Welcome, Wanderer.  Make yourself at home. You should find those interests well shared here. We've been compiling for a while, so there should be plenty to weed through or join in on. If you like to twine a tale, you can always join us in that.

So, I just stumbled on this really great resource. This website contains scans of illustrations from public domain books. https://www.oldbookillustrations.com/

Believe it or not, I don't think I've ever actually seen (at least not that I recall) Disney's Snow White or Sleeping Beauty. I'll have to try to make a point to watch them with my daughter sometime.

Thanks for the year's hard work and dedication to this series, Coir!

I have just released a new book. This is the culmination of roughly 11 years of process. It is titled The Puttygut: Life, Loss, and Memory on a Rural Michigan Road. It can be found on Amazon here in paperback: http://a.co/d/0e4mSyv
In addition, it is available on Kindle for $0.99.
I am also unveiling my Amazon author page. The above title is creative non-fiction, but I will be releasing more books in the future that will be fantasy titles. My amazon author page can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/author/mcmaken

This book displays a logo and weblink for Lost Pathway Books on the cover and on the copyright page. The link is our forum here, www.lostpathway.com. Right now, I will be releasing my books with the Lost Pathway Books logo. I do think it would be fun, sometime down the road, to print copies of some of our collaborative work under the same collective, though.

Most of the actual folklore fieldwork I have done is in the realm of music, not so much storytelling. I have been thinking about one day writing a fantasy series set in Port Huron, Lake St. Clair, Detroit, etc. I think it would be quite interesting to set a story there and incorporate some of the old legends.

The thing about Native American stories is that they still have a lot of real influence on the lives of native people, and it is important to be very respectful. Remember, some of these things aren't just campfire tales to the native people.

In contrast, an 8 year old named Saga in Sweden found an authentic viking sword in a lake. Here's an article: https://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/a23937526/girl-pulls-sword-lake-sweden/

If you're wanting to delve into Michigan's folklore, I'd recommend starting with Richard Dorson's book Bloodstoppers and Bearwalkers: Folk Traditions of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
https://www.amazon.com/Bloodstoppers-Bearwalkers-Traditions-Michigans-Peninsula/dp/0299227146

As for some other stuff, lots of resources on the Michigan Dogman, Marrow Road, and even the Puttygut Bridge ghost can be found online. The The stuff I didn't want to get into is based on the experiences of people I actually know and I won't disclose.
There are lots of Native American beliefs, as well, that are fascinating from the angle of stories but also not things I'd mess around with due to the spiritual nature of the stories (including Bearwalks and Wendigo, which are very serious topics among Native People to this day).
You can also check out Weird Michigan: http://www.weirdmichigan.com/
There's a book that I have of the same name.

Of course in Detroit there is the legend of the Nain Rouge: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nain_Rouge

There are lots of collections of Native American traditional stories. I have at least one good collection in my pile of folklore books. Don't know which box all that's in at the moment.
And like I said, the lumberjacks and Great Lakes sailors had plenty of their own stories, and some big figures in American folklore include Paul Bunyan and Johnny Appleseed (the later being a real historical figure).

My local area has lots of folklore -- lots. I'm actually going to be releasing a book shortly that features some of it. Probably the most freaky tale of my region is the tale of Marrow Road (which will be a give away to what region I'm from). There are others, such as the story of Puttygut Bridge. That's another ghost story. Which reminds me of the Ghost with the Bloody Fingers.  Of course, there are many other supernatural type stories I could relate, but I'm uncomfortable doing so because of the nature of the stories and that I'm not comfortable saying that they're strictly legends/folklore and devoid of truth. Then there are the legends about the bootlegging days along the river.


The greater region as a whole (The Great Lakes) contains huge amounts of folklore in all varieties, from Native American to European transplants to Seafaring to lumberjacking, etc. I've done a lot of research and reading into that stuff, but I'll stick to very local in this thread.

I'm familiar with the chieftains. I think I actually have the album they did with various American folk musicians (including Nickel Creek).

I've just barely started The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Boat of Her Own Making, and judging from the first couple pages, it's going to be good. I'll post again when I finish it.

I admit I don't really know anything about the musicians you've mentioned. I have not really been listening to any music lately, myself. When I do listen to music, it tends to be fiddle music or folk song.

I'm not faulting you for your choices, just giving my personal reaction.
I think that the "actively engaging pop culture" idea is a mixed bag. We still need to have wisdom and follow the Spirit in understanding what is worthwhile and what is just participating in things we shouldn't. That said, as far as literature, I think it makes sense to analyze the relationship of horror to the fantasy and sci-fi genres.

I finished The Lies of Locke Lamora. Have to say, it was a page turner. It was well told, with a thoroughly arresting fantasy world. The story takes place pretty much entirely in a single city, and it mostly follows the workings of the criminal underground and a con artist named Locke Lamora. The presence of magic and such adds extra complications to his trade. If you're looking for a book with morally superior heroes, this is not it.
I've not been doing this for books, before, but I'd say I'd give it a 6 out of 10. It was a page turner, very interesting, compelling world, but I'm not sure that I'd want to continue on in the series. It was a satisfactorily stand alone book, I'm not ruling out that I might pick up another, but I'm also not sure I feel like I want to spend a bunch more time with Locke Lamora the character.

I love fall. You can probably anticipate -- since we've had much discussion -- how I feel about scary/horror, but it is undoubtedly a major cultural aspect of the season.

First of all, happy birthday. Many happy returns.

Secondly, I'm interested and had no idea this was happening. I'll admit being disappointed with the separate publication of the Hurin saga, as they chose the lesser of the two versions that Tolkien wrote to publish in my opinion. Also, the story of the fall of Gondolin (including Glorfindel's death in battle with a balrog) is dealt with in other stories (possibly the Hurin stories, it's been a while) and I'd be interesting to see if this is a new account or just one lifted from other writings, as was the case of the Hurin publication. I too will probably wait until its available in cheap used paperback before I find out.