Over at Haute Macabre today you will find a media extravaganza! Take a peek at Stacked to grow your autumn reading list and afterward, head on over to Aural Fixation to learn more about our current earworms and sonic obsessions!
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab are purveyors of fine esoteric goods, perfumes, and potions–and if you’ve spent any amount of time with me, or reading my blog here, then no doubt you already know all about them. But for those who may be unfamiliar with this marvelous perfumery, here’s the gist: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab has mastered the art of encapsulating allegorical ideas into singular olfactory experiences, and they specialize in eliciting emotional responses through perfume and creating unique, masterfully molded scent environments that capture legends and folklore, poetry, and the stuff of dreams and nightmares. TLDR; they make you stink real pretty in the most amazingly creative ways.
And not only do these singular scent slingers work long hours, toiling away to create compelling fragrances inspired by your favorite ghost stories/mythologies/comic books/horror movies/holidays (that would be Halloween, obviously,) for which to make your olfactive aura beautiful! The do-gooders at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab also put in a great deal of time and personal attention in the attempt at making our world a better, more beautiful place, with many years of activism, community involvement, humanitarian work, and ongoing fundraising efforts and events under their belts.
About these efforts, my dear friend Elizabeth Barrial, owner of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, shares:
“Since the day we first opened our doors, helping support and strengthen marginalized communities has been of paramount importance to me. At Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, we have never shied away from our civic duty, and since the inception of the company, we have made it a point to do everything within our power to support organizations that provide emergency aid and disaster relief, support environmental and conservation causes, help the homeless, protect civil liberties and reproductive rights, and offer succor to the LGBTQ community and marginalized ethnic, racial, and minority religious groups. It is our way of helping to protect and provide for our communities, and we feel it is our obligation as human beings to help those who may not be empowered to help themselves.”
Jeanne d’Arc, Albert Lynch
BPAL currently offers a line up of scents inspired by Nasty Women and those who would persist; by courageous federal employees who risk their careers to ensure that the public is kept informed on issues of climate change; by those ceaselessly fighting injustice and hatred and bigotry. Scents to bolster courage as you refute ignorance and insincerity; scents to encourage kindness and compassion; scents to provide relief and recovery to those imperiled by disastrous circumstances. The proceeds from all of these scents go to such organizations as the ACLU, NCTE, Planned Parenthood, Emily’s List, NAACP, the National Parks Conservation Association and the National Park Foundation, as well as hurricane disaster relief efforts, and below you will find the descriptions and links to all of their current philanthropic, fundraising fragrances.
Alternative Facts: The truth hurts — so why tell it? Muffle the blow with Alternative Facts. If you truly want to obfuscate what you really smell like, this is the scent for you! Sugar-crusted vanilla, a firecracker-blast of cherry and sour lemon, a hint of scuttling spiders, encroaching fog, and trumpets of bombast, bluff, and bluster. Proceeds benefit the American Civil Liberties Union.
Fake News: A scent of misdirection, of 140 frantic characters typed out in spite at 3am, and paranoia-clouded churlish accusations hurled at perceived enemies: crushed pink pepper pod, bitter white tobacco, gnarled patchouli, all covered in glinting, garish slashes of gold. Wear it in vigilance as you sift through the memes, trolls, clickbait, hate-speech, and outright propaganda that continually threaten to overwhelm all the world’s kindness, wisdom, and informed expertise. Wear it in courage as you refute ignorance and insincerity at every turn — even from our nation’s highest-ranking figures — with indisputable facts from well-researched sources. Proceeds benefit the American Civil Liberties Union.
COVEFE: Is it abstract nonsense poetry? Surrealist performance art? Cryptography so subtle and devious that it would make an Enigma machine blush? This perfume makes no fucking sense: orange marshmallow cream, bitter lemon, black pepper, orange carnation, and gin.
Proceeds benefit the American Civil Liberties Union.
Nevertheless, She Persisted: A rallying call: golden oudh, frankincense, iris, and steel. Proceeds from this scent benefit EMILY’s List, an organization that supports electing pro-choice Democratic women to office.
