[Today, we sit down for five quick questions with Juliette Jarvis, the founder and editor of Raven Tongue. Jarvis is in the final days of a Kickstarter to fund the new journal dedicated to wise-women teachings and practices in the modern world. So if you like what you read below, please consider backing her campaign.]

Forests Haunted By Holiness: You recently launched Raven Tongue, a new journal dedicated to “practical guidance and heart speak from down-to-earth wise women for modern times.” What draws you to this subject? And why a print journal instead of, say, an online magazine or a book?

Juliette Jarvis: Creating a magazine full of wise-women has been a dream for about ten years. I’ve been blessed to know well some incredibly experienced spiritualists, unsuspecting Oracles who drop truths over hot cups of tea, and medicine carriers holding just what perhaps humanity needs most today. To be able to explore their guidance & heart speak in such a digestible manner, with opportunities to dive more deeply into their, or your own wisdom, creates accessibility away from the cacophony of trends and algorithms inherent online.

Offering a print-only publication invites readers to slow down, step away from devices, and engage our senses. It’s something to anticipate, something to hold, to write in, dog ear the corners of favourite pages, cut images out of, and relish the nostalgic feel of circling quiz answers or searching for words like SOLSTICE or VULVA. We can pull it off our bookshelf during those restless nights where we need ceremony or a good cry.

Hopefully, it also brings a sense of community a little closer too. We get to know each other, and ourselves, through Raven Tongue’s pages.

FHBH: How did you go about attracting contributors to Raven Tongue? Did you have particular people in mind? Or did you put out an open call?

JJ: I absolutely did have certain folks in mind, yes. I’ve known most of our contributors for years, long enough to have experienced a particular thread of something … potent with them. Some even expressed interest years ago while I dreamed aloud to them. Others, I hoped would say Yes but told myself they must surely be too busy or that I couldn’t offer them enough in reciprocity to be considered — which was true some of the time — but I kept boldly shooting my shot by calling each with an invitation. Sometimes it was blurted out during deep private conversations, “Would you write about that? Please!” Or there was something specific I felt they’d write well on relating to their lived experiences. A few established writers were asked if there was a topic they hadn’t found a home for yet, something they were yearning to get out of their heads and into the world. We have a few making their publishing debut too! Everyone was asked what was fresh and alive within them. Some knowledge or medicine way. Often we co-crafted their theme for the year, a sort of ‘north star’ for them to follow. My confidence in pulling this project together has been entirely bolstered by so many eager replies!

FHBH: What can readers look forward to in the pages of Raven Tongue? Is there any content you are particularly proud of, or looking forward to seeing readers’ reactions?

JJ: We really bring it all to the table. Everything from spiritual abuse & recovery to the restorative power of ultra slow fashion. Correcting dangerous aromatherapy misinformation to seasonal kitchen witchin’ recipes — even how to make paint with menstrual blood.

I’m particularly excited for Lee’s column addressing custody court as a modern witch trial — especially when our spirituality is used against us. Also Jesi’s article highlighting the Satanic Temple’s efforts to support abortion access in the US; for many readers, it might dispel a bit of myth while spreading important aid. We feature some excellent artists too, a few who regularly suffer censorship for nudity on social media. It’s my absolute pleasure to host such powerful work.

FHBH: What advice can you offer to others who are considering a Pagan/witchy Kickstarter campaign? Things they absolutely must do? Mistakes to avoid?

JJ: Start setting up a month or two earlier than you think. I found their site to be very unintuitive with various stumbling blocks. You may need to refresh or clear your cache before every image upload, the only locations to choose where you’re from may be inaccurately far away, and the process of setting up “items” before creating “reward” tiers or “add ons” can be a bit to wrap your head around.

Explaining that Kickstarter isn’t meant for direct sales, but rather is a fundraising platform with your product as a “reward” for certain levels of $ amounts pledged is important, too. It can be confusing for people to understand and landing on a campaign page doesn’t readily explain it either.

That being said, it’s a fantastic way to build interest and spread awareness of your launch with excitement right built in. Definitely embed their widget into the top of your website and update progress often across any social media platforms that you use.

FHBH: What other projects are you working on? Or what projects do you hope to tackle in the future?

JJ: Thanks for asking! I have two big projects outside of magazine publishing. I’m writing my debut novel, Of Mud, Blood, String, and Bone, a woman’s lit with epistolary elements following a used bookshop owner as she reads through a witch’s diary found in a box of donated books. In grimoire fashion, she inadvertently learns divination, spellcraft, and spirit journeying (and so do readers!), applies them to her life while moving through relatable traumatic events, and seeks to discover who the anonymous author is through incidental clues.

I’m also a few years deep into creating a handspun and woven Wizard Coat from local fleece naturally dyed with plants. It’s slow work, and as you can see, I’ve a lot on the go! But it keeps me grounded in traditional skills and working with intention.

Thanks so much for having me here Rebecca!