September Events for Myth Lovers

Sometimes you want to meet people who enjoy talking about centaurs. Here’s where to find them.

 
 

The Furies Update President Trump That His Torture Policy Will Include Listening to ABBA

 
William-Adolphe Bouguereau’s “Orestes Pursued by the Furies.” Public domain.

William-Adolphe Bouguereau’s “Orestes Pursued by the Furies.” Public domain.

Subsequent to receiving this letter, you will hear ABBA songs inside your head everywhere you go, no matter what you happen to be doing.

 
 

October Events for Myth Lovers

Marcantonio Raimondi’s “A Bacchanal”. CC01.0 Public domain.

Marcantonio Raimondi’s “A Bacchanal”. CC01.0 Public domain.

Speculative fiction authors Rebecca Roanhorse , V.E. Schwab and many others are holding online talks. See who wrote the music to Hadestown, participate in a Viking-themed online Halloween murder mystery, listen to ghost stories at Sleepy Hollow, look at mythical characters in the Jack-O-Lantern Blaze, and more…

Samuel R. Delany Contends With the Conservatism of Myth

Tarot card from the Rider-Waite tarot deck.  Public domain.

Tarot card from the Rider-Waite tarot deck. Public domain.

In this interview, the speculative fiction author Samuel R. Delany discusses his plan to revise the Tarot, book recommendations, and more.

 

A Guided Sleep Meditation For The Nine-Headed Hydra Parents Of Halloween-Deprived Children

This picture of the Hydra battle sequence from the 1963 movie Jason and the Argonauts is in the public domain.

This picture of the Hydra battle sequence from the 1963 movie Jason and the Argonauts is in the public domain.

Disclaimer: Do not listen to this meditation while raiding villages. Remain in a place where you can safely relax, such as at home in the swamp amongst the wailing of your dearest ones.

 November Events for Myth Lovers

Emil Doepler’s Walhall, die Götterwelt der Germanen and the illustration Damaged Zombie are in the public domain.

Emil Doepler’s Walhall, die Götterwelt der Germanen and the illustration Damaged Zombie are in the public domain.

Bored? This month you can see virtual tours of Grecian ruins, participate in a myth-inspired writing class, or zoom in an RPG about Vikings surviving a zombie invasion. If that’s too mundane for you, try the divine goddess meditation workshop.

Magazines That Publish Myth-Driven Fiction

If you enjoy reading fiction written by living, breathing authors or you're trying to publish work of your own, here's a list of magazines that have either mentioned myth-driven fiction in their submission guidelines or published pieces with such elements in them. I included the links to many of the examples I found.

December Events for Myth Lovers

The Wicked Witch of The West, melting after being doused by Dorothy. From the first edition of The Wizard of Oz. Public Domain.

The Wicked Witch of The West, melting after being doused by Dorothy. From the first edition of The Wizard of Oz. Public Domain.

This month, NYU is holding an online discussion to help you create a leadership persona inspired by mythology. You can also learn about terrifying holiday folklore from a virtual tour guide in Iceland. Order Harry Potter drinks from Steamy Hollows on Grubhub, and more.

Inspiration From Authors Who Love Myth

Bernard Picard’s engraving of Ixion is in the public domain.

Bernard Picard’s engraving of Ixion is in the public domain.

Stephen King hung his rejection letters on a nail on his wall. Kelly Link said that if your fans make your book trend for 24 hours about how much they hated it, you've arrived. For more such encouragement and good cheer, see this collection of quotes.

January Events For Myth Lovers

Moulage d'Aphrodite, dite Vénus de Milo is in the public domain.

Moulage d'Aphrodite, dite Vénus de Milo is in the public domain.

This month, go to the Louvre online and worship artistic masterpieces such as the Venus de Milo. You can also participate in virtual discussions about the mythology of the Tarot, goddess reading cards, trees, Lilith, or bats. A couple science fiction conventions are happening. Authors Alexandra Bracken, Melissa Albert, and Olga Grushin will be on book tour, to name only a few distractions available.

Ilana Simons Discusses How Psychologists Use Myth to Heal

This Rider-Waite tarot deck image is in the public domain.

This Rider-Waite tarot deck image is in the public domain.

Ilana Simons, a psychologist, has taught writing and literature, published a book on Virginia Woolf, performed an award-winning one woman show at The New York Fringe Festival, and more. These days she makes animated movies about psychological topics for www.Ilanasimonsart.com, and she blogs for Psychology Today. I asked her how she uses mythology to help her patients. (To read the transcript, click on the Tarot card. To watch the video interview, click on the Freud picture below).