Nasty Woman: “Such a nasty woman.” black fig and patchouli, filthy bourbon vanilla, honeyed amber oud, and loukhoum. Proceeds will be split between Planned Parenthood and EMILY’s list.
Irish Coffee Buttercream: Irish whiskey, granulated sugar, brown sugar, whipped cream, buttercream and coffee, and Spiced Rum Buttercream Coffee: Coffee and rum laced with allspice, nutmeg, clove, star anise, cardamom, and cinnamon gently whipped into buttercream. Two cheery, uplifting scents slated for a future, 2018 coffee-theme release which instead became emergency fundraiser scents in order to take an immediate stand to fight the reinstatement of the unconstitutional, immoral, and unnecessarily cruel US military ban on transgender people. Proceeds benefit the National Center for Transgender Equality and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Take a Knee: This is the scent of apple pie, as American as it gets, and a smudged grass stain. Taking a knee…this isn’t a protest of America itself, its flag, or anything that this country stands for. It isn’t disrespectful of the US military. On the contrary, it is the acknowledgement that we as a country can do better, that we must do better, and that we must renew our commitment to fight for equality and justice for all. Proceeds benefit the NAACP.
Theoi Nomioi: The National Park Service refuses to be muzzled. On January 24th, South Dakota’s Badlands National Park social media team defiantly posted a series of climate change facts from the National Wildlife Federation before being shut down. The Theoi Nomioi are the gods and spirits of the wild: the countryside, the pastures, the forests. Under their auspices, untamed nature thrives, the beasts of the wild feast and multiply, the mountains reach to the heavens with their stony, snow-capped fingers, and the forests grow thick and dark with mystery. Proceeds to the benefitNational Parks Conservation Associationand theNational Park Foundation.
And last but certainly not least, The Collected Poetic Works of Antonin Scalia, the “federal court’s beat poet of indignation and right-wing rage.” We’ve had myriad political figures throughout US history that have possessed acid tongues, but few in the modern era have provided such a constant stream of colorfully vitriolic superlatives as the Sick Burn Champion, the cranky, flamboyant, inimitable Antonin Gregory Scalia.
I haven’t sampled all of these scents, and more importantly, I don’t want my opinions on them to overshadow the fact that these scents exist in the world, doing good in the first place, so you won’t find reviews here today… but feel free to ask questions in the comments if you wanted my thoughts on any of them, and I will do my best to fill you in!
Are you a creator who gives a damn? Are you aware of artisans or indie businesses speaking up, reaching out, and creating art or goods to express outrage with injustice, promote anti-hatred, or which encourage safe spaces in their communities? Please let me know about them for future Friday Fripperies!
Today I am happy to share: a magical celebration of visionary female writers Taisia Kitaiskaia and Katy Horan‘s Literary Witches! I can’t believe that I’ve been excited about this book for over a year now, and it was finally released yesterday!
I’ve never been one for book clubs (I’m not much of a joiner, I’m afraid), but if I were, Taisia Kitaiskaia and Katy Horan‘s witchy gem, Literary Witches, released into the world yesterday, October 10th, is certainly a title I’d want at the very top of the roster. Incidentally, the few book clubs I have attended focused on best-selling titles I had no interest in reading, and there was more gossipy chatter than book-related conversation, so perhaps book clubs just aren’t for me. (And don’t get me wrong, I do love the gossips, but if I’ve consented to leave the house for a reason, I want that reason to hold true to its intended promises! Especially where books are concerned.)
Literary Witches is a celebration of magical woman writers, a “mystic dossier” sprung from the heads of two women, magical in their own right, and accessing the spirits of the titular Literary Witches through their own respective mediums–Taisia Kitaiskaia, who channels the book’s fanciful, enigmatic prose, and Katy Horan, the conjurer of its enchanting and intimate illustrations. Together Katy and Taisia draw a connection between witches and visionary writers, and through their poetic portraits and imaginative vignettes, they honor the formidable creativity, empowerment, and general badassery of well-known and obscure authors alike, including Virginia Woolf, Mira Bai, Toni Morrison, Emily Dickinson, Octavia E. Butler, Sandra Cisneros, and many more.
