Chichester Centre for Fairy Tales, Fantasy and Speculative Fiction

The heart of this project is a focus on the importance of fairy tales as a creative force both in literature and culture.

Literary fairy tales can be seen, in terms of genre, to mediate between, on the one hand, folktales, from which they often derive both form and content; and on the other, the more elaborate narratives of full-blown fantasy novels. The Centre will provide a forum where writers and scholars from various disciplines can discuss folk narratives, fairy tales and fantasy works, both as independent ‘genr

es’ (the literary fantastic, for example, may not always have obvious folk- or fairy-tale motifs), and also in terms of the resonances and dissonances between them, and other cultural forms. Although the scope of the project is geographically and culturally inclusive, the founding impulse for the Centre is related to the specific locale of Sussex and its surrounding region. This area is rich in examples of all three kinds of narrative, ranging from folk narratives of various kinds, through literary fairy tales written in, as well as about, Sussex (for example, by George MacDonald and Eleanor Farjeon), to major works of fantasy and myth by Sussex residents such as MacDonald (Phantastes), David Lindsay (A Voyage to Arcturus), Mervyn Peake (Gormenghast) and Neil Gaiman (Stardust). There are fantasy and fairytale elements not only in prose works by Kipling, Wilde and Wells, but also in the poetry of Blake, Keats, Shelley and Tennyson, all of whom have connections with Sussex, as do the fantasy illustrators Peake, Rackham, Shepard and Blake himself. While the project is situated in Sussex, its planned scope is not only national but also international, bringing together writers and scholars, as well as publishing and curating scholarly resources, from around the globe. Best-selling British fantasy fiction (Tolkien, Lewis, Pullman, Rowling) may seem to rule the waves, but—to mix metaphors—its roots are international. The fairy-tale tradition that shapes later fantasy (and not just fantasy) derives not only from the European traditions of Italy, France, Germany, and Scandinavia, but also from sources far beyond Europe. It is this diversity and exuberance of folktales, fairy tales and the fantastic imagination that the Centre seeks to explore, discuss and celebrate in a range of ways. The Centre is part of the University of Chichester's English & Creative Writing Dept - https://www.facebook.com/ChiUniEnglish

Please note that all posts to our page are moderated. Please visit our Mailing List site for guidance on what kind of posts are appropriate: http://www.sussexfolktalecentre.org/mailing-list/

21/08/2026

Belt Magic: A Forgotten English Fairy Spell
from Simon’s British Mythology Substack

Belt Magic: A Forgotten English Fairy Spell Why did the fairies start using belts for magic in the fifteenth and sixteenth century and why did they stop?

19/08/2026

Finding Ourselves in Faerie (a review of Fairies: A History by Francis Young) https://firstthings.com/finding-ourselves-in-faerie/

Why gatherings and celebrations are such an important part of summer

18/08/2026

Keeping an excited eye on this.... Annayah Prosser is working with filmmaker Rosie Robinson to explore how new iterations of old traditions (often known as “neo-folklore”) can help people reconnect to each other, British culture and the natural environment. 👀 👀

Why gatherings and celebrations are such an important part of summer Research shows that festivals and gatherings can change the way people choose to live.

18/08/2026

Shakespeare and Folktale: Magic, Monsters and the Stories We Still Tell
Online event
Saturday, August 22 • 8 PM - 9:30 PM GMT+1
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/shakespeare-and-folktale-magic-monsters-and-the-stories-we-still-tell-tickets-1995155784660?

Shakespeare and Folktale: Magic, Monsters and the Stories We Still Tell An online talk on the surprising relationship between Shakespeare and folklore, with Shakespeare scholar Dr Koel Chatterjee

31/07/2026

2026 Mythopoeic Awards Winners Announced
https://www.mythsoc.org/news/news-2026-07-26.htm

Northumberland's most quirky and historic folk rituals captured for new film

30/07/2026

New Northumberland folklore film follows year of rituals

Northumberland's most quirky and historic folk rituals captured for new film From solstice fire festivals and a ritualised football match to ancient spiritual sites and a holy march across a tidal causeway, a Prudhoe-based…

Pre-order Gramarye 29 | University of Chichester - Online Store

27/07/2026

Old stories need to keep travelling.

In our forthcoming issue of Gramarye, Goutam Bhattacharyya's 'A Pair of Sandals and a Coat' takes us to a village in the foothills of the Himalayas, where the everyday quarrels of an elderly couple remind us that living stories must continue to find new listeners and that stories, too, must “put on their travelling clothes and go out into the world”.

Pre-order your copy here:

Pre-order Gramarye 29 | University of Chichester - Online Store Gramarye 29, the journal of the Chichester Centre for Fairy Tales, Fantasy and Speculative Fiction. The printed edition of Gramarye is only available to pr

27/07/2026

In our forthcoming issue of Gramarye, Mark Budman's delightful 'A Mound of Silence: After a Russian folk tale' follows Kolobok's triumph through that a timeless Trickster truth: sometimes being clever is the greatest power of all.

Pre-order your copy here: https://store.chi.ac.uk/product-catalogue/sussex-centre-for-folklore/journals/pre-order-gramarye-29

27/07/2026

In our forthcoming issue of Gramarye, David Blumenfeld's gently comic 'Schlemiel and the Puzzle of His Socks (in the manner of Yiddish Folktales)' riffs on the wisdom and kindness of rabbis helping with the challenges of everyday life.

Pre-order your copy here: https://store.chi.ac.uk/product-catalogue/sussex-centre-for-folklore/journals/pre-order-gramarye-29

26/07/2026

In our forthcoming issue of Gramarye, Elizabeth Wu's 'Lament for Oisín' reimagines the voice of the fairy Niamh in a familiar legend of exile and longing, as Niamh refuses to return with her husband to Erin – a land that has 'banished your druids' and 'exiled your wise women'.

Pre-order your copy here:

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Location

Chichester

Website

http://sussexfolktalecentre.org/

Address

Chichester University, Bishop Otter Campus, College Lane
Chichester
PO196PE

Chichester Centre for Fairy Tales, Fantasy and Speculative Fiction

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