Welcome To Retellings Day!
We’re in an amazing time for retellings. From the Mahabharata to King Arthur, the Odyssey to Peter Pan, Arabian Nights to Anne Shirley, writers are exploring beloved older stories and finding ways to make them their own. Not only do we fans get to re-experience our favorites in new ways, but readers with marginalized identities are at long last getting to see themselves on the page. Here at Retellings Day we’re celebrating the wide and glorious range of fresh takes on classic stories you can now find, be they Asian myths or the many (many!) takes on Cinderella, the importance of retellings by queer and BIPOC authors, retold tales for kids, and even thinking about the ones we hope to see next. After all, everything old is new again. Enjoy!
Why Romance Will Never Stop Retelling Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast
Why Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast remain such common folkloric allusions in romance, and why they likely always will.
The Best Gender-Flipped Retellings
Rethink everything you thought you knew about fairy tales and other classic stories with some of the best gender-flipped retellings.
Retellings That Haven’t Happened But Should
I love a Pride and Prejudice retelling as much as the next person, but I have a whole wishlist of other stories I'd love to see reimagined.
Retellings Keep the Classics Relevant
How retellings extend the life of the classics by inviting new readers in and exploring old and new ideas side-by-side.
At the Heart of the Tale: What Makes Stories Poised for Retelling
What makes a great story worth retelling, and what kinds of stories should we expect to see retold in the future?
How ELLA ENCHANTED by Gail Carson Levine Helped Teach Me to Read
One rioter describes her struggles learning to read and how the book Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine changed everything.
A More Inclusive Happy Ending: Romance Novels That Diversify the Classics
These diverse romance retellings demonstrate that telling a more inclusive version of a classic makes it even more worthy of a new audience.
Retellings of Asian Myths, Epics, and Folklore
From India, China, Japan, Korea, and more, these retellings reimagine myths and legends from these Asian countries.
Dark Retellings of Children’s Classics
What if Cinderella never made it to the ball? What if the Prince was a Princess? The authors of these retellings took those what-ifs and decided to run with them,
Why Retellings of Classics From Authors of Color and Queer Authors Matter
Through recognizable characters and narratives, retellings by queer authors and authors of color show that these stories can belong to anyone, anywhere.