I had the good fortune to chat with Katy, who Katy graciously indulged my questions about this curious compendium in our illuminating Q&A, (and I like to think that Taisia was there in spirit, too.) Thanks to them both for conjuring these connections, channeling these women, and creating this wonderfully special, utterly splendid book.
See below for our interview wherein we chat about what, exactly, is a “literary witch”; a potent handful of Katy and Taisia’s favorite authors from within this lettered coven, and how to best approach this dazzling tribute of a grimoire. We did not, however, discuss how the grand work that is Literary Witches might fit into the agenda of your next book club’s discussion …but no doubt you will have more than a few strange and splendid ideas after you’ve finished the last page of this singular creation. Come back and let us know, and in the meantime, read on!
S. Elizabeth: How did Literary Witches come about? What sparked the idea of connections between the ultimate mystical female archetype of the witch, and visionary writers, these conjurers of words and worlds?
Katy Horan: Literary Witches came directly from its genius writer, Taisia Kitaiskaia. At first, her idea was to make a sort of Tarot deck, with the writers as the various characters and figures of the Tarot. We let that idea go, though, as we further conceptualized the project. However, it still influenced the visual language I used in the illustrations.
As for the actual origin of Literary Witches, Taisia says she made the connection “…because witches and literature are two of my most treasured subjects, the idea came to me as an obvious connection. One day, I concluded that all of my favorite writers are witches.”
Your art, with its focus on feminine folkloric magic, seems perfectly suited to Taisia Kitaiskaia’s luminous language, and the mystic fragments of text that accompany each portrait. Can you share how you came to work together on this curious compendium?
Taisia contacted me late in 2014. She was looking for someone to illustrate her “Ask Baba Yaga” series. There was an agent interested, but as I was working on the sketches, they dropped out. We realized we both lived in Austin, and knew that we needed to get together and discuss other possible collaborations. When we met, she told me her idea for Literary Witches, and I took to it right away. I was in a career lull, having just had a baby and was in dire need of a project. We set out to work on the first 5 and pretty quickly got word that Electric Literature wanted to put those five online, so the project had direction and purpose pretty much from the start.
As we were working on the original five, we talked about how it would be an awesome book, and once Electric Literature published it and received the response it did, we started thinking it might have a shot. We were talking about putting together a proposal when our agent, Adriann Ranta of Foundry Media, found us. With her help, we got our deal with Seal Press. We owe so much to her.
AND! Ask Baba Yaga found a publisher too and is out now with lovely illustrations by Brenna Thummler, so It was all meant to be.
Can you define for us, in your own words, what is a Literary Witch, and identify the criteria you used to choose the Literary Witches you celebrate in the book? Do you have a favorite literary heroine amongst those featured?
To me, a Literary Witch writes with her own voice regardless of what is expected of her. Her work has originality and weight to it. She isn’t afraid to be dark, moody, challenging or funny. Her work is fearless and boldly her own. In the end, her writing feels like something channelled or conjured. For me personally, Shirley Jackson and Toni Morrison were favorites before the project, so I was incredibly honored to do their portraits.
As a further, among the thirty Literary Witches in the book, you reference “a matter of seniority”, that “long-practicing Witches must be noted before newly initiated Witches”; I’m curious–if time and space had allowed for the inclusion of authors one might consider novices and initiates, who would you like to have included, and why?
I would add Maya Angelou, Louisa May Alcott, Margaret Atwood, Joyce Carol Oates and Alice Walker. All of these were on the table at one point but were removed to make space for older (even ancient) writers, foreign writers and some much lesser known writers that we wanted to shine a light on, like Yumiko Kurahashi. Even though I love those writers I mentioned, I am completely happy with the 30 we chose.
Taisia has a great list of who she would add. She says, “There are lots of daring, magical writers out there who have Literary Witch written all over them. Here are a few who come to mind: Helen Oyeyemi, Carmen Maria Machado, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Valeria Luiselli, Rivers Solomon, Han Kang”
In the book’s forward, Pam Grossman has a fabulous approach to tackling this tome; as an act of bibliomancy, flipping pages at random and following where the wit, wonder, and wisdom of the selected Literary Witch leads. Early reviewers laud it as an enjoyable illustrated almanac of fun facts to bone up on your favorite literary heroine’s superpowers, and suggests that not only will it inspire readers to dig further into transportive works of fiction and poetry, but allow access to their inner creatix. As one half of the creative team responsible for Literary Witches, how would you advise of the book’s purpose, and the best way to read it?
