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The Violet Vulture
The Violet Vulture episodes
- 47: Alchemical Prose and Dark Romance with Stephanie Kemler
Welcome to The Violet Vulture!
This season is entitled Penning the Dark. The formula is simple: me + guest who's written horror or about death, dying, the occult, or the obscure.
In today’s episode, I’m joined by Stephanie Kemler (she/her)!
Stephanie Kemler is a creatrix of magical menace, alchemical prose, and the author of Bloodborn, Bloodmad, and The Year of Sin & Smoke.
We chatted about the following and then some:
- Her books Bloodborn, Bloodmad, and The Year of Sin & Smoke,
- The allure of the gothic,
- How Stephanie's extensive background in academia and education informs her writing,
- We talk about haunted locations
If you've ever been even slightly intrigued by the dark decadence and the gothic, this one is for you.
Stephanie's website.
Stephanie's Instagram.
My website
Instagram: @la_soy_emmy
Email: [email protected]
Book a reading.
Resin & Scrawls on Substack.
The Spooky Sentinel on Substack.
Shop Lively Ghosts with my affiliate link.
Wanna support my work? Buy me a Ko-Fi.
Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
53 min - 46: Living Well and Dying Well with Joanna Ebenstein
Welcome to The Violet Vulture!
This season is entitled Penning the Dark. The formula is simple: me + guest who's written horror or about death, dying, the occult, or the obscure.
In today’s episode, I’m joined by Joanna Ebenstein (she/her)!
Joanna Ebenstein is the founder and creative director of Morbid Anatomy. An internationally recognized death expert, she is the author of several books, including Anatomica: The Exquisite and Unsettling Art of Human Anatomy, Death: A Graveside Companion, and The Anatomical Venus. She is also an award-winning curator, photographer, and graphic designer, and the teacher of the many times sold-out class Make Your Own Memento Mori: Befriending Death with Art, History and the Imagination. The descendant of holocaust survivors, she traces her lineage back to Judah Loew ben Bezalel, credited with creating the Golem in sixteenth-century Prague.
We chatted about the following and then some:
- Her most recent book, Memento Mori: The Art of Contemplating Death to Live a Better Life,
- The many lives Morbid Anatomy has lived over the years,
- The timelessness of using art to explore personal and collective attitudes towards death across cultures,
- Joanna's personal attitudes towards and relationship with death, and more.
If you've ever wondered how thinking of death can enrich your life, this one is for you.
Joanna's website.
Morbid Anatomy's website.
Joanna's Instagram.
My website
Instagram: @la_soy_emmy
Email: [email protected]
Book a reading.
Resin & Scrawls on Substack.
The Spooky Sentinel on Substack.
Shop Lively Ghosts with my affiliate link.
Wanna support my work? Buy me a Ko-Fi.
Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
1 hr 2 min - 45: Writing Death & Thrills: A Spooky Season Chat with Trish Lundy
Welcome to The Violet Vulture!
This season is entitled Penning the Dark. The formula is simple: me + guest who's written horror or about death, dying, the occult, or the obscure.
In today’s episode, I’m joined by Trish Lundy (she//her)!
Trish Lundy grew up in Rochester, New York and now calls the West Coast home. Her debut YA thriller, THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY WITH MURDER (4/16/24), was selected as a Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2024. She received her BA in English from UCLA. Trish has worked in marketing, in film production, and in hospice and palliative care. Her speculative short fiction and essays about death and mourning have been published in various magazines and anthologies.
For spooky season (and in anticipation of NaNoWriMo), we chat about the following and then some:
- Our similarly diverse background (including her time as a former hospice & palliative care volunteer),
- The One That Got Away with Murder,
- Trish’s non-negotiables as a writer,
- And we gab about what we’re most looking forward to this autumn/spooky season.
Also, we have another giveaway for y’all! We are giving away a copy of Trish’s debut book, THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY WITH MURDER. Here are a few ways you’re able to enter to win⬇️⬇️⬇️
- You can submit a written review on Apple Podcasts.
- You can comment on this episode on Spotify.
- Tag me and Trish in your Instagram stories (either sharing the main post or from your preferred streaming platform).
The deadline is Friday, October 25th to get your entry in for this giveaway. May the odds be ever in your favor!
