And here we are again, with fairy cake and confetti and enough tea for all who wish for it.
The Teacup Trail celebrates its second birthday with all the wonder and gladness with which it greeted its first. I’ve said this, and I’ll say it again: I had no inkling of what I was getting into when I founded this publication. This venture has only pulled itself together thanks to the myriad outpourings of kindness, love, and imagination that it has received from staff, submitters, and readers alike. Topaz, AnQi, and Katie are the most fiercely wonderful team members I could ask for, and the community that we have found on our journey—you and you and you—is nothing short of breathtaking. It is such a privilege to run such a magazine, something that has become so much larger than a tiny, insistent idea in the back of one young girl’s mind.
That leads us to a rather important announcement, and one I have been looking forward to making for a very long time.
We have a new base at theteacuptrail.com, and we are reopening to submissions.
A great number of changes have been made to our submission policies, which can now be found here, but here is the most notable: we are moving into a quarterly publishing schedule. While Tumblr was a marvelous resting place for us while it lasted, we here at the Trail believe that the publication now needs a more solid web presence to call home. Our main Tumblr will remain up for the time being as an archive, and all the work published there is also archived on our website under the name ‘Issue Zero.’
We are now considering submissions for Issue One, with a submission deadline of February 1. Fire away, everyone! We are so very happy to be taking tea with you once more.
A note on submissions we already have in our inbox: We apologize for our late response! Your submissions are now under consideration for publication in Issue One. Thank you as always for your patience and support.
A note on the art editor position: We have already had some inquiries into the position, as we are currently without an art editor. We will be putting out a call for art editor applications sometime in the coming weeks; do keep an eye out for that!
First and foremost, you may have noticed that the Trail is now closed to submissions until further notice. Strange, you think, for a magazine that’s been constantly open for submissions for over a year and a half.
While I can’t go into detail about our reasons for closing the submission doors, rest assured that they’re very good ones. We’re changing things up here at the Trail, and we’re working hard behind the scenes to make sure those changes come as smoothly as possible.
We will still be responding to the submissions in the backlog that we already have, as well as any notes or inquiries that you may have directed to our inbox. We will still be publishing accepted submissions over on the main Tumblr; we just won’t be taking any new ones until we’re ready.
As always, we thank you for trusting us and sticking by us for as long as you have, and we hope that the new and improved Trail is one that you’ll love!
First: you string together dots and lines. Smooth them out with curves and zig-zags, if you’d like, or scribble notes in the margins - raise the volume here; play gracefully; now back to normal speed, if you please. Place a clef at the beginning to serve as a language; arrange it all on a canvas of five horizontal bars. And now - you bring people to tears or to laughter or to their feet. You remind them of all those wonders they didn’t realise they had forgotten.
Half Mystic :: a brand-new independent journal dedicated to the celebration of music in all its forms. We want your aubades and your serenades; your cacophonous harmonies; the songs that echo in the crannies of your being. Give us your bittersweet melodies. We want to hear your symphony.
Join the magic :: apply as a staff member or submit to Issue I: Allegro.
Our poetry editor Topaz Winters (siraens / mildactsofmayhem) has launched a new independent journal that aims to promote the beauty of music. Please support Half Mystic as it starts out—we here at the Trail can’t wait to see what great things this journal does in the future!
Persephone’s Daughters is a lit magazine founded by me, and staffed with Tumblr writers Lora Mathis, Caitlyn Siehl, Donna-Marie Riley, Kristina Haynes, and Azra Tabassum, and Elizabeth Roten (who is a light in the dark), aimed at empowering abused and denigrated women.
This is one of the only magazines of its kind, and we have staff members who are trans, former sex workers, who have been through trauma of all kinds, who have been featured in print, on TV, on the radio, and more.
Our submissions for art & writing for our first issue close on July 8th, and we really need more art and prose submissions.
If you submit to us, you’ll have the chance to be read by wonderfully talented writers, and possibly get a shot at empowering women who have suffered in a lit magazine whose audience comes from all over the world.
Submissions cap at 300, and we have about 150 right now, so submit soon!
Our staff encourage you all to submit to Persephone’s Daughters, a beautiful and empowering and important project spearheaded by some luminaries of the Tumblr writing community.