All of that sounds good to me. I think it depends on the reader. If you are methodical and enjoy order, then start from the beginning and move through it page by page. If you want a more organic experience, find a random place and consider what the witch you land on is trying to tell you. No matter how you approach it, though, I hope you get lost in Taisia’s bewitching and beautiful words and enjoy deciphering all the symbols and hidden meanings I put in my illustrations. Most of all though, I hope you discover a new writer, put down our book and go get lost in their magick.
Every year, right around Halloween, I have grand plans to fill the whole month–every single day in October, in fact–with horror viewing. The sad news is, I usually crap out about a week in, having only seen two or three movies. This year it’ll be different, I swear!
I was so excited to begin, I couldn’t even wait until October 1st! The movie I began with was Shelley (2016); a story which revolves around a childless couple, and the young woman they’ve hired to help around the house, who then later agrees to carry their baby. Though the pregnancy is weird(er) and gross(er) than normal, the film was quite beautiful, with that somber, isolated property and the eerie woods surrounding it, and that gorgeous darkened lake. I have a tough time with pregnancy horror, though (no offense to my mommy friends and their little ones, but) I don’t believe pregnancy is the most natural thing in the world. To me, it seems anything but. So this movie really was not one of my favorites. Shelley is on Netflix now.
Day One.Body (2015) is described thusly: “A night out turns deadly when three girls break into a seemingly empty mansion.” Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. Also, there’s Larry Fessenden in another scene-stealing role. Don’t you love it when he shows up? Also: when doesn’t he show up? He’s in everything! I quite enjoying the beginning scenes where we got a sense of the friendship between the young women, and see how dumb and ridiculous people act when they are hanging out with friends and family. It reminded me of my sisters and I when we get together for Thanksgiving. I watched Body on Shudder.
Day Two: Transfiguration (2016). Milo is a weird kid utterly obsessed with vampires, and driven to violence by his obsessive urges. I would have had a huge and unfortunate crush on him when I was the same age. We even have the same book! I’d have preferred a different ending, but that, as Milo is wont to say, wouldn’t have been very “realistic”. Transfiguration is on Netflix now.
Day Three: High Tension (2003). So, I guess this film is about two friends, one of whom is bringing the other to visit her family on a break from school? And then a psychotic trucker breaks into their secluded house and starts brutally murdering everyone and then kidnaps one of the friends and the other friend tries to save her? I guess? That’s all I will say. Except this: considering the how the film plays out–how does this opening sequence make any bit of sense? I am still mad about this. High Tension is on Hulu right now.
Day Four: I paid $3.99 (!!) to watch The Haunting of Julia (1977) on Amazon, and in addition to being lovely (as much as a film about a woman grieving the death, of her daughter, and the ghosts allowed entry by grief can be considered lovely, one supposes), the bleak autumn scenery managed to profoundly scratch all of my current, moody seasonal itches. Extra credit: The film is based on Julia by Peter Straub
Day Five: Dark Signal (2016). The voice of a murdered woman cuts through the static of a radio interview and tries to implicate her murderer. There’s some other stuff going on too, but it’s all really dumb and not even worth going into. The highlight of this film was when, I realized halfway through who this woman was, and felt a profound peal of delight, clanging like a demented bell, trembling through my very soul. I’ve only seen her in one other film (though she’s been in a few) and it was one of the most memorable performances I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, Dark Signal, despite her casting, remains really stupid and pointless. Do you recognize her, too? Let’s squee together. (I’ve given you a huge hint with the side-by-side imagery!) Dark Signal is on Netflix right now.
