Anyone who knows me probably knows about my passion for folk tales, fables, fairy tales, and oral history. And, I love new twists, adaptations, versions, and 'the other side' perspectives on age-old tales.
But lately, I've run across numerous publishing houses that specifically forewarn: we do not publish folk tales or fables of any kind.
So, I headed into the library awhile back to browse the folk tales and fables section of the children's area, to see what I came up with. So yes, there are about a hundred Cinderellas. But when it came to African folk tales, and multicultural ones, I didn't find as many–especially recent ones.
What I did notice was that a lot of them were published more than 10 years ago...or self-published/published non-traditionally. I found an Italian folk tale of the Goat-Faced Girl (self-published) as well as several volumes of international folk tales from around the world, but not published by any traditional children's press (mostly regional or small educational publishers).
Right now, I'm working on a few Gambian folk tale adaptations–mostly Wolof, Fula, and Mandinka stories. It's challenging, especially considering that there are only about 5 or 6 published works ever to document the many, many oral stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. A lot of my material is sourced directly from Gambians–retelling stories their grandparents told them.
So...as I work on this collection of folk tales and fables, I wonder: is the market for African folk tales dead? If so, who is interested in preserving these stories? Are there publishing houses still open to multicultural folk tales, or twisted and adapted well-known ones?
Do you love to read folk tales? To write them? To twist them around and adapt them into something new? Your thoughts are welcomed on the Fate of the Folk Tale!
But lately, I've run across numerous publishing houses that specifically forewarn: we do not publish folk tales or fables of any kind.
So, I headed into the library awhile back to browse the folk tales and fables section of the children's area, to see what I came up with. So yes, there are about a hundred Cinderellas. But when it came to African folk tales, and multicultural ones, I didn't find as many–especially recent ones.
What I did notice was that a lot of them were published more than 10 years ago...or self-published/published non-traditionally. I found an Italian folk tale of the Goat-Faced Girl (self-published) as well as several volumes of international folk tales from around the world, but not published by any traditional children's press (mostly regional or small educational publishers).
Right now, I'm working on a few Gambian folk tale adaptations–mostly Wolof, Fula, and Mandinka stories. It's challenging, especially considering that there are only about 5 or 6 published works ever to document the many, many oral stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. A lot of my material is sourced directly from Gambians–retelling stories their grandparents told them.
So...as I work on this collection of folk tales and fables, I wonder: is the market for African folk tales dead? If so, who is interested in preserving these stories? Are there publishing houses still open to multicultural folk tales, or twisted and adapted well-known ones?
Do you love to read folk tales? To write them? To twist them around and adapt them into something new? Your thoughts are welcomed on the Fate of the Folk Tale!