If you're ready for a conversation about thrillers, YA, and plenty of writerly shop-talk, this one is for you.
https://www.instagram.com/trishlundy/
Twitter/X: @TrishLundy
TikTok: @TrishLundy17My website
Instagram: @la_soy_emmy
Email: [email protected]
Book a reading.
Resin & Scrawls on Substack.
The Spooky Sentinel on Substack.
Shop Lively Ghosts with my affiliate link.
Wanna support my work? Buy me a Ko-Fi.
Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
55 min - 44: What's your favorite scary movie? with Ashley Gross @ewdatsgross
Welcome to The Violet Vulture!
In today’s bonus episode, I’m joined by Ashley Gross aka @ewdatsgross ! our resident local weirdo. 👽
Just in time for spooky season, we chat about the following and then some:
How Halloween has been feeling too consumerism-heavy over recent years and how Ashley is trying to combat that this season
How there are benefits of arthouse horror popping off for horror overall
We spend the bulk of the episode building out a list of our favorite horror films that fall into particular sub-genres
We discuss some horror icks and what we personally love in horror
And the types of horror we wish we were getting more of these days
If you're ready for a conversation between weirdos talking about some of our favorite scary movies, this one is for you.
Instagram.com/ewdatsgross
TikTok.com/@ewdatsgross
My website
Instagram: @la_soy_emmy
Email: [email protected]
Book a reading.
Resin & Scrawls on Substack.
The Spooky Sentinel on Substack.
Shop Lively Ghosts with my affiliate link.
Wanna support my work? Buy me a Ko-Fi.
Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
1 hr 2 min - 43: Livin' the Fancy and Feral Life with Nicole Picou of Into the Feral
Welcome to The Violet Vulture!
In this episode and in our final installment of the season, Embracing Duality, I’m joined by Nicole of Into the Feral (she/her).
Located in the Avondale neighborhood of Chicago, Into the Feral is a thoughtfully curated retail store full of home goods, apothecary items, jewelry and treasures. When you walk in the vibe is instantaneous. The energy in this little shop is palpable, and the magic comes back with each cup of tea you make, fragrance you use, or necklace worn. From the witchy-chic you can’t live without, to the simple gift for someone special, you’ll find offerings that celebrate both shadow and light. If you are looking to transform YOU or your space into a delightful sanctuary, look no further than Into the Feral.
In this episode, we'll get into the following and then some:
- What means to be feral and fancy
- Advice Nicole has to offer to people who are only just now beginning to cultivate their unique style
- Insight into Nicole’s spiritual systems and how she weaves magick into her everyday life
- Nicole’s tarot and herbalism beginnings
- The meaning behind her mission to match-make human experiences as seen through Tarot, to powerful plant allies
- Some BTS for how Nicole concocts a new tea blend
- And the blend that has been the most impactful for Nicole to dream up and offer the world
If you're ready for a conversation between two feral 'n witches who get real and laugh a ton, this one is for you.
1 hr 6 min - 42: Witch in Darkness, Shadow Work, and Spiritual Activism: A Conversation with Kelly-Ann Maddox
Welcome to The Violet Vulture!
In this episode, I’m joined by Kelly-Ann Maddox (she/her). Kelly-Ann is an award-winning professional cardslinger, spiritual counsellor, witchcraft mentor, best-selling author. She specialises in sovereign spirituality, chaos magick, shadow work and self-love.
In this episode, we'll get into the following and then some:
- Rebel Witch, KAM’s first book and the impact it’s had on witches of all ages
- We talk the overlap and differences in our experiences with Catholicism and how this bleeds into other identities
- Community connection, upheaval, the small but tangible signs of gentrification and impending displacement, and nefarious magick
- How collective action against systemic oppression is a moral imperative for all spiritual practitioners and advice on how to move from inaction to something that’s sustainable for you
- What we tend to get wrong about shadow work culturally as it has become more of a buzzword in recent year, Emmy’s favorite shadow work experience and question, and the nuance of cancel culture vs. accountability
- Witch in Darkness: Magick for Tough Times, Bad Days and Moments of Total Catastrophe, KAM’s upcoming second book, and the heart and life experience poured into making it what it is now
If you're ready for a conversation between two Sag Sun/Virgo Moon/Air Risings that’s radical, political, challenge, and full of heart, this one is for you.
