Katy Horan

Make sure you read some reviews because I didn't and it's not what I thought it would be. I grabbed it from the library shelf so no harm but I would be nauseous if I paid good money.

From the intro Witches and women writers alike dwell in creativity, mystery, and other worlds. They aren't afraid to be alone in the woods of their imaginations ... As such, the mantle of "Literary Witch" is the highest honor we can bestow upon an author. The thirty writers included here inspire us deeply... We've created their portraits in art and writing to pay homage to their presences, and to access their spirits through our own mediums.

Each author has her own page with a piece of artwork, a bit of poetry, a mini bio and recommending reading as offered by the author/ill of this book. A wide variety of authors, novelists, SF writers, horror writers, Chinese lit, poets, musicians, gothic fiction, filmmakers, essayists, activists, fairy tale writers, fiction writers, visionists, feminists, socialists, mystics, memoirs, innovators, surrealists, healers, folklorists, anthropologists... oldest born about 630, newest born about 1950. There is global representation.

I did not find one author/book/story to be added to my tbr list. ymmv… (mehr)

This combination of fantastical prose-poems and art is a tribute to women writers from all time periods and all parts of the world. Each writer is depicted as a witch, but "witch," as the introduction says, is not a hag or devil's consort, but rather "a woman who stands entirely on her own. She is more often than not an outsider, and her gift is transformation. She is a change agent, and her work is sparked by speech: an incantation, a naming, a blessing, a curse."

So each writer is given a title. Octavia Butler is "sower of strange seeds, species, and the future." Emily Dickinson is "specter of windows, flies, and the unexpected." Mary Shelley is "alchymist of monsters, children, the living and the dead." Following her title is a prose-poem that delves into the essential nature of the woman and her writing, depicting her perhaps as a spirit or an immortal or a prophetess. The writing is tinged with darkness, a little creepy, but in a good way--the seductiveness of danger. On the opposite page is a portrait of the writer by Katy Horan, again using symbology and sometimes-disturbing images to get at the essence of her. There is also a short biography and suggested readings, and the whole encourages the reader to seek out these women--some very famous, some quite unknown (at least, to me)--and experience their work for yourself.

I also have a Literary Witches deck of cards, which can be used like an oracle or fortune-telling deck: pull cards and find answers to questions or simply what is influencing you today. The cards include all of the witches as well as their materials, symbols such as bees, a ghost, a spider, or a teacup. I was drawn to both the book and cards by the art (and by my interest in owning unusual card decks), but I found the writing to be enchanting, which I'd like to dip into again and again.… (mehr)