Think you know fairy tales? Think again. Everything Under the Moon has put a queer spin on some of your favourite fairy tales.
Edited by non-binary writer Michael Earp, Everything Under the Moon is a spellbinding anthology that spins twelve fairy tales as old as time through a queer lens for an illuminating celebration of love, identity, and the LGBTQIA+ community.
For the project, Earp recruited 12 of the hottest names in the queer young adult space – including Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner, Will Kostakis, Gary Lonesborough, and Helena Fox.
“I’ve always loved fairy tales myself and about four years ago I had another anthology published, called Kindred,” they explained.
“And I just thought, how fun would it be to do one where I get a whole bunch of authors to basically take fairy tales and queer it up a bit? So I set about doing that and it’s taken about four years, but it’s finally coming out and I’m really excited.”
Everything Under the Moon celebrates diverse voices
After four years, the result is 12 distinctly unique retellings, each crafted by queer writers telling traditional stories through a queer lens.
“I actively tried to get people with different sexualities, different genders and really make it a good mix of perspectives,” Earp said.
“There’s a Hans Christian Andersen retelling in there that really celebrates an aromantic relationship. That’s just something I love to have been able to include.”
The diverse backgrounds of the writers also led to a diverse range of reimagined fairy tales.
“One of our authors, Maggie Tokuda-Hall is Japanese American so she retold a traditional Japanese story,” they said.
“When we think of fairy tales, so many of us think of Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson, but there’s so much outside of that.”
Everything Under the Moon is beautifully illustrated by Kit Fox and is intended to become a treasured keepsake.
“It’s a gorgeous hardback book that feels like a fairy tale collection that you might find in a bookshop and want to keep on your shelf for years and years,” Earp explained
“It’s a beautiful book and that’s what queer readers deserve.”
To celebrate the launch of Everything Under The Moon, Michael Earp has curated a Spotify playlist that responds to the twelve retold fairy tales.
Everything Under The Moon is recommended for ages 14+ and is available to purchase from Readings.
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