How Psychologists Use Myth to Heal: Video

John Hamilton Mortimer’s Man Attacking a Monster is in the public domain.

Ilana Simons is both a psychologist and award-winning multimedia artist. When treating patients, she uses "Voice Dialogue" therapy, a technique influenced by those such as C.G. Jung. (To read the transcript of this interview, click on the Tarot card above. To watch the video interview, click on the Freud picture here).

February Events For Myth Lovers

Benjamin West’s Cupid and Psyche is in the public domain.

Benjamin West’s Cupid and Psyche is in the public domain.

My favorite event this month is an online presentation on "“Who’s Your Mummy? Mummification As A Business In Late And Roman Period Egypt" -- but there's more! You can learn about the mythology of the toothed vagina, the goddess Circe, Ancient Roman ideas of technology, the Mayans, and Atlantis, among other things. Science fiction convention people can attend Boskone, Foolscap, and Capricon online.

March Events for Myth Lovers

Jacques Stella’s Angels Adoring the Sleeping Christ is in the public domain.

Jacques Stella’s Angels Adoring the Sleeping Christ is in the public domain.

Learn about the biblical connections of a winery in Israel, the mythology behind India's festival of spring, and how to read Mayan hieroglyphs (which you might need when you time travel). If you live in New York, you can watch a fairy tale themed light show in Dumbo, go to an outdoor movie, or visit the exhibit “I Saw God and She Wasn’t Made of Money.”

Video: What the Story of Cupid & Psyche Tells About Love, Women and Marriage

Jean Baptiste Regnault’s Cupid and Psyche is in the public domain.

Jean Baptiste Regnault’s Cupid and Psyche is in the public domain.

The longest and most central story set within the overarching narrative of The Golden Ass, "Cupid and Psyche" tells how a woman achieves immortality through her sexual relationship, completion of tests, and ultimate marriage with a god. Carl Jung's student Erich Neumann described the myth as portraying "the psychic development of the feminine" -- a journey from the "dark, sensual paradise" with a man to the attainment of individuation effected through love. But was Neumann right? To see the recording of this video presentation for the NYC JCF Roundtable, click on the picture above.

April Events for Myth Lovers

John William Waterhouse’s Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus is in the public domain.

John William Waterhouse’s Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus is in the public domain.

It's time for that big celebrity show everybody watches in spring: the Philip K. Dick Awards! Norwescon is online this year and includes everything ranging from movie watch parties to a presentation about witches. Also in April you can play online trivia about mythology, learn about the mythological roots of superheroes, and read Norse runes, among other things.

Goblins Might Interfere With COVID-19 Vaccine Safety

Tall, blonde, and glamorous goblins with mullet haircuts, while breaking out in song, will banish teenagers to bogs that smell of fecal matter, among other things (Lucas & Henson, 1986).

May Events for Myth Lovers

Luis Ricardo Falero’s painting Witches on the Sabbath is in the public domain

Luis Ricardo Falero’s painting Witches on the Sabbath is in the public domain

Yes, the witches at Catland Books for REAL have an online yoga class! This month you can also zoom with Marmar Mermaidpants, who will read and sing to you from her bathtub, among many other things.

Admiral Ozzel deliberated for months and consulted numerous experts to write this letter to Darth Vader, in which he appeals for more time working from home.

June Events for Myth Lovers

Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin’s illustration for The Tale of the Three Tsar Divas and Ivashka, the Priest's Son by AS Roslavlev is in the public domain.

Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin’s illustration for The Tale of the Three Tsar Divas and Ivashka, the Priest's Son by AS Roslavlev is in the public domain.

This month there will be online events about everything from Baba Yaga to the Whore of Babylon. Even better, the list of in-person events is growing! See a mythology conference in Mexico, the new Harry Potter-themed bar in Manhattan, and so much more.

What Girls Need To Battle Writing Demons

Amazons - miniature from folio 040r from Der naturen bloeme (KB KA 16) by Jacob van Maerlant is in the public domain.

Amazons - miniature from folio 040r from Der naturen bloeme (KB KA 16) by Jacob van Maerlant is in the public domain.

A couple years ago I joined a women’s writing group that took an unconventional approach to workshopping. Instead of tearing each other’s work apart, we met to read books like Est'es’ Women Who Run With the Wolves and then wrote together. The picture above links to an essay that I wrote about this experience.