Day Six:Jacob’s Ladder (1990). It’s difficult to talk about films like this because reasons I can’t even share without ruining the story for someone. What can you say? This guy came back from the war all fucked up? I’ll sum up with a question. What’s the word for both heartbreaking terror and brb I’ll be in my bunk thinking about chubby-cheeked Tim Robbins? Sorry, I’m gross.
I watched Jacob’s Ladder on dvd at a friend’s house, but you can get it on Amazon, too.
Day Seven: Pet Sematary (1989). Though Pet Sematary is one of my favorite Stephen King novels (a huge thank you to Mrs. Haney for letting me borrow this book my second week into your sixth grade class!) I’d never before seen the film. And… I could have waited a longer never. I was warned, but okay, you were all right, it was pretty hokey. And the actor playing Louis Creed was so bland and awful and just….blah. It was nice to see Tasha Yar and Herman Munster, though. I started this on day 7 and finished this the next day, but I think it still counts. Pet Sematary is on Amazon Prime right now.
Day 8:The Asphyx (1972) Sir Hugo Cunningham is an arrogant idiot and keeps killing the ones he loves with his incredibly scientific experiments in his quest for immortality. Forgive the sarcasm. But. It was actually kind of fun! And you can watch the whole thing on youtube.
Day 8, no. 2:Last Shift (2014).This was was a genuinely creepy film about a rookie cop whose first day on the job is the last shift at the Sanford police station before it closes. And, of course, the supernatural shenanigans that ensue. Parts of this were actually filmed in Sanford FL *and* I’m pretty sure there’s a real-life Sanford police uniform and cruiser in the movie. Apparently there was a big kerfuffle on this point; the Sanford police chief launched an investigation to figure out how the department’s police uniforms and a cruiser ended up as props in this film (Although the department did sign off on it! Le whoopsie.) Another interesting surprise is that my horror-averse partner actually sat through this one with me! Last Shift is available on Netflix right now.
When I peek at instagram and see intrepid travelers posting their moody cathedral photos which capture the magnificent drama of an old city’s elaborate Gothic architecture–pointed archways, vaulted ceilings, flying buttress, and gargoyles, of course!–I become inspired by these places of piety and worship, whose towering spires and arches literally reach up into the heavens. Of course, I’m not particularly overcome with any sort of holy reverie or overwhelming divinity, heavens no. But rather by the grace and grandeur of the designs and structures themselves, and perhaps the heritage, culture, and community life of the areas they serve.
What form does this inspiration take? Well, I’m not sure that God or the pope would approve, but peek below for four examples of how one might wear the drama of these majestic edifices, and as always, click on the image for a detailed listing of the items used in each ensemble.
In #33daysofSpirits, from the first of October through All Souls Day, musical evocateur, sonic archeologist, and cult darling of the underworld Jill Tracy {@jilltracymusic} will be sharing otherworldly stories from history as well as behind-the-scenes glimpses into her current project, The Secret Music of Lilydale. This siren and songstress has invited us to join in— via asking questions in the comments, suggesting topics, and tagging our favorite dark hearts, as well as sharing our own ghostly encounters, creations, inspirations, and memories. Let’s connect through the beautiful darkness all over Instagram! Jill further notes that Lily Dale’s splendid @marion.h.skidmore.library will be partnering along — with stories and oddities directly from their archives! Donate to help Jill fund “The Secret Music of Lily Dale” and you will not only get her new album, and field recordings from this mysterious little town beyond the veil, but a chance to win actual historical spiritual artifacts drawn from Lily Dale Library’s rare collection! Every donation is a chance to win until Nov 2! Using the hashtag #33daysofSpirits, let’s utterly bury ourselves in gorgeously chilling tales together until then. Until then, click on the link in @jilltracymusic’s bio to donate and win 🖤👻 🖤
“Still life with skull”, by Louis Jules Duboscq, ca. 1850
A gathering of death related links that I have encountered in the past month or so. From somber to hilarious, from informative to creepy, here’s a snippet of things that have been reported on or journaled about in or related to the Death Industry recently.
So as you may know (because I complain a lot) I have tried many, many subscription boxes over the past few years. And canceled all of them. None of them have measured up to the consistent excellence that is The Nocturnal Readers Box, a monthly subscription service for fans of Horror, Sci-Fi, Fantasy Books and Psychological Thrillers. Today at Haute Macabre you can my recent interview with founders Vincent and Jessica Guerrero, as well as a chance to win their sold out October box!
