Literary Witches: A Celebration of Magical Women Writers

An NPR Best Book of 2017

Celebrate the witchiest women writers with an inventive guidebook that pairs imaginative vignettes with whimsical, folkloric illustrations.

Literary Witches reimagines visionary writers as witches: both are figures of formidable creativity, empowerment, and general badassery. Through a series of thirty lyrical portraits, Taisia Kitaiskaia and Katy Horan honor the witchy qualities of well-known and obscure authors alike, including Virginia Woolf, Mira Bai, Toni Morrison, Emily Dickinson, Octavia E. Butler, Sandra Cisneros, and many more.

Perfect for both book lovers and coven members, Literary Witches is a treasure trove of creative and courageous women who aren’t afraid to be alone in the woods of their imagination. Kitaiskaia and Horan conjure evocative, highly stylized depictions of history’s most beloved female authors, introduce enchanting new writers, and invite you to rediscover the magic of literature.

Taisia Kitaiskaia is the author of Ask Baba Yaga: Otherworldly Advice for Everyday Troubles, based on her column voiced by a Slavic witch in The Hairpin. She holds an MFA from the James A. Michener Center for Writers and has published poetry in journals such as Crazyhorse, Guernica, Gulf Coast, Pleiades, and The Fairy Tale Review.
Katy Horan channels the Witch archetype through her drawings and paintings of Appalachian granny witches, full moon ceremonies, and strange folk magic. Her work has been shown in galleries throughout North America and featured in anthologies such as Beasts! (Fantagraphics), The Exquisite Book (Chronicle), and Dark Inspiration (Victionary).