Joanna C. Valente is a human who lives in Brooklyn, New York. She is the author of Sirs & Madams (Aldrich Press, 2014), The Gods Are Dead (Deadly Chaps Press, 2015), Marys of the Sea (2016, ELJ Publications), & Xenos (2016, Agape Editions). She received her MFA in writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She is also the founder of Yes, Poetry, as well as the managing editor for Luna Luna Magazine and CCM. Some of her writing has appeared in Prelude, The Atlas Review, The Feminist Wire, BUST, Pouch, and elsewhere. She also teaches workshops at Brooklyn Poets.
Read MoreHow to Make Magickal Sachets with Herbs
Especially now, in the country’s current political climate, real, constructive, and physical action is essential to combating hatred and fighting for civil rights. I do not intend or expect the herbs to carry the work that I must do. In many ways, constructing the sachets serve me in the same way tarot does—as a tool to gain perspective, a new way to see my story, and how situations in my life are operating.
Read MoreOn Occult, Fantasy & Championing the Body at the Renaissance Festival
People want to be on display, they want to show off their attire, the care they took in adorning their bodies with costume, often revealing as much of their bodies as they can. The fair becomes a space in which one can feel safe to share their themselves in ways that may not be appreciated or accepted in the “real world” or it can become a space in which who they are in the “real world” is celebrated without opposition.
Read MoreTen Ways to Properly Care for Your Vulva
Dena Rash Guzman (born 1972 in Las Vegas, Nevada) is a poet living on a farm in the Mt. Hood Wilderness near Portland, Oregon.
Read MoreListen To This Witchy, Kitschy, Autumnal Mixtape
The Halloween season is about nighttime, witchery, bouncin' good times, sin, the occult, crystal balls, getting spooked, breaking taboos, and casting a spell so you can do what'chu want (only if for a night)—that's why Luna Luna made a Witchy, Kitschy Halloweeny Mixon Spotify with songs that celebrate or evoke all those things and more. This mix is for the darklings out there, the ones who risk indulging too much tonight as well as those who risk feeling too sad for themselves because they're sitting around at home (like me!).
Read MoreMy Journey to Being a Witch
I've been a witch as long as I can remember. And when I say Witch I don't say it in traditional terms or even definable terms. I’ve never practiced in a coven. The Moon guides me and I know its position by the energy in my bones. I’ve read numerous books, but I define my Witchiness as my own. I’ve always practiced solo cause I know that's what I am supposed to do. Since I was ten I’ve had this voice in my head that told me so. That tells me when my Karma becomes unbalanced, when I need to re-direct. Sound’s crazy? Maybe. But I’ve made it to over half a century following the rules of Karma.
Read MoreMy Body Dysmorphia, Myself
Joanna C. Valente is a human who lives in Brooklyn, New York. She is the author of Sirs & Madams (Aldrich Press, 2014), The Gods Are Dead (Deadly Chaps Press, 2015), Marys of the Sea (forthcoming 2016, ELJ Publications) & Xenos (forthcoming 2017, Agape Editions). She received her MFA in writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She is also the founder of Yes, Poetry, as well as the managing editor for Luna Luna Magazine. Some of her writing has appeared in Prelude, The Atlas Review, The Huffington Post, Columbia Journal, and elsewhere. She has lead workshops at Brooklyn Poets. joannavalente.com / Twitter: @joannasaid / IG: joannacvalente
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The Witch House—Salem’s Last Standing Link to the Infamous Witch Trials
Witch has become trendy. Contemporary witchcraft is booming. Women and men alike are reclaiming this word, this title, with surmounting pleasure and empowerment.
Read MoreThe Three
the weyward sisters began this whole thing. they have dirty faces and the lip of their caldron is not a perfect circle. no matter. their words are true and macbeth will still die.
Read MoreEditors' Letter: Our Special Halloween Issue
I still remember the first Halloween after my mom died. Halloween was a magical time of year for us, almost transcendent. Without her, my favorite holiday felt a little hollow, like it shouldn't be allowed to exist without her there to share it with.
Read MoreThe House in Bonestown
When we left, we left quickly. We didn’t bother doing the dishes or making the bed.
Read MoreChocolate Chip Cookies Taste Better Than Little Girls
The average person will spend over seventy-five hours of their childhood quivering under the covers, afraid of the monster nestled just under the bed.
Read MoreWitches' Flight
Samhain is drawing near. You find the photos I have hidden on the computer. "I see you're into group stuff now," you say, the disgust evident in your voice. "This is certainly…a discovery."
Read MoreA Roundup of Horror Comics You Need to Read This Halloween
A few fantastical and ghastly comics from female writers and illustrators to indulge in this Halloween.
Read MoreHigh John
So far, the smells had all been wrong. Their names had been wrong, with their overuse of words like “crystal” and “mystical.”
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