Contact the Publisher — Brenda Sutton
Contact the Editor — Mary Davis


Guidelines for Retellings of Traditional Stories

Retellings of myths, fairy tales, and traditional stories are an important aspect of our e-magazine. We welcome original versions of traditional stories that compliment our monthly themes. Length: 1500 words maximum

All retellings must be authentic tales from a spiritual or cultural tradition. Mythic Passages does not accept recountings of dreams or visionary experiences, or "invented" mythology of any kind. The tradition from which the tale comes (Inuit, Greek, Japanese, etc.) must be noted on the manuscript; if possible, please mention the source of the story (the Mahabharata, the Iliad, traditional storyteller, etc.) in your cover letter.

In general, we prefer straightforward retellings which capture the flavor of the tradition. The focus of the story is very important, particularly when dealing with part of a larger epic: the story must stand on its own, without a great amount of explanatory material, and theme-related incidents or characters should be central. At the same time, it is often possible to take a story which is not obviously about a particular theme, and retell it in a way that highlights more subtle connections.