Today we would like you to meet a soul as gentle and brave as anyone can imagine. Enter Topaz Winters—writer, musician, and dreamer.
The lovely folks over at thistlemag interviewed poetry editor Topaz Winters, which made for a wonderful conversation. (Psst. There’s a Trail shoutout!)
Issue 3 of GKA travels through houses that occupy space in different ways, rediscovers faeries, fresh perspectives on Greek mythology, biblical verses, love and lack of love, thirst, and contains a plethora of hands.
Featuring the writing and artwork of Kali Fillhart, Meggie Royer, Haleigh Robbins, Momo Manalang R., Scott Stevens, Riya Mirchandaney, Isabelle Jia, Elsie Platzer, Mariah Stewart, Christina Im, Stephanie Lu, Emily Hedgepeth, Grace Tan, John Grey, James Valvis, Sarah Tran, Priya Thomas, Kevin Chow, Tiffany Madruga, Natalie Barch, Albert Leng, Aditi Satyavrath, and Isabella Roncheti.
At long last, -Ology Journal returns – back in black, if you will – with careful and sure pieces that merge into something deathly beautiful: the darkness and the light.
READ IT HERE
“your first issue is absolutely incredible and beautiful, and resonates so wholly in my bones, i feel i must be made of it.” - @mythaelogy on twitter
We here at the Trail are so excited about the release of -Ology’s ‘chiaroscuro’-themed second issue! We really admire this beautiful journal (plus, it features editor-in-chief Christina and poetry editor Topaz!).
The wooden planks groaned under their feet. A swamp stretched infinitely on both sides of the path. Tony could see the murky water splash underneath. It stank horribly.
His father’s grip was firm on his arm; his other hand was holding a lantern. They had been walking up and down this unsteady path...
We here at the Trail encourage you to submit to the fourth issue of Glass Kite Anthology, which is a gorgeous publication that the staff here really admire (bonus: poetry editor Topaz was part of Issue 2!).
Teatime Talks is our interview series. Essentially, it’s where we do the virtual equivalent of taking some very cool people out for tea and asking them some probing questions. Then we post the results of our interrogation conversation on our staff blog for all to enjoy.
Today I’m very pleased to be able to feature Alex McCarron (berryandthorn), who has written two pieces for the Trail: “Fox Sister” and “The Girl Who Swallowed the Sea”. Here’s a little bit about her:
Alex McCarron loves stories of all shapes and sizes. As a kid she drank gallons of seawater during family vacations but never managed to swallow an entire ocean. You can find her Tumblr here and her blog here.
Now, without further ado, let’s get a little peek into Alex’s no doubt fascinating mind!
TT: We noticed that you do an intermittent fairy tale art feature on your blog. (We think it’s fabulous.) What draws you to this style of art in particular?
AM: Seeing different artists’ interpretations of the same stories. It’s fun to compare two different versions of, say, Beauty and the Beast, and see that in one picture Beauty is a little girl and the Beast is a stuffed animal (no joke!) and in another she’s a full-grown woman and he’s a terrifying monster. You’re looking at them through someone else’s imagination. But I’ll use any excuse to ogle pretty pictures.
TT: Much of your writing seems to involve the magical intersections between humans and nature. Is this something you incorporate into your stories consciously? If so, why?
AM: I’m not a very outdoorsy person, so nature has always seemed very mysterious and a bit scary to me. Characters who are more comfortable in it than I am, and maybe even have some control over it, are scary and mysterious too. It’s a theme that crops up a lot in my stories, even though I don’t always notice it.
TT: The age-old, tired-out writer question: where do you get your story ideas?
AM: If I read a book or watch a movie that I really love, I’m bound to wonder what I’d do with that type of story. Books and movies are probably my biggest sources of inspiration, but I’ve also gotten ideas from songs, pictures, and things I heard on the street. Finding ideas--at least for me--comes down to knowing what you like and paying attention.
TT: Do you have an ‘aesthetic’?
AM: Yes, but it changes with every project. I spend a lot of time thinking about the look and feel of my stories, and one might be dark and strange while another’s bright and down to earth. Details like the color of the walls or the style of the main character’s jewelry are important even if I don’t actually mention them. A story only feels real to me once I can clearly picture it, and in the end that’s my only requirement.
