Welcome to the first installment of the Witches Save the World Micro-Interviews! In honor of the upcoming Halloween/Samhain holiday, and in celebration of the release of Witches Save the World, Forests Haunted By Holiness will be featuring a series of interviews with the contributors throughout October.
Witches Save the World was a labor of love. Across these two volumes you will find poems, short stories, and essays celebrating the witch and their role as wisdom keeper, protector of nature, avenger of the forgotten, and defender of the oppressed. Individual poems and stories range from historical fantasy to contemporary horror to science fiction, with many questioning the nature and cost of honor, integrity, and freedom.
In concert with these interviews, one physical copy of Witches Save the World — either Hags, Harridans, and Hexes Gone Right or Covens, Cauldrons, and Curses Gone Right — will be given away at the end of the month! Two books, two winners! To enter the drawing, just comment below and share the interview on your favorite social media platform.
Ready? Let’s get started!
Micro-Interview with author LindaAnn LoSchiavo
Forests Haunted by Holiness: What is the title of your poem and can you give us a spoiler-free summary?
LALS: “Secrets of the Spell” is a nonfiction poem that explores why witches cursed Macbeth and also discusses the ramifications of Britain’s Witchcraft Acts.
FHBH: How did you go about writing your poem? Lots of research? Or did you just wing it?
LALS: “Secrets of the Spell” was significantly shaped by feedback in the poetry critique group I was in (within SFPA). Since I am a Lifetime Member of the Dramatists Guild, I knew a lot about “the curse” as well as how Elizabethan and Jacobean dramatists heightened the terror by including witch characters in their dramas for novelty. Members of my critique group were astounded by the topic and had questions. As I revised, I tried to make sure these questions were addressed.
FHBH: What draws you to the character and theme of “the witch”? What do you find so compelling about it?
LALS: When the average person hears of witches being persecuted, thoughts about Salem, Massachusetts might come to mind. Several of my witch poems incorporate history — whether the piece is about Hetty Green — nicknamed “The Witch of Wall Street” — or Walpurgisnacht or others. I am drawn to injustice and women’s issues — and this topic deserves more attention.
