VIRTUAL CRAFT TALK! One definition of a spell is that it is words that make something happen. In The Witch of Eye, Kathryn Nuernberger recounts histories of witches and witch trials, with particular attention to moments of defiance and resistance where an unfairly accused person’s confession or hex or lie or unabashed truth had enough power in it to break something in the terrible machinery of an oppressive regime. This talk will explore how spells might be understood as a form of literature that calls activism, resistance, connection, and beauty into this world. There will be ideas, advice, and prompts for writers in the audience to try in their own work. There will also be stories of witches and accused witches who worked their magic in extraordinary ways.  

Kathryn Nuernberger is an essayist and poet who writes about the history of science and ideas, renegade women, plant medicines, and witches. Her latest book is The Witch of Eye, which is about witches and witch trials. She is also the author of the poetry collections, RUE, The End of Pink, and Rag & Bone, as well as a collection of lyric essays, Brief Interviews with the Romantic Past. Her awards include the James Laughlin Prize from the Academy of American Poets, an NEA fellowship, and notable essays in the Best American series. She teaches in the Creative Writing MFA program at University of Minnesota. This craft talk will be recorded for later viewing.

Co-sponsored with the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library.