TT: This is a bit of a daunting question, but an essential one—why do you write?
AM: This sounds super corny, but for me writing is a way of giving back. They’re so many books that I’ve loved and that have enriched my life, and I guess I hope that one day my books will do that for someone else. Plus, I love creating characters and figuring out what makes them tick. I love playing around with language, and I love those times when everything clicks and my writing finally flows. They make all the hard and miserable parts worth it.
TT: What do you think is the ‘theme song’ to your work?
AM: I put together playlists for most of my longer projects, so each one has a different theme song. The playlist for my WIP about pirates includes music from the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtracks (of course) and some traditional Celtic music, but the true theme song is probably “Wolves” by Rag ’n’ Bone Man, which is pretty dark--I wanted a good range. For general writing motivation, I like “Try” by P!nk and “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out of’ by U2.
TT: If you could travel to any historical era, where and when would you go?
AM: I’d go to Scotland around the year 1297, during the wars for Scottish independence. I’d love to meet William Wallace or Robert the Bruce.
TT: How do you go about building characters?
AM: With short stories, I jump right in and figure them out as I write. They’ve usually been kicking around in my head for a couple months, so I already have some idea of how they move and think and sound. I basically collect characters in my head and wait for the right story for them. With longer projects, I’ll buy a notebook and make notes about their personalities and backstories and motivations. When I’m reading, I keep an eye out for the types of characters I think are interesting, and picking actors to play them in my head sometimes helps. My process isn’t very organized at all and more or less boils down to throwing a bunch of stuff together and seeing what comes out.
TT: What’s a wonderful film that you’d recommend to fans of your work?
AM: Pretty much every movie I’ve ever loved has influenced my writing at some point, but I remember being blown away by The Secret of Roan Inish. It's about an Irish girl searching for her lost brother, who may or may not have been adopted by selkies. Something about it—the gorgeous setting, the mystery of the selkies, the fact that two kids got to refurbish an entire village all by themselves—really got under my skin. I was five or six when I first saw it, and I’ve loved Celtic mythology ever since.
(Unrelated editor note: I’ve been wanting to watch The Secret of Roan Inish for a long time, and now I only want to watch it more.)
TT: We know you’ve been waiting for it: let’s talk tea. How exactly do you like to take your tea (or is there another drink you prefer)?
AM: I'll take any flavor (except maybe Earl Grey), as long as it has at least two spoonfuls of sugar in it!
Thanks for stopping by to share some things with us, Alex!
Teatime Talks is our interview series. Essentially, it’s where we do the virtual equivalent of taking some very cool people out for tea and asking them some probing questions. Then we post the results of our interrogation conversation on our staff blog for all to enjoy.
Today, we’re thrilled to feature two past contributors as guests—Kayla Allen and Jamie Uy! Both of them run publishing projects of their own that are truly spotlight-worthy.
First up, we have Kayla Allen (ladykeladry) who’s written one piece for the Trail, “La Vie En Jaune”. Here’s a little bit about her:
Kayla Allen is an English major at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Her work has previously appeared in Spectrum, Northeastern’s literary arts magazine. She likes fantasy books, musical theatre, and puppies.
She recently founded a venture called 308 Press, which we’ll be interviewing her about today:
308 Press publishes new and emerging writers. We want stories in a variety of genres and formats; we’re looking for work that is fresh and exciting. We are based in Boston, MA.
The press is currently taking submissions on a rolling basis for its “308 Words” project—original flash fiction exactly 308 words in length—so be sure to check that out after reading this interview!
TT: Why did you found 308 Press?
KA: This year, I've really been making an effort to submit my writing to literary magazines. In the process, I found that I had my own ideas for anthologies and magazines and projects, and I wanted to create another venue for new and emerging writers to submit their work to. I started a press rather than just a magazine so I can publish a number of different magazines from one platform.
TT: What types of projects is 308 Press looking to specialize in?
KA: I want to explore different genres, styles, and forms of writing. For example, I just closed submissions for an anthology of letters and opened submissions for a flash fiction project. (Submit, folks!)
At some point in the future, I also want to start a semi-regular fantasy/speculative fiction magazine. I fell in love with fantasy as a child and it has never lost its magic for me.
