Witches in Britches

For March’s supermoon, we’re excited to bring you another special treat! In this episode, we are joined by Gabriela Houston (all the way from London!) to discuss her debut novel, The Second Bell. As always, our discussion contains spoilers!

Gabriela Houston is a London-based writer. She was born in Poland and raised in a book-loving household on the nourishing diet of mythologies, classics and graphic novels. She came to the UK at 19 to follow her passion for literature and she completed her undergraduate and Masters degrees at Royal Holloway, University of London. After her studies she worked in publishing for a few years. She now lives with her family in Harrow, where she pursues her life-long passion for making stuff up.

This episode was recorded via Zoom, so there may be occasional audio hiccups. Our theme song is “Moon and Spruce” by Sarah Little Drum.

• 0:00 – 4:05 Welcome/ Trusty Trousers
• 4:05 – 14:15 Introduction to The Second Bell and Gabriela
• 14:15 – 41:58 “Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?”
• 41:58 – 1:20:40 “Bald Heads and Queer Noses”
• 1:20:40 – 1:36:50 “Round About the Cauldron Go”
• 1:36:50 – 1:45:24 Final Spells

• “A Woman’s Life Doesn’t End at 40–So Why Does Society Make Us Feel That Way?” (The Guardian)
• “Where Are All of the Mothers in Fantasy Fiction?” by Gabriela Houston for Den of Geek
• History of Swear Words (Netflix)
• “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Broke a Major Taboo on Primetime TV” (Refinery29)
• The Dark Side of the Light Chasers by Debbie Ford

“All women in patriarchal societies I suppose would experience it to some extent, where you are being held back in quite fundamental ways…It’s a sort of constant struggle, where you’re supposed to hold your nature back and be softer, be less aggressive. Don’t tap into your anger.” @GabrielaHouston

“Motherhood was really the absolute end of a female character’s journey, traditionally…That means that there’s this whole huge aspect of human experience that doesn’t traditionally get the attention it deserves. ” @GabrielaHouston

“Words matter. The way we use words matters.” @GabrielaHouston

It’s the new moon! You know what that means: witchy recommendations and new moon rituals!

Our theme song is “Moon and Spruce” by Sarah Little Drum.

• WandaVision (catch up now so you’re ready for April’s episode!)
• Women of Marvel #1
• Llewellyn’s Witches’ Datebook

For February’s full moon, we’re thrilled to bring you a very special episode! Tonight, we are joined by author Genevieve Gornichec to discuss her debut novel The Witch’s Heart.

Genevieve Gornichec earned her degree in history from The Ohio State University, but she got as close to majoring in Vikings as she possibly could, and her study of the Norse myths and Icelandic sagas became her writing inspiration. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio. The Witch’s Heart is her debut novel. Learn more about Genevieve on her website.

This episode was recorded via Zoom, so there may be occasional audio hiccups. Our theme song is “Moon and Spruce” by Sarah Little Drum.

• 0:00 – 4:32 Welcome/ Nalbinded Knickers
• 4:32 – 6:24 Introduction to The Witch’s Heart
• 6:24 – 23:48 “Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?”
• 23:48 – 40:49 “Bald Heads and Queer Noses”
• 40:49 – 49:28 “Round About the Cauldron Go”
• 49:28 – 58:37 “Treguna Mekoides Trecorum Sadis Dee!”
• 58:37 – Final Spells

• Thor
• Women Who Run with the Wolves
• Saga
• Princess Mononoke
• Howl’s Moving Castle

“You don’t have to grab a sword and go out into the battlefield to have power and be worthy of having your story told.” @gengornichec

“[The heart is] a symbol of her capacity and her ability to love others and love herself, even after everything she’s been through.” @gengornichec

We’re excited to announce a new series of minisodes, which will be released every month on the NEW moon. Listen for witchy recommendations and magical new moon rituals!

Our theme song is “Moon and Spruce” by Sarah Little Drum.

• Hilda (Netflix show)
• Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury (releasing June 15, 2021)
• Eva Evergreen and the Cursed Witch by Julie Abe (releasing August 3, 2021)
• The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede
• Yoga with Adriene
• Llewellyn’s 2021 Witches’ Datebook

Happy full moon in Leo, and welcome to Season Five!!! We’re excited to kick off the new season with a very special episode about Taylor Swift’s latest album, evermore. A huge thank you to Amber Vernon, Jane Funk, Marri Brown, and Chelsie Booker for their incredible contributions!

CW: domestic abuse, murder, violence at the Capitol

Our theme song is “Moon and Spruce” by Sarah Little Drum.