Kelly-Ann’s Website: https://www.kelly-annmaddox.com/
Kelly-Ann’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyann_maddox/
Kelly-Ann’s YouTube
Preorder Witch in Darkness
We Will Not Cancel Us
My website
Instagram: @la_soy_emmy
Email: [email protected]
Book a reading.
Resin & Scrawls on Substack.
The Spooky Sentinel on Substack.
Shop Lively Ghosts with my affiliate link.
Wanna support my work? Buy me a Ko-Fi.
Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
1 hr 16 min - 41: Honoring your Inner Death Witch (or how I became a Persephone devotee)
Welcome to The Violet Vulture!
I’m solo behind the mic to discuss something I’ve been asked often since stepping out of the broom closet: my budding relationship with pagan deities.
In this episode, we'll get into the following and then some:
- The moments in late 2023/early 2024 that contributed to my evolution from deity-curious to self-professed devotee
- What all came up after channeling underworld deities for the first time
- Some realizations I’ve had about how Persephone, Helios, Hades, and Hekate have always been in my corner. Especially my experiences in rituals and when I explore my Akashic Records
- My lifelong fascination with mythology, including retelling like Percy Jackson, Hercules, and niche af mini-series
- A touch of insight into what my devotional practice currently looks like
- The many ways in which my life has improved since honoring my connection to my Matron deities and the other gods on my team (including how one might’ve legit saved me from severe illness)
- I offer recommendations for people to follow and engage with for further education on underworld deities
- I offer some insight into how nothing is lost when you have different beliefs than the ones you love (and so much can be gained)
- And I’ve got some tough love for those of y’all out there who worry about being “too weird” or alienating the people in your world
If you're ready to hear about my descent into the underworld and the joy of embracing my inner death witch, this one is for you.Angelica Cresci’s website - https://www.angelicacresci.com/
Jess’s Kore-Persephone devotional Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/arrhetoskoura/
Jess’s devotional blog for the goddess Persephone - https://ineffablemaiden.wordpress.com/
My website
Instagram: @la_soy_emmy
Email: [email protected]
Book a reading.
Resin & Scrawls on Substack.
The Spooky Sentinel on Substack.
Shop Lively Ghosts with my affiliate link.
Wanna support my work? Buy me a Ko-Fi.
Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
1 hr 6 min - 40: Breaking the Mold and Navigating Business Challenges with Brit Starr of Sword and Stone
Welcome to The Violet Vulture!
In this episode, I’m joined by Brit Star (she/her) of Sword + Stone. Brittany Starr is a channel and storyteller. She’s the Tech Goddess at Sword + Stone where she teaches tech skills for creatives and business witches.
In this episode, we'll get into the following and then some:
- We talk shop about Avatar, my website, and existing at the intersection of magickal and mundane
- How Sword + Stone was born and Brit’s aversion to “same-y-ness” in communities
- Navigating shame and judgment across industries and Brit’s rationale for why so many business owners call it quits (spoiler alert: it isn’t just burnout)
- We unpack how the fear of not knowing can hold us back more than what we think is the real problem and where we think these pressures stem from
- Brit defines Akasha and the Akashic Records and we talk about the oversimplification and commodification of Akasha, the value of experiential learning, and how tarot is often a gateway to being comfortable with Akasha
- The value of some shadow work Brit engaged in business wise that anyone could benefit from (whether you’re an biz owner or not)
- Ghost (ifykyk and if you don’t know…stay tuned for the LORE)
If you're ready for a conversation that’s as business and techie as it is spiritual and down-to-earth, this one is for you.
Brit’s Website https://swordandstone.studio/
Brit’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sword.and.stone/
My website
Instagram: @la_soy_emmy
Email: [email protected]
Book a reading.
Resin & Scrawls on Substack.
The Spooky Sentinel on Substack.
Shop Lively Ghosts with my affiliate link.
Wanna support my work? Buy me a Ko-Fi.
Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
1 hr 21 min - 39: Demystifying all things taboo with Luna Seranova: Storyteller, Mystic, and Artist
Welcome to The Violet Vulture!
Today, I’m joined by Luna Seranova (she/her). Luna is an author, actress, glamour witch, and Freyja devotee with a mission to demystify the taboo.