TT: Do you have any wildly far-fetched dreams for the press? (Never fear, you can tell us.)
KA: I'd love to create print magazines someday. I'm definitely releasing everything in digital formats, but I love print books and I want to learn how to make, sell, and distribute them.
I also want to get more people involved! I don't have enough work right now to necessitate other staff members, but I love collaborating with people and I hope I can expand the press to include others.
TT: What kinds of readers does 308 Press hope to attract?
KA: Excited readers! I'm not looking for any one community, such as just fantasy readers or just poetry readers, because I would like 308 Press to publish a wide variety of work. I hope to attract readers with adventurous palates.
TT: Finally, as always, we must ask about tea. If 308 Press threw a tea party, what writers would you invite?
KA: Oscar Wilde, Steven Brust, and Jane Austen. I'd like to see them all wittily insult each other over tea.
Next, we’d like to welcome Jamie Uy (1amastronaut), whose poem “we wanted to be princesses” has appeared in the Trail. Here’s a bit about her:
Jamie Uy, Singapore, 16. Jamie is a Filipino-Chinese-Singaporean teen writer whose work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Huffington Post, Singapore American, The F (Finely Filipino) Magazine, GREYstone, Miracle, and Wild Orphan, among other publications. She is a Commended Foyle Young Poet, and her anthology, The 1 AM Astronaut and Other Poems, was published in 2012. She has recently become obsessed with Murakami novels and songwriting.
Jamie is the managing editor at Parallel Ink, a publication that our poetry editor Topaz recently wrote about in a past staff blog post.
Parallel Ink (a.k.a. PI or π) is an international online literary and art publication for students from 12- to 18-years-old. Our staff has over twenty teenage editors, translators, and artists around the world.
Here’s their mission statement:
To encourage young writers and artists to grow by providing genuine feedback on all submissions.
To bring out the best in young writers and artists by publishing a high-standard lit+art magazine.
To create a friendly, international online community of young writers and artists.
PI takes submissions from students ages 12 to 18 on a rolling basis.
TT: Parallel Ink is specifically meant to showcase young writers and artists (which we here at the Trail think is amazing!). Why did you create a youth-focused publication?
JU: Jiyoon, Puinoon, and I (the co-founders) were all still in our preteen years when we started PI. We personally experienced (and still continue to experience!) the struggles of being young writers and artists. We loved our school, but we wanted a different space for creative students like us around the world to come together, explore their craft, receive meaningful feedback, and grow artistically. This became clear to me when I first started writing poetry seriously. I received a lot of rejections but never knew exactly why my writing was declined, and how to improve. Jiyoon, Puinoon, and I decided that we wanted to encourage young writers and artists to grow as much as possible. A lot of our passion for Parallel Ink stems from our passion about youth potential, and our own personal experiences as we've tried to become better writers and artists.
TT: It seems like the PI team members hail from a wide variety of cultures and areas around the world. How do you think this international aspect has impacted how the magazine runs?
JU: Well, first thing, it makes arranging Skype conferences an absolute nightmare! We have span so many time zones, it's near impossible to get all the staff together for a digital hangout. All jokes aside though, the international aspect of PI has had an enormous impact on how the magazine runs; mostly, it's pushed it to become an online publication. Jiyoon, Puinoon, and I did this consciously - Parallel Ink was born out of our chance friendship in an international school, and we wanted to continue telling stories and making art with our friends around the world. We could only do this online. As a result, much of the behind-the-scenes work is all concentrated on Google Drive and emails.
In terms of the ideology running the magazine, the internationalism has made us open to just about anything and everything. We make it a point to read submissions from all genres of art and writing. We also publish Thai, Chinese, Spanish, French, translations and commentaries on accepted works, because we believe that this promotes awareness and appreciation for the languages and stories of different cultures.
TT: What is one thing you want every potential submitter or reader to know about Parallel Ink?
JU: We're teenagers like you - no one on the staff is over eighteen - and we don't bite! We're here to encourage you to grow creatively, not discourage you. Please do feel free to send us anything creative you feel might work for the magazine. We understand what it's like to have angst, school pressure, and the burning desire to make good art - so we pride ourselves in taking your submissions seriously. Every submission is read by two editors and you'll definitely receive more than a simple acceptance or rejection email; you'll get genuine feedback from us. Of course, we're not the world's reigning literary and art experts, and lots in these fields are subjective, but we guarantee that our feedback will reflect our honest opinions on good art.