• 0:00 – 7:42 Host Introductions
• 7:42 – 13:45 Long Story Shorts
• 13:45 – 16:11 Introduction to evermore
• 16:35 – 24:56 Thoughts from Amber
• 24:56 – 46:35 “Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?”
• 46:35 – 51:00 Thoughts from Jane
• 51:00 – 1:14:34 “Bald Heads and Queer Noses”
• 1:14:34 – 1:18:41 Thoughts from Marri
• 1:18:41 – 1:40:31 “Round About the Cauldron Go”
• 1:40:31 – 1:47:38 Thoughts from Chelsie
• 1:47:38 – 1:51:08 Final Spells

• Our folklore episode
• “Is Taylor Swift a Witch Now?” (The Mary Sue)
• National Domestic Violence Hotline
• Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women (MMIW)

Wow, another season down! What a wild ride 2020 has been. We hope you’re staying safe and enjoying the holidays, despite the current challenges. Sending you all love and light and best wishes for the new year.

Our theme song is “Moon and Spruce” by Sarah Little Drum.

Per usual, in our season finale we award our annual Witchies for the following categories:

• Inspired you to learn something new or to improve your craft?
• Helped you to see other people in a new light or to better understand your own position in society (and/or take social action)?
• Changed the way you think of your body or the human body in general?
• Taught you something about the natural world or encouraged you to heal and/or connect with your environment?
• Encouraged you to create art or foster a spiritual practice?
• Made you laugh?

Happy full moon! In this episode, we discuss Wayward Witch, the third book in the Brooklyn Brujas series by Zoraida Córdova. Be sure to check out our episode on the first book in the series, Labyrinth Lost, and our episode on the second book, Bruja Born.

Our theme song is “Moon and Spruce” by Sarah Little Drum.

Happy full moon AND Halloween/ Samhain! We hope you’re having a fun day and staying safe. In this episode, we discuss Bruja Born, the second book in the Brooklyn Brujas series by Zoraida Córdova. Be sure to check out our episode on the first book in the series, Labyrinth Lost, here. And check back in next month for our episode on the third book, Wayward Witch.

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.)

Welcome/ Pant Chat (0:00 – 3:25)

Introduction (3:25 – 8:03)

“Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?” (8:03 – 23:22)

“Bald Heads and Queer Noses” (23:22 – 51:25)

“Treguna, Mekoides, Trecorum, Satis, Dee!” (51:25 – 1:10:26)

Final Spells (1:10:26 – 1:13:38)

Happy full moon! In this episode we tackle Mulan, the latest of the Disney live-action remakes.

Note: We recorded via Zoom, and there were some audio/ connection issues; we apologize for the glitches. Content warning for discussions of sterilization, torture, the Uighur genocide, and ICE detention centers in the first 13 minutes.

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.)

Introduction (0:00 – 13:45)

“Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?” (13:45 – 40:10)

“Bald Heads and Queer Noses” (40:10 – 59:30)

“Treguna Mekoides Trecorum Sadis Dee!” (50:30 – 1:15:40)

Final Spells (1:15:40 – 1:24:08)

“I do not think a creative team that willfully ignores real human suffering in order to get particular scenery for their shots is capable of telling an emotionally resonant story of a heroine who sacrificed everything to prevent more human suffering.” @plindawrites

• Uyghur Human Rights Project (donate here)
• Families Belong Together (donate here)
• MSNBC Interview with Dawn Wooten
• Episode 20: Revaluing Free Speech with Yan Sham-Shackleton (conversation from Katie’s other podcast about the situation in Hong Kong)
• “The Problem with Mulan: Why the Live-Action Remake is a Lightning Rod for Controversy” by Jingan Young
• “‘Mulan’ Has a Message: Serve China and Forget About the Uighurs” by Jeannette Ng
• “Beyond Authenticity: The Spectre of Han Hegemony” by Jeannette Ng

Happy (only slightly belated) full moon! If you enjoyed Taylor Swift’s powerful new album, folklore, you won’t want to miss this in-depth analysis brought to you by Linda and her sister Amber.

https://witchesinbritches.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/05-episode-five_-folklore.m4a

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.)

Taylor-ed Slacks and/or The Nap Dress (0:00 – 4:25)

Introduction (4:25 – 22:35)

“Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?” (22:55 – 47:05)

“Bald Heads and Queer Noses” (47:25 – 1:02:50)

“Round About the Cauldron Go”/ “Treguna Mekoides Trecorum Sadis Dee!” (1:03:05 – 1:18:57)