How did I do? Well, I was going strong until mid-August, at which point I was distracted by a barely perceptible (probably imaginary) change in the air, a slight difference in the quality of afternoon sunlight through the trees. In my brief stint in living up North, these small changes signified the seasonal shifts leading to the oncoming Autumn months…and even though that’s actually kind of cute and laughable down here in FL (if anything, it gets hotter here!) there’s still something in my brain that switches on right before September and begins to look the end of summer around every corner. When I catch wind of it, my fingers begin itching for a skein of wool and wooden needles, and then, well, too bad, so sad, summer reading!
In June I managed eleven titles; six in July, and in August another six, making for a grand total of twenty three books completed in the course of my summer reading mini-challenge. Two short of my goal! Ah, well. There were a few books that I started during that time, but I am still reading, so I don’t suppose those count. And then in September when I was trapped in the house for a few days with no electricity, I read three more, but those don’t really count either!
See below for a full listing of the titles I completed over the course of the past three months, along with those read in September, and those I am still reading. I have marked the ones I thoroughly enjoyed with an “*”, and you’ll note that Grady Henrix’s Paperbacks From Hell:The Twisted History of ’70s and ’80s Horror Fiction, even though I’ve not finished it, has quite a lot of *s. I think, even though it’s basically a book about books, that it’s going to be my favorite book of the year!
Day Two: Transfiguration (2016). Milo is a weird kid utterly obsessed with vampires, and driven to violence by his obsessive urges. I would have had a huge and unfortunate crush on him when I was the same age. 
Day Three: High Tension (2003). So, I guess this film is about two friends, one of whom is bringing the other to visit her family on a break from school? And then a psychotic trucker breaks into their secluded house and starts brutally murdering everyone and then kidnaps one of the friends and the other friend tries to save her? I guess? That’s all I will say. Except this: considering the how the film plays out–how does this opening sequence make any bit of sense? I am still mad about this.
Day Four: I paid $3.99 (!!) to watch 
Day Five: Dark Signal (2016). The voice of a murdered woman cuts through the static of a radio interview and tries to implicate her murderer. There’s some other stuff going on too, but it’s all really dumb and not even worth going into. The highlight of this film was when, I realized halfway through who this woman was, and felt a profound peal of delight, clanging like a demented bell, trembling through my very soul. I’ve only seen her in one other film (though she’s been in a few) and it was one of the most memorable performances I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, Dark Signal, despite her casting, remains really stupid and pointless. Do you recognize her, too? Let’s squee together. (I’ve given you a huge hint with the side-by-side imagery!)
Day Seven: Pet Sematary (1989). Though Pet Sematary is one of my favorite Stephen King novels (a huge thank you to Mrs. Haney for letting me borrow this book my second week into your sixth grade class!) I’d never before seen the film. And… I could have waited a longer never. I was warned, but okay, you were all right, it was pretty hokey. And the actor playing Louis Creed was so bland and awful and just….blah. It was nice to see Tasha Yar and Herman Munster, though. I started this on day 7 and finished this the next day, but I think it still counts.
Day 8: The Asphyx (1972) Sir Hugo Cunningham is an arrogant idiot and keeps killing the ones he loves with his incredibly scientific experiments in his quest for immortality. Forgive the sarcasm. But. It was actually kind of fun! 
Day 8, no. 2: Last Shift (2014).This was was a genuinely creepy film about a rookie cop whose first day on the job is the last shift at the Sanford police station before it closes. And, of course, the supernatural shenanigans that ensue. Parts of this were actually filmed in Sanford FL *and* I’m pretty sure there’s a real-life Sanford police uniform and cruiser in the movie. Apparently there was a big kerfuffle on this point; the Sanford police chief launched an investigation to figure out how the department’s police uniforms and a cruiser ended up as props in this film (Although the department did sign off on it! Le whoopsie.) Another interesting surprise is that my horror-averse partner actually sat through this one with me!
At the onset of summer 