TT: What's the best thing about running Parallel Ink?
JU: The people I meet and connect with. Whenever I open the submission responses form, I've overwhelmed by the fact that in the span of a few hours, we might get submissions from England, South Africa, India, Mexico, and the U.S. - it is so surreal. It makes me so happy to think that there's young writers and artists around the world who trust us enough to submit their work. There's also been some very serendipitous moments. For example, Sachi Shah, who contributed art and poetry for our December 2013 issue, actually moved to my school and it was amazing to become friends with one of PI's contributors in person.
TT: And lastly, the obligatory tea question: If Parallel Ink were a type of tea, what would it be and why?
JU: After much deliberation, I would have to say pearl milk tea, since it's sweet, a nice pick-me-up snack, a little different from the norm, and gives you some food for thought!
Thanks for visiting the staff blog, Kayla and Jamie! And Trail friends, be sure to check out these great publishing / reading opportunities.
call for staff + submissions: parallel ink lit/art journal
by poetry editor topaz
Exciting news, lovelies - a fellow literary & art journal, Parallel Ink (or parallelink in Tumblr-speak), has just made the big decision to move over to Tumblr! PI is an absolutely incredible magazine, and what makes it all the more special is that it’s 100% run by middle and high school students. Tell me that’s not the coolest thing you’ve heard all week. ;)
There’s even better news to come - PI is currently sending out a call for staff and submissions! If you’re 12 to 18 years old and looking for a magazine to submit your writing or art to, definitely give it a look - and if you’re interested in a fun and fulfilling editing job, here’s your chance.
For submissions, you can find their guidelines right here; for staff applications, just email them at [email protected] with your potential contributions to PI as a staff member, as well as a few examples of previous creative work.
Our very own (and, of course, enormously talented!) editor-in-chief, Christina, has had her work published in PI, and I have also worked there as a guest editor, so I think both of us can vouch for its awesomeness.
PI’s new Tumblr went live on pi day (GET IT *grins evilly*), March 14th this year, and they are already doing so wonderfully on this new platform. But please, don’t take my word for it - do go over and say hi, submit your pieces, and apply for a staff position!
After all, in my humble opinion, pie goes quite well with tea any day. ;)
When we are but seven billion Lilliputian specks, ebbing away into the
black, the least he can do is plant a handful of tarnished cranks in our palms,
tell us this clockwork is a hoax, that we can harvest these seeds of cranks
into bronzed poppies. But when the lens tosses and zooms out of focus,
even smoldering constellations are too distant to wink their secrets.
Teatime Talks is our interview series. Essentially, it's where we do the virtual equivalent of taking some very cool people out for tea and asking them some probing questions. Then we post the results of our interrogation conversation on our staff blog for all to enjoy.
Rebecca's contributions are "The Cloud Cook" and "The Fisherman's Daughter". Here's a little bit about her:
Rebecca Harrison is an aspiring author who works with special needs children. She sneezes like Donald Duck and spends her spare time hunting Narnia. She’s written quite a few fairytales, which she hopes to publish as a collection, and the first draft of a children’s novel. Her dream is to have a cake mobile and be summoned by a cake signal in the sky.
We're so excited that we got to talk to Rebecca, and we think she's given some fascinating answers here. (Our questions are in bold, with Rebecca's responses underneath each one.) Here we go!
~~~~
You've written two fairy tales for The Teacup Trail. What draws you to this type of storytelling in particular?
Like most girls, I grew up on fairy tales. I’ve stayed obsessed with them and I collect fairy tale books. I especially love beautiful editions with golden age illustrations. Fairy tales seem the perfect combination of imagination and emotion.
Both "The Cloud Cook" and "The Fisherman's Daughter" feature ordinary people with extraordinary magic and the royal figures who become fascinated with them. Is this a character dynamic you use on purpose? If so, why do you do it?
