Editing Sherwood
AWW: In your introduction to Sherwood you talk about
discovering Robin Hood through Howard Pyle's novel, and playing the
outlaw legend in New York's Central Park. What appealed to you the most
about the legend as a youth? And how does it appeal to you now?
JY: What appealed to me was the sense of adventure and the idea that,
despite having been outlawed for specious reasons, Robin went on to
right wrongs and help the needy. These days I am also quite fond of
the camaraderie and the sense of community working together for the
good of all.
AWW: How did you come to edit Sherwood, a new collection
of Robin Hood stories?
JY: It was a companion to a previous anthology I had done, about King
Arthur, called Camelot. So it seemed a natural follow-up.
AWW: What was your role in editing the Sherwood collection?
How much input did you have in the content and character of the stories?
JY: I sent out the call, inviting a number of writers specifically
to send me a story, but also announcing the anthology in both the Science
Fiction Writers of America publications and in the Society of Children's
Book Writers' Bulletin. My requests were that the story be around 5,000
words or shorter, if possible have a young person as a central character
in some way (it needn't be Robin himself), and be wonderfully and clearly
written.
Then I read all the stories, chose the ones that seem to fit the
anthology, give it balance and weight. I got rather too many RH as a
boy in Sherwood and could only publish a minimum of those. Some stories
needed heavy editing, some very little. After I had all the stories
chosen, I wrote my own, to fill in the missing area of Robin's life.
AWW: How have readers responded to this collection?
JY: The reviews have all been excellent. What reviewers have said:
"Clever application of folkloric elements to original stories combined
with consistency and smooth writing will enliven the imaginations of
all Robin Hood enthusiasts." -- School Library Journal
"Crafted by master word weavers, this wonderful collection of eight
original short stories adds new designs and textures to the to tapestry
of Robin Hood lore. ... And in Adam Stemple's humorous 'Robin Hood v.
1.5.3,' delighted readers will find Robin's cyber spirit redistributing
the world's wealth through the Internet. A beautiful painting enhances
each story." -- Children's Literature
"This book will be of interest to readers of the fairy tale based novels
by Robin McKinley and Gail Carson Levine, as well as anyone interested
in the Robin Hood legend itself. There is humor and adventure enough
for reluctant readers, and several of the stories would be great readalouds
in a classroom or library setting." -- VOYA
"... Adam Stemple takes it hilariously into our own future by setting
an Artificial Intelligence with a Robin Hood complex loose in cyberspace.
Though the stories will stand alone, readers already familiar with Robin's
career and better-known associates will have a leg up; consider this an
intermediate step between Jane Louise Curry's Robin Hood in the Green
Wood (1995) and novel-length treatments, from Robin McKinley's
Outlaws of Sherwood (1988) to Michael Cadnum's In a Dark Wood
(1998)." -- Kirkus
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