Editors' Letter

EVOLUTION & CHANGE

Yilin Wang & Anna Bendiy
Louise Koren & André Geleynse

Since Tales & Feathers first launched as a fledgling publication to our sibling market Augur Magazine over two years ago, we have been pursuing our mission to publish overlooked and underrepresented slice-of-life speculative fiction. 

Building on the foundation established in 2022, we published 13 new stories in our second year, including two works of translation from Ukrainian and Japanese respectively, and three illustrations. Our team expanded greatly, welcoming new editors and assistant editors, each bringing their fresh perspectives about what slice-of-life speculative fiction could be and allowing us to continue pushing the boundaries in terms of the stories we publish.   

In “The Birds I Pull” by Sharang Biswas, birds burst from the narrator’s body in a story that’s both gentle and melancholic, full of stunning imagery and symbolism. “Baobab Lover” by Kwame Sound Daniels traces a baobab dryad’s journey to build a new home elsewhere and reflections on our complex relationship with the natural world around us. “The Potion Seller Will See You Now” by Dianne M. Williams offers an unexpected twist on the cozy slice-of-life fantasy genre where a shopkeeper offers a corner for knights to take refuge from the harshness of the world at large. In “Teltunget: Pattern of Speech” by Tiffany Morris, we follow the footsteps of a team of Mi’kmaq- and English-speaking researchers as they discover new, unfamiliar logograms in the birchbark, and what unfolds is a moving tale of language and homecoming. Sydney Paige Guerrero’s “The Girl and the Moon Eater” subverts conventional narratives about fighting monsters through the lens of Philippine mythology, and instead presents a narrative of healing and compassion. “A Box for Buttons, Tips and Rose Petal Jam” written by Natalia Matolinets and translated by Hanna Leliv, takes the reader to the streets of modern-day Lviv, Ukraine, where ancient nooks and crannies brim with magic, and served as our first original publication in two languages. All of the stories in this issue have brought new meaning to cozy slice-of-life fantasy—each of their stylistic and thematic approaches unique.

When we first introduced Tales & Feathers to our readers, our editorial team looked toward curiosity and exploration. Our job was to tease out the elements of the genre, to find new storytelling paths, and to define the genre alongside our writers. The first issue was a brief introduction—a foundation built from a whole bunch of enthusiasm and the belief that our cozy stories were needed now more than ever. Our subsequent publications built upon that foundation to bring a deeper delight, charm, and resonance.

As we wrap up our second issue, we’re looking toward evolution and change. We say goodbye to the founding Co-EICs Anna and Yilin, who will be departing to pursue their personal literary projects; and welcome new leadership: Louise Koren and André Geleynse. Louise and André have been wonderful editors and passionate advocates for many Tales & Feathers stories, and we’re excited to pass the torch to them. We have no doubt that readers will appreciate the high level of care, creativity, and skill they bring to their work.

It has been an absolute pleasure diving into the world of cozy fantasy with all of you. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to craft this little literary space with your support and attention. We hope you’ll join us in the next chapter of Tales & Feathers, where new adventures await. (Soft “no-plot, just vibes” adventures, of course.) After all, there are so many stories left to tell.

Yilin Wang & Anna Bendiy
Founding co-Editors-in-Chief

In one way or another, we’ve both been here since the beginning. We were both enthusiastic to jump on board and help make this magazine happen, however we could. We were and still are enamoured with the idea of a place for cozy fantasy that lives at the margins of other stories, that boosts underrepresented voices, that’s full of wonder and kindness and love.

What a gift to be able to share these stories with the world, and work with such incredibly talented authors! From the warm and eager romance of Jennifer Howell's "The Breaking of Dawn," the enchantingly everyday magic of Nana Afadua Ofori-Atta's "Headphone Boy," and the cool swampy charm of Cadence Mandybura's "Of the Swamp," each story here has its own slice of whimsy. "Bound by Oak and Stone," by Reed Mingault brings us to living forests and magical cartography, "Scarlet Silk," by Mayumi Inaba and translated by Yui Kajita unfolds vivid imagery over a collective poem, "Choose a Star to Mend the Heart," by R.J.K. Lee sails across the glittering cosmos, and "Between Breaths, a Mouthful of Fire," by Sagan Yee brings a community together over a fiery cauldron of food. 

And now, two years in, Tales & Feathers is changing. We started T&F as a separate sibling market to Augur Magazine, but our team is small and for most of our tenure, it’s felt like we’ve been running to catch up. So at a certain point, we knew we couldn’t expand, or take T&F to the places we wanted to, without more support. In coming issues, we will be working together with the Augur team—sharing resources, editors, expertise and wisdom to bring you slice of life fantasy on a regular basis.

Anna and Yilin have made Tales & Feathers what it is today. We’ve had the opportunity to publish twenty authors, two translators, and six artists. We’ve hit a lot of milestones! We had our first Kickstarter, which funded in an unbelievable five hours. And every submissions period we are blown away by the sheer number and quality of pieces that we receive.

We’ve consistently been blessed with interest and love from our community, and it has only grown over the past two years. We’re working on issue three right now, and we are both overjoyed to have the opportunity to help this beautiful little magazine take its next steps. Thank you to Anna and Yilin for pouring the foundation of our cozy little cabin in the woods; we’ll continue setting out a pot of tea for whoever stops by.

We are so thankful to everyone who backed our funding campaign, who submits their work to us, everyone who responds to our weekly microfiction prompts on twitter, and everyone who loved Tales & Feathers enough to help us create this little niche for cozy fantasy. And we are so thankful to you, the person reading this issue right now.

So enjoy the collected second issue of Tales & Feathers, and we hope you’re just as excited as us for this next chapter that we’re stepping into!

Louise Koren & André Geleynse
Senior Editor & Managing Editor

This editor's letter, alongside thirteen stories, is available for free in Tales & Feathers issue 2. The full designed issue is available for purchase.