July Events for Myth Lovers

"Cat lady" by Zemlinki! is licensed under CC BY 2.0, and Peter Glyn’s photo of a 13th Century Castle on the banks of Loch Ness is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

"Cat lady" by Zemlinki! is licensed under CC BY 2.0, and Peter Glyn’s photo of a 13th Century Castle on the banks of Loch Ness is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

This month watch an online discussion of a new book that reverses the gender roles in the movie The Princess Bride. Or if you live in NYC, you can see outdoor performances, chat about books over lunch at Randall's Island, or tour a haunted house on Staten Island, among many other things.

I, Zeus, Deign an Apology to the Women Who Allege I Assaulted Them

Why is the Greek god of “justice” a rapist? How did Greece put a picture of his abduction of Europa on their 2 euro coin? Wikipedia tells us Zeus has "erotic escapades" and "amorous conquests," which is probably not how the women would describe them. The wiki on the entertainment website Fandom documents that Hera admired Zeus' “cleverness and resourcefulness” when he disguised himself as a cuckoo bird to get into her room without her consent.

It makes me mad, so I wrote this piece that parodies the public apologies of men who have gotten caught in #MeToo.

August Events For Myth Lovers

This month, you can participate in an online discussion about archetypal journeys, attend the coolest science fiction convention in America known as Readercon, and learn how dogs were represented in classical art, among other things.

The Fabulous Rejections of Those Who Write Magic

The Cobbe Portrait of WillIam Shakespeare (1564-1616) is in the public domain.

The Cobbe Portrait of WillIam Shakespeare (1564-1616) is in the public domain.

When I flipped through Bill Henderson and Andre Bernard’s collection of rejection letters, Pushcart’s Complete Rotten Reviews & Rejections: A History of Insult, a Solace to Writers, I noticed patterns in some of the negative responses given to people who used speculative elements in their fiction, ranging from William Shakespeare to Margaret Atwood. Time and again, critics perceived mental illness, weirdness, vulgarity or frivolousness. They shook their heads in confusion. To see what I mean, take a look at the following quotes.

September 2021 Events for Myth Lovers

Learn about daily life in Biblical times, attend the Brooklyn Book Festival, or go on a romantic walk through hell with the comedian Simon Norman. If you live in New York and want to risk getting COVID, you can go to the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island! And Broadway reopens on September 14! Meanwhile, those who are rich can take tours of ancient ruins in Europe that are guided by archeologists and authors.

How To Turn “What If” Questions About Myths Into A Humor Piece

Many humor pieces ask a single “What if…? question about familiar characters or stories from mythology. For example, what if the Greek gods used Twitter? What if they were teachers in a public high school? You can generate endless numbers of these kinds of questions to see which yields the funniest answers. Here are three examples of humor pieces I didn’t write that I thought used this technique well.

October 2021 Events For Myth Lovers

This month you can discuss spooky things online like mortality in the "Death Cafe" or Silvia Moreno-Garcia's novel Mexican Gothic. The Village Halloween Parade takes place in person or watch it on NY1's website (although they might cancel the event in the last minute due to lack of funds.) New York Comic Con is also hybrid. Sleepy Hollow will have outdoor events about the Headless Horseman, or in NYC you can do cemetery tours and tell ghost stories in bars.

How Myth Can Save The World: An Interview With Pía Figueroa 

The Five of Swords from the Rider-Waite tarot deck is in the public domain.

Pía Figueroa is the author of many books and the co-founder of the international news agency Pressenza. She published a book about her experiences with Silo, an Argentine whose philosophy taps into comparative mythology as a means to better attain self-transformation and end human suffering. In the following interview, Figueroa discusses how mythology has influenced her work and can help to solve current crises such as COVID, global warming, and inequity.

November 2021 Events for Myth Lovers

If you're feeling sad about your dysfunctional family over the looming holiday season, you can watch a play about Agamemnon's homicidal one. Louise Erdrich will be doing virtual talks about The Sentence, in which a bookstore's most annoying customer decides to come back and haunt it as a ghost. You can also listen to the writers of a folk horror anthology read their work online. Seeking hope? Try “Praying for Godot: A Two-Nun Show" at the New York Comedy Festival.

Six Myth-Driven Writing Prompts

Alfred Schwarzchild’s The Poet and His Muse is in the public domain.

If a tale has lasted for more than a thousand years, it seems reasonable to emulate it. Here are some exercises that you can use as writing prompts for your own work, for teaching in a classroom, or for thinking about different approaches to crafting narratives. I hope these will help you generate material.

December Events For Myth Lovers

Samuel Ehrhart’s Santa Claus in Wall Street (1913) is in the public domain.