In this episode, we'll get into the following and then some:
- We start with a few rapid-fire questions
- Luna gives us the dish on her debut book of poetry, Dark Moon New Moon, which was released June 4, 2024, and I read my faves
- We unpack what inspired certain works and areas of focus for Luna in this deeply personal project (CN for DV and SI)
- The healing power of Hekate and being willing to be vulnerable or even cringe as part of owning your authenticity and duality
- We dive right into dispelling some misconceptions about glamour magick (namely that it isn't dishonest but rooted in empowerment and self-protection)
- How glamour workings can be their own form of gender-affirming care
- The responsibility of witches online to promote more sustainable magickal practices
- An area of study Luna is super jazzed to explore next (this one could honestly be a whole other episode between the two of us)
Also, we have another giveaway for y’all! We are giving away a signed copy of Luna's book, Dark Moon, New Moon. Here are a few ways you're able to enter to win:
- Follow both of us on Instagram, share the episode from whatever platform you prefer to your stories OR share one of the feed posts on the episode to your stories, and don’t forget to tag us.
- Submit a written review on either Apple podcasts, or leave a comment on this episode on Spotify. If you submit a written review on Apple Podcasts or leave a comment on Spotify, please screenshot and send it to me at soyemmy.com to ensure your entry is included in this giveaway.
The deadline is Friday, August 2nd to get your entry in for this giveaway. May the odds be ever in your favor!
If you're ready to embrace your inner psychompomp-glamour-witch, this one is for you.
Luna’s Website https://www.lunaseranova.com/
Luna’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lunaseranova/
Luna’s Podcast https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/luna-seranova
Additional social links https://linktr.ee/lunaseranova
My website
Instagram: @la_soy_emmy
Email: [email protected]
Book a reading.
Resin & Scrawls on Substack.
The Spooky Sentinel on Substack.
Shop Lively Ghosts with my affiliate link.
Wanna support my work? Buy me a Ko-Fi.
Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
49 min - 38: Boundary Magic and Getting Back on your Path (feat. Dette Deveaux, The Abstract Witch)
Welcome to The Violet Vulture!
In this episode, I'm joined by Dette Deveaux, The Abstract Witch (she/they)! Dette is a witchcraft educator committed to integrating the mystical with the mundane.
And we have a giveaway for you! Anyone who leaves a comment on this episode on Spotify or a written review on Apple Podcasts is entered to win a 30-minute tarot reading OR a witchy consult with Dette. Please screenshot your comment or review and send it to [email protected] to ensure yours is entered successfully. Entries close on July 31, 2024, so enter while you can!
In this episode, we'll get into the following and then some:
- We discuss the importance of dispelling misinformation and disinformation in their work as a witchy educator
- How "being a brand" might not be as bad as people make it out to be
- Along those lines, we dig into the themes that come up the most for Dette when engaging with students online
- How prolonged people-pleasing isn't just inauthentic, it can be lowkey manipulation (and we dissect how to move past this)
- What accountability truly looks like (or why we gotta give people a wider berth and see if changed behavior comes with their apology)
- Some time is spent talkin' about being late-diagnosed autistics
- We get into the differences between Chthonic deities vs. Ouranic (death gods vs. the Olympians) and the misconceptions people have about which is harsher than the other
- How Dette began working with Aphrodite and their experience with her
- And we reflect on Dette when they aren't in educator mode and how they're helping heal people's inner child one immersive 80s-themed event at a time
If you've been wondering what the most basic form of magick any/all of us ought to be prioritizing right now, this one is for you.
Deets on Dette:
Dette's website.
Dette's Instagram.
Dette's YouTube.
The Goblin King Players.
Deets on me, Emmy C-G:
My website
Instagram: @la_soy_emmy
Email: [email protected]
Book a reading.
Resin & Scrawls on Substack.
The Spooky Sentinel on Substack.
Shop Lively Ghosts with my affiliate link.
Wanna support my work? Buy me a Ko-Fi.
Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
1 hr 13 min
About The Violet Vulture
From the publisher's feed
Hello and welcome to The Violet Vulture! My name is Emmy, and I'm your host and a multi-passionate, multidisciplinary storyteller, I’m a death doula, and an all-around too-much person.
I’m all about storytelling for self-exploration and liberation, alternative wellness for the misfits and morbidly inclined among us, and honoring our shadows.