Happy belated lunar eclipse! Sorry we’re a little late with this (as you know, there’s a lot going on in the world right now), but this episode is definitely worth the wait. We discuss the 2016 comic series Toil and Troublewritten by Mairghread Scott and illustrated by Kelly and Nichole Matthews.
CW: discussion of police brutality, George Floyd, Amy Cooper, white supremacy, systemic racism (28:21 – 50:45)
We at Witches in Britches stand in solidarity with everyone using their voice to combat racism and police brutality and to dismantle systems of oppression. We believe Black lives are precious and every Black life matters, and we invite our White listeners to learn about White privilege and how you can help fight systemic racism. This Anti-Racist Reading List, curated by Katie’s other podcast is a great place to start.
Our theme song is “Moon and Spruce” by Sarah Little Drum.
Here’s a listening guide for the episode. (For a description of our segments, go here.)
Startin’ with Tartans (0:00 – 4:30)
Introduction (4:30 – 9:00)
“Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?” (9:00 – 20:53)
Happy belated supermoon/ Ostara/ spring equinox! It was the closest coincidence of a full moon with the equinox since 2000, so we hope you did something magical to celebrate! (Katie and Jenny went to see the superbloom poppy fields in Southern California.)
We apologize for the delay getting this posted. Katie’s been going through some major life events, which got in the way of editing, but it’s never too late to enjoy our VERY fun discussion about The Wee Free Men, the first Tiffany Aching book in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. Plus we have a gorgeously updated theme song from the talented Sarah Little Drum! (Listen to more of her music on her website.)
Here’s a listening guide for the episode. (For a description of our segments, go here.)
Welcome/ Pant Chant/ Introduction (0:00 – 10:15)
“Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?” (10:20 – 35:20)
May’s full moon is known as the Flower Moon, Mother’s Moon, Milk Moon, and Bee Balm Moon. (Check out the end of this post for a fun lunar ritual!)
In this not-so-mini minisode we touch on a whole range of topics, including the reframing power of travel (perfect for a full moon in Sagittarius!); the grounding effects of place and heritage; Carnival and the liberation of marginalized bodies; the peculiar magic of royal weddings; fairies, ghosts, and monsters, and just about everything except witches–which is ridiculous, considering our conversations were centered around New Orleans and Scotland! (To make up for it, I’ve linked some witchy recommendations below.)
Our thanks to Sarah Littledrum for providing the theme song, “Moon and Spruce” (she gets a bee-themed shout out from Jenny in this episode!), and a very special thank you to Linda’s sister, Alisha, who rescued Linda’s recording for us when Linda was out of town.
Finally, if you are moved by Linda’s account of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, please consider donating to help the people of Puerto Rico who are still suffering from the damage caused by Hurricane Maria. You can find a list of relief organizations here.
Excerpt: “All the clubs owe a huge debt to the women-led social aid and pleasure clubs. … That image of women being able to be sexy and have a different body type really came from black Mardi Gras.”
Excerpt: “Carnival liberated human consciousness and permitted a new outlook by allowing common people to organize themselves ‘in their own way’ as a Carnival crowd. According to Bakhtin, the basic mechanism by which Carnival achieved its liberating effects was through turning the world upside down, especially by privileging images from the earthly underworld and the lower body, what Bakhtin called the ‘material bodily lower stratum’ represented through ‘grotesque realism'” (99).
Witches in Britches 