Witches in various guises have been with us for centuries, and interest in them has grown as women have sought more power and autonomy in their own lives. In celebration of the release of her book, Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power (Gallery Books), Pam Grossman speaks with three writers who invoke the witch in their work, whether politically, poetically, or through literal witchcraft practice.
Pam Grossman is the creator and host of The Witch Wave podcast and the author of Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power (Gallery Books, June 2019) and What Is A Witch (Tin Can Forest Press). She is co-founder of the Occult Humanities Conference at NYU, and her art exhibitions and magical projects have been featured in The New York Times, Artforum, and The New Yorker. Her writing has appeared in such outlets as Sabat Magazine, HuffPost, and her occulture blog, Phantasmaphile.
Dorothea Lasky is the author of six books of poetry and prose, most recently Milk and the forthcoming Animal, both out from Wave Books. Currently, she’s an Associate Professor of Poetry at Columbia University’s School of the Arts and lives in New York City.
Kristen J. Sollée is a writer, curator, and educator exploring the electric intersections of art, sex, and occulture. She is the founding editrix of Slutist, a sex positive feminist website, and a lecturer at The New School. Sollée’s signature college course, "The Legacy of the Witch" follows the witch archetype across history, pop culture, and politics. Her critically-acclaimed book inspired by the course, Witches, Sluts, Feminists: Conjuring the Sex Positive, was published by Stone Bridge Press in 2017.
Mya Spalter is the author of Enchantments: A Modern Witch's Guide to Self Possession and a longtime employee of New York City's oldest occult shop. She writes poems and stories about science and mystery.
