 INTO THE FOREST: TALES OF THE BABA YAGA Black Spot Books | November 8, 2022 Q&A with Editor Lindy Ryan Tell us a bit about your new anthology. INTO THE FOREST is a collection of new and exclusive tales inspired by the Baba Yaga—a character of Slavic folklore—written by some of the biggest names of women-in-horror, including quite a few Bram Stoker Award®-winning and nominated writers, as well as New York Times bestselling authors, and “freshly hatched” voices form women around the globe. We’re also very excited to feature a special poem by Bram Stoker Award®-winning poet, Stephanie M. Wytovich, and a foreword by the phenomenal leading lady of dark fantasy, Christina Henry. What made you decide to put together a collection of tales inspired by the Baba Yaga? We’ve always had a special love for anthologies at Black Spot Books—from our award-winning in-house collections, to broad and ambitious anthologies like CLASSIC MONSTERS UNLEASHED (edited by James Aquilone and coming July 2022), to our women-in-horror poetry showcase series (the first, UNDER HER SKIN, dropped April 2022 with the second installment coming in 2023). When we started this project, we knew we wanted to do a women-in-horror anthology, but it took a little bit to land on the perfect theme. There have been several amazing anthologies of late, many focused thematically on women-in-horror or written by women-in-horror, and we wanted to add to that growing list with a collection that captured the essence of female horror writers—wild and fierce and feminine. Baba Yaga is all those, and so much more. Why are you excited for readers to meet the Baba Yaga? Many might have grown up with folktales about Baba Yaga, though she will likely be a new figure to others. But whether you’re meeting her for the first time, or this is a familiar trip to her chicken-legged hut, a revisit to her skull-lined fence and her mortar and pestle, we invite all readers to meet the witch who waits deep in the forest. The interpretations in this collection range from origin stories to reinterpretations of familiar fairy tales and even contributions for the perspective of Baba Yaga’s home itself, as well as her children, those she helps, and her victims. There are horrifying tales, tales of empowerment and survival, and even love stories. What do you think is the most challenging aspect of editing an anthology? Putting together an anthology is always a little like assembling your own Frankenstein monster—you seek out the right parts, find the perfect fits, and then stitch everything together until it takes on a life of its own. One of the most challenging aspects of editing INTO THE FOREST was simply culling down the submissions to pluck out the right stories. We invited a few featured contributors and then opened up submissions. When it was all said and done, we had several hundred submissions for a collection that numbers twenty-two stories deep. There were so many phenomenal submissions, by so many phenomenal writers, that by far the hardest part was turning so many stories down. This proved two things—not only is there incredible talent from women-in-horror, but women with voices demanding to be heard. We can’t wait to get to work on our next anthology.  Into the Forest: Tales of the Baba Yaga |
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