All art is magic. – Aleister Crowley

Nature is a haunted house--but Art--is a house that tries to be haunted. - Emily Dickinson

In this 4-week course leading into and following Halloween, you will learn how to transform your pen into a wand and make magic on the page. Content is completely new and different from last year, and the theme is GHOSTS! Students who attended last year's Witch Lit generated work that was published, and won awards. So I am extra excited about this year's class!

What haunts you? In this class, we will explore ghosts as memory, both personal and cultural, and ghosts as metaphors for trauma. Ghosts can manifest as what the patriarchy calls "madness" as in Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper," desire as in Vernon Lee's works, or even joy as in Tori Amos' "Happy Phantom." Anything goes with a ghost, which potentially makes them the ultimate muse.

This class is for all levels and genres of writers, and for those who identify as witches or are simply curious. Wherever you are on your journey, this class will inspire you to write more and hone your craft.

In the first half of the class we will discuss a short story or poetry about GHOSTS. Writers may include Carmen Maria Muchado, Rebecca Roanhorse, Leonora Carrington, Yumiko Kurahashi, Octavia Butler, Mariana Enriquez, Helen Oyeyemi, a Diana Khoi Nguyen, Angela Carter, nd Shirley Jackson, among others.

In the second half of class, students will generate and share their work and receive feedback in a supportive community. Classes may also include writing prompts sparked by ritual or Tarot.

The class will be live on Zoom and limited to 12 students. I'll email folks a link to the meeting beforehand.

Register by October 1st to get the Early Bird special price of $99 for all 4 classes. After October 1st, the price is $125 for all 4 classes.

Please feel free to email me at anzalone.erica@gmail.com with any questions.

Schedule

Monday 10/18: 6-8 pm EST

Monday 10/25: 6-8 pm EST

Monday 11/1: 6-8 pm EST

Monday 11/8: 6-8 pm EST- Last Class

Students will have the