This month you can join online discussions about Shakespeare, Erin Morgenstern, comics, ancient Romans, vampires, and death. In New York City, you can see illuminated art installations, tours of neighborhoods decked out for Christmas, Charles Dickens at a Christmas celebration in a centuries-old house, ice carvings, and more.

Facebook Groups For Myth Lovers

Inquiring authors need to know: where do the people who read mythology hang out online? Facebook is certainly one place. I’ve compiled the following list of groups, organized from largest to smallest. Groups that discourage promotions are ranked separately.

January Events For Myth Lovers

John Singer Sargent’s Hercules is in the public domain.

This month you can share stories with others online for no less lofty goal than regaining "the authorship of your life's narrative", learn about the classic comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland, and discuss the mythology of beekeeping, among other things.


How A Celtic Goddess Redefines Feminine Holiness

Morrigan, feminism, chthonia, celtic goddesses, mythology, spirituality

Images from the Rider-Waite tarot deck are in the public domain.

Brigid Burke is the founder of Chthonia, a website and podcast that explores the meaning of the dark feminine and death. She announced in January that she signed a contract to write Phantom Queen: Encountering The Morrigan by 2024. Writingmythology.com asked Burke to talk about the many forces that the Morrigan represents -- death, fate, battle frenzy, and sovereignty, for example -- and how her stories can help people in modern times to deal with everything from anxiety of COVID to overthrowing the patriarchy.

February Events For Myth Lovers

Cupid and Venus Valentine's Day Events in February 2022 for Myth Lovers

Bronzino’s An Allegory With Venus and Cupid is in the public domain.

This month you can learn online about "good girl" comics, the archaeology of tattoos, traditional stories involving menstruation, or how Hercules can help with addiction, among other things. Those in New York can see surreal art exhibits, Lunar New Year celebrations, or films that celebrate Black History Month. Or, pretend it's still Halloween and share ghost stories over a fire pit in an outdoor bar.

How To Write Humor About The Pandemic

pandemic humor

The Scream by artist Edvard Munch. Lithography, 1895 is in the public domain.

I teach financial writing at NYU SPS, and when my supervisor asked me to participate in a series of extracurricular webinars about different ways to document the pandemic, I said I would do a lesson on humor. Click on the picture above to watch the webinar, in which I explained how to come up with a comedic premise, analyzed examples, and provided a writing prompt. At the end of the slideshow, you will find resources where you can find more inspiration.

March 2022 Events For Myth Lovers

This month you can attend online talks about Egypt's first female king and cross-dresser, an ancient empire in Southeast Asia, afrofuturism, ancient Greek drinking games, and more. See hard-hitting authors like V.E. Schwab, Sarah Ruhle, and Sheree Renée Thomas, the editor of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Or, in NYC, take a tour of women warriors in the Met or participate in exhibits and performances that celebrate Asian culture.

April Events For Myth Lovers

myth events

Titian’s Madonna and the Rabbit is in the public domain.

This month you can watch online talks about Norse, Chinese and Scandinavian mythology or hear about Croatian folklore on a virtual walking tour of one of their towns. In New York, you can attend a fairy-tale themed soiree in Brooklyn, see Emily St. John Mandel read, or play D&D.

May Events For Myth Lovers

Cadmus Kills Dragon With Spring Wreath

Reinhold Timm’s Cadmus Slaying the Dragon is in the public domain.

This month, learn about African folklore, death, Circe, ancient games, the spring rituals of the pre-modern British, and more. If you are in NYC, see Jennifer Egan, anime performances, a dance of the Trojan War, or Midsummer Nights Dream.

Paintings of Classical Antiquity That Pay Homage To Breasts

Battle of the Amazons (1870-1873) Anselm Feuerbach

Many of the forward-thinking, high-minded male painters who influenced modern philosophy and pioneered cultural movements had the genius to recognize the need for women to bare their chests whenever possible. Click on the picture above to see some masterpieces.

June Events For Myth Lovers

Franz von Matsch’s Triumphant Achilles is in the public domain.

This month you can join online conversations about Homer's Iliad, Jennifer Saint's new book Elektra, ancient Indian mythology, the Egyptian god Osiris, and more. If you live in NYC, watch the City Opera's Pride series in Bryant Park, see the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island, or participate in an immersive experience inspired by the television show Stranger Things.

July Events For Myth Lovers

This month, learn how to draw fantasy creatures, listen to a new retelling of Rapunzel, celebrate vodou, go to a Pow Wor, or watch a movie about a girl who finds an eyeball growing on her arm. Endless opportunities!

