Samhain is upon us once again, so I’m sharing three of my favourite essay collections about witchcraft and magick…

Arcane Perfection is a collection of essays, poetry, art, rage, rituals, spells and interviews by, for, and about queer, trans, and intersex witches. Beginning life as a coven project that was then expanded to encompass queer, trans and intersex people from around the world, it came out in 2017, came onto my radar in 2021, and explores areas from trans deities to protection rituals to sex work as an act of magick from a fiercely, unapologetically queer perspective.

Another testament to Arcane Perfection: a list of tools and weapons for queer witchcraft in that anthology gave me the title for my contribution to my next recommendation: The Modern Craft. In it, my essay – Brass knuckles, broken mirrors, binders and glitter bombs: empowerment, self-acceptance and activism for queer working-class witches – sits alongside brilliant writing from an all-star line-up including Iona Lee, Stella Hervey Birrell, Lilith Dorsey, co-editors Claire Askew and Alice Tarbuck and so many more in a thoughtful, relevant anthology exploring witchcraft ethics from a kaleidoscopic spectrum of perspectives.

Last up is Becoming Dangerous, a collection that explores the intersections of feminism, witchcraft and resistance via twenty-one deeply personal essays from ‘witchy femmes, queer conjurers and magical rebels.’ From the beauty and power of nature to the reclamation of bodies and sexuality, my favourite contributions are the accounts documenting how healing, transformative and fortifying it can be to imbue our regular rituals – boxing, BDSM, haircuts, dumpster diving, gardening, gaming and going to therapy are just some of the ones described in the anthology – with magickal intention, power and meaning.

Got an anthology or collection you reckon should be on this list? You can email me with your recommendations…

Originally shared as part of my newsletter in October 2023