-sized mini course made to help you connect genuinely with the world of fairy tales and tap into the personal stories that underpin your life – so that you can harness their power or even start to change them. We guarantee academic excellence, dedication to whimsy, and an avenue right into a real sense of everyday enchantment. 

Some people swear by their Enneagram (we’re both 3s) or their Zodiac sign (*waves in Virgo and Scorpio*). We’re all about fairy tales and the insights they reveal.

Click here to grab it!

Press

We are thrilled to have a poem, called “Gretel’s Apprentice” in the new issue of The Otherworld Magazine! The issue is called Faerie Fruit and involves forbidden fruit, dangerous picnics, and enchanted feasts. Get Faerie Fruit here!

We were interviewed by Sasha Baylin from Inglenook. Check out our interview about our book, Fairylore, fairy literature, magic and scholarship. Read the article here!

We were interviewed on Kelly Jarvis’ blog about Fairylore! Check out our interview on friendship, Carterhaugh’s origin story, Fairylore, and more! Read it here!

Publications

OUR BOOK, FAIRYLORE, IS AVAILABLE TO ORDER!!!

Here’s the official description from our publisher, Sterling Ethos @ Hachette:

“A gorgeously illustrated guide to the fae, filled with intriguing and well-researched explorations of folklore from around the world.

In Ireland, the sinister leannán sídhe suck the life from artists and poets in exchange for muse-like inspiration. In Japan, the elusive zashiki-warashi bestow prosperity on the human families whose homes they share. From the dvorovoi of Russia to the Brazilian curupira, Malaysia’s orang bunian to English brownies, and the moksin tongbŏp of Korea, the world is full of magical creatures who assist, haunt, and dazzle humankind.

This illustrated compendium written by expert folklorists invites us to enter the realm of the fairy folk. Sections dedicated to fairies of the home, nature, romance, and more emphasize what fairies do and what they mean to people around the world. Each chapter illustrates a different way of seeing fairies—a way they’ve been used to explain our world and ourselves.

This is a fascinating reference for anyone who has ever been enchanted by fairies—or would like to be.”

Kelly Jarvis wrote a wonderful review of our new book, Fairylore, in The Fairy Tale Magazine! “Fairylore: A Compendium of the Fae Folk is a necessary book for all those who seek the rare blend of intellectual contemplation and fairy enchantment that Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman provide. It is both a valuable academic resource and a work of art that I will cherish and return to often as I continue to explore the fairy magic that beckons from ‘betwixt and between.’” Check out their review of Fairylore and order our book here!

Lastly, if you’re looking for a SIGNED COPY of the book (with both of our signatures!) and won’t be able to see us in person anytime soon, Virginia Highland Books should still have a few that you can order directly from them! You can purchase from them online here, but be sure to message them first to make sure they still have a signed copy left to send!