“A fierce and voluble refutation of the patriarchy and its soul-crushing oppression of female power. These writers make clear that as witches, femmes, and queers, they will use their own strength, ingenious rituals, beauty routines, and spells to rise above and beyond the limits of racism/classism and objectifications set by a male-dominated society. While bound by a thread of magic, these are inspiring feminist writings for readers of feminist literature, however identified.” –Library Journal

Edgy and often deeply personal, the twenty-one essays collected here come from a wide variety of writers. Some identify as witches, others identify as writers, musicians, game developers, or artists. What they have in common is that they’ve created personal rituals to summon their own power in a world that would prefer them powerless. Here, they share the rituals they use to resist self-doubt, grief, and depression in the face of sexism, slut shaming, racism, patriarchy, and other systems of oppression.

Contents

Introduction
Notes from the Editors
Content Warning

Unfuckable-Cara Ellison
Trash-Magic: Signs & Rituals for the Unwanted-Maranda Elizabeth
Uncensoring My Ugliness-Laura Mandanas
Femme as in Fuck You: Fucking with the Patriarchy One Lipstick Application at a Time-Catherine Hernandez
Before I Was a Woman, I Was a Witch-Avery Edison
Undressing My Heart-Gabriela Herstik
Garden-Marguerite Bennett
Reddit, Retin-A, and Resistance: An Alchemist’s Guide to Skincare-Sam Maggs
The Future is Coming for You-Deb Chachra
My Witch’s Sabbath of Short Skirts, Long Kisses, and BDSM-Mey Rude
Buzzcut Season-Larissa Pham
The Harpy-Meredith Yayanos
Fingertips-merritt
Red Glitter-Sophie Saint Thomas
Touching Pennies, Painting Nails-Sim Bajwa
Ritual in Darkness-Kim Boekbinder
Gayuma-Sara David
Pushing Beauty Up Through the Cracks-Katelan Foisy
Ritualising My Humanity-J. A. Micheline
Simulating Control-Nora Khan
I Am, Myself, a Body of Water-Leigh Alexander

Contributors
Acknowledgements