It was intentional in The Fisherman’s Daughter. Lots of fairy tale heroines marry princes and live happily ever after in the royal world, and I wanted a story where the prince had to leave his world and live in hers instead. Prince Edgar doesn’t just give up his lands, he gives up land completely. Actually, I hadn’t realised that The Cloud Cook has a similar dynamic.
Of the two stories you've published on the trail, only one features what might be called a typical "happily ever after". What do you think the role of the "happily ever after" is in your stories?
A lot of my stories have an element of loneliness to them. And I’m drawn to telling stories about people who are strange creatures, because that’s how I felt about myself growing up. I related to the poem The Marrog, which is about a monstrous alien sitting at the back of a class and "nobody nobody knows" he’s there. I don’t focus on providing happy endings for my characters, just fitting ones, and sometimes I feel sad for them.
How did you start writing?
I started reading at 18 months and used to dictate stories to my mother. Then I wrote obsessively throughout my childhood. My first muse was my great aunt and uncle’s cat, Raggio, who became the hero of several of my ‘books’ despite never acknowledging my existence. I read maniacally too, and kept emergency books buried by one of my favourite trees to sit in. But when I hit my teenage years, I stopped writing. I came back to it when children I was working with asked me to tell them stories.
Many fairy tales have morals or lessons behind them. Do you write your own tales with this in mind, or do you place other storytelling priorities first?
I always felt a bit let down by the way some fairy tales presented becoming normal as a reward. To me, being a mermaid seemed better than being human, and the beast was much more appealing than the man he became. So, I wanted my magical freaks to not have the possibility of changing who they were. Some of my stories have a clear message – The Paranoid Husband, which is in Quail Bell Magazine, is about a man who controls and diminishes his wife and gets his comeuppance: http://www.quailbellmagazine.com/the-unreal/short-story-the-paranoid-husband. But I'm usually more interested in using magical ideas to express something poignant or humorous about life.
Do you have any tips for fellow writers stepping onto the path of original fairy tales?
Read as many fairytales as you can – the original ones if possible. I can’t wait to get Jack Zipes’s new translation of the Grimm fairy tales. It’s the first time the first edition has been translated into English, and the stories are more brutal than the sanitised versions of later editions. Also, seek out the great fairy tale illustrators. Kay Neilsen, Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac etc. And get an animal companion. Preferably, one who talks your language.
What are some books that you feel have greatly influenced your writing?
The books I loved in my childhood: Narnia, The Phoenix and the Carpet, The Box of Delights, classic fairytales of Grimm, Anderson and Oscar Wilde. I favoured the sad stories and wept buckets over The Happy Prince’s swallow. He was waited for in Egypt, you know. *sniffs* As a child, I also used to get a brilliant magazine called ‘The Storyteller’, which serialised classics such as Pinocchio and The Wizard of Oz, featured folk & fairytales from all over the world, and included modern children’s stories. Each issue came with a cassette of well known actors reading the tales. I lived in the stories and still have all of my copies.
What does your writing process look like?
Usually making up the story whilst telling it to someone, then taking years to get started writing it. When I’m actually writing the story out, I like having everything planned. Every single scene. My process consists of 5% writing and 95% fretting. All with endless encouragement from my boyfriend and my spaniel Lily curled up asleep by my feet.
A less serious question: If you could give yourself a fairy-tale magical power, what would it be?
The ability to bring back lost or gone things. Although, talking to the animals or shape shifting would be good, too. Would looking like Hedy Lamarr count as a fairy-tale magical power? Because that’s also on my list.
Any larger creative projects in the works that we can hear about?
I’ve written a children’s novel which is still in the first draft stage. It began as one of the stories I told the children I worked with. I have a lot of editing ahead of me, so I’d better stock up on chocolate. I’ve also got heaps more fairytales to write, some space fairytales, and my second novel, the beginning of which can be read here: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/55087-the-diamond-castle.
And the requisite tea-related question: if you could have tea with any person - real or fictional, living or dead - who would it be and why?
My idol, the cellist Jacqueline du Pre. She was a genius who died young from multiple sclerosis. I love her recording of the Elgar Cello Concerto more than anything else anyone has ever made. It’s a love song to a vanished world. I’d choose her to hear her play, of course.
~~~~
Thank you so much, Rebecca, for lending us your time and wonderful insights! Look forward to more great interviews like this one.
