I'm an author who comes from a family of detectives, including a grandfather who filled my childhood with true crime stories I learned not to repeat at daycare. My novel, CHASE HARLEM, won the grand prize for the Monroe-Walton Center for the Arts New Writers Contest 2021 as well as the 2023 Killer Nashville Claymore Award for Best Unpublished Investigator Novel. I've had had stories and poetry published in Sojourn Literary Magazine, Dewpoint Literary Magazine, The Moonlit Road, and Southern Quill. I've also sold stories to the podcast, Chilling Tales for Dark Nights. I'm represented by Rachel Beck of Liza Dawson Associates.
World Folktales and Fables Week!
Published about 2 months ago • 2 min read
World Folktales and Fables Week!
March 19, 2026
Hello Reader,
It's World Folktales and Fables Week! (It's also my spring break, so I'm in a road-trip playlist kind of mood).
Having grown up on Irish folktales, not to mention the rich folk history that comes from living in Alabama, I love reading folktales and fables from all over the world. In fact, I think the only think I love more than reading them may be listening to them. There's something about experiencing those stories they way they were meant to be experienced: in the oral tradition.
Here in Alabama, there are still story tellers at art festivals and other events, but I realize that this is a lost art in most places. With that being the case, I want to introduce you, my dear readers, to a few podcasts that I love!
Lore
If you are a fan of podcasts or folklore, you've probably heard of this one. Podcast host Aaron Mahnke might not have been the first storyteller to utilize the podcasting to get his well-researched tales out into the world, but he's certainly the most famous for doing it. Now, some of Lore deals more with dark history, and all of Lore delves into where the folklore comes from rather than just repeating the stories. Also, not all episodes are meant for younger listeners as some of them can be quite scary, but if you are wanting some good old spooky folklore told the way it was meant to be told, this podcast may be for you.
Myths and Legends
If you want a more "family friendly" approach to folklore, I'd 100% suggest listening to Jason Weiser's take on fairy tales, legends, and folklore. Not only are his retellings well researched, truly from all over the world, and (as previously mentioned) great for children, but they are hilarious. This man has a way of weaving a tale that will have you and your kiddos in stitches.
The Moonlit Road
For more modern oral stories based in southern myth and folklore, The Moonlit Road is an absolute must-listen. Because they hire professional story-tellers for each individual episode, the episodes do not come out as regularly as the other podcasts mentioned here. However, every single episode is a production I would absolutely recommend.
Heart Starts Pounding
Okay, so this one definitely explores the spookier side of folklore. Not every episode is even about folktales so much as dark history, true crime, and creepy tales from the internet. However, host Kaelyn Moore has the most mesmerizing voice. I could listen to her reading the instructions off a cereal box and call it art.
A dead woman found in an apartment with no witnesses and no suspects. Shelby Griffin's first day on the job has just taken a turn that she could have never foreseen.
(Yes, I know I've shared this one before, but it is soooo good!)
When a mysterious woman in 1920s dress begins appearing in a Montmartre photographer’s pictures—though no one saw her there—journalist Luna Moreno discovers that in Paris, even the ghosts have an agenda.
Francis Desmarais, the town's cherished baker and accidental detective, is whisking up a storm of traditional Irish treats, her kitchen a whirl of festive flavors. But the luck of the Irish seems to have run out when a visiting historian is found dead under mysterious circumstances. Was it a tragic accident, or is there something more sinister lurking beneath the surface?
I'm an author who comes from a family of detectives, including a grandfather who filled my childhood with true crime stories I learned not to repeat at daycare. My novel, CHASE HARLEM, won the grand prize for the Monroe-Walton Center for the Arts New Writers Contest 2021 as well as the 2023 Killer Nashville Claymore Award for Best Unpublished Investigator Novel. I've had had stories and poetry published in Sojourn Literary Magazine, Dewpoint Literary Magazine, The Moonlit Road, and Southern Quill. I've also sold stories to the podcast, Chilling Tales for Dark Nights. I'm represented by Rachel Beck of Liza Dawson Associates.