Clark Kent Quits The Daily Planet

In this satire, Clark Kent announces that he's quitting The Daily Planet. He feels unable to finish the articles assigned to him recently about “Instagram Hacks for Becoming More Self-Involved,” “Why Having A Yacht Will Make Anybody Nice,” and “Ten Outfits To Make You Look Sexy While Blowing Up The Universe.”

August Events For Myth Lovers

John William Waterhouse’s Ulysses and the Sirens is in the public domain.

This month you can join online conversations about a new book based on Norse mythology, take a virtual tour of an Egyptian temple to love and sexuality, or virtually play games from more than a 1000 years ago, among other things. If you live in NYC, tour the Greek myths of love depicted in masterpieces at the Met or watch an animated puppet film at the rooftop terrace of Bohemian National Hall.

September Events for Myth Lovers

Simon de Myle’s Noah’s Ark on Mount Ararat is in the public domain.

This month learn how to draw mythological creatures, slay your inner dragons, Celtic mythology, and more. Or if you live in New York, go to a superhero festival, meet the ghosts of revolutionaries in Greenwood Cemetery, or pretend to be in Stranger Things.

October Events for Myth Lovers

"Myth.Slide1.16" by c.a.francese is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

This month, learn about mummy portraits, Norse giants, Virgil, how a witch cooks, and more.

November Events for Myth Lovers

Milo Winter's 1914 illustration for The Arabian Nights Entertainments is in the public domain. "Pumpkin Spice Hostess Cupcakes, 10/2015, by Mike Mozart of TheToyChannel and JeepersMedia on YouTube #Pumpkin #Spice #PumpkinSpice #Hostess #Cupcakes" by JeepersMedia is licensed under CC BY 2.0 "509307017DH00032_TechCrunch" by TechCrunch is licensed under CC BY 2.0

This month, learn about the Aeneid, how to draw comics, Isis, the Jinn, and more. If you live in New York, check out some light shows, surreal art, or enjoy some trippy immersive theater experiences.

December Events for Myth Lovers

Honoré Daumier’s 19th century lithograph David et Goliath is available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

Learn about Oedipus, Perseus, a lost Mexican city, the history of Christmas, and more. If you live in New York , go to light shows, see Santa, or jam with authors at a holiday party.

January Events for Myth Lovers

Arthur Thiele’s painting Skier is in the public domain.

Learn Latin, listen to stories, join book discussions, learn about intimate life in Pompeii, get a virtual tarot reading, watch a light show, and more.

February Events For Myth Lovers

 

Discuss Octavia Butler, imagine the home of an Egyptian goddess, learn about intimate life in Pompeii, and more.

 
 

Pizza Faith

 

In 4011 A.D., Dr. Idryssa Bright believed Americans worshipped pizza two thousand years before, but she struggled to prove it.

 
 

March Events for Myth Lovers

 

Attend the coolest myth-driven book readings, plays, or museum experiences. Learn about the Mayans, Sappho’s home, magic in Irish history, Norse mythology, and more.

 
 

April Events For Myth Lovers

This month, distract yourself from thinking about dictators with nuclear bombs by going to a comic book festival, learning about queer magic, attending some readings, and more.

 
 

May Events For Myth Lovers


Hera and Io by Nicolaes Pietersz. Berchem the Younger (circa 1669) is in the public domain.

This month, take a ghost tour, attend a vampire cabaret, wear a surreal costume at the Art Student’s Leagues Dream Ball, and more.

June Events for Myth Lovers

The image of the cave, from this photograph’s page, is copyright Karen Vernon and icensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

This month, check out an exhibit of NASA footage, visit the Malibu Barbie cafe, and more.

 
 

July Events For Myth Lovers

The Rape of Helen by Juan de la Corte is in the public domain.The Rape of Helen by Juan de la Corte is in the public domain.

This month learn how the Oracle of Delphi got involved in politics, take a virtual tour of Luxor, discover the moustaches of ancient Egypt, and more.

 
 

August Events for Myth Lovers

 

William-Adolphe Bouguereau’s Dante and Virgil in Hell. Public domain.

This month, go stargazing, watch Shakespeare’s Hamlet in a park, listen to opera, participate in the Hindu lamp festival, and more.

 
 

September Events For Myth Lovers

 

This fresco of the Judgment of Paris from Pompeii is in the public domain.

This month, attend the west side culture fest in NYC, watch a procession of lanterns that look like books, go to a movie on a rooftop, watch a magician, and more.

 
 

“Sonja Ryst is the Dorothy Parker of mythology.”

— Melissa Rosati, host of the Manhattan Neighborhood Network show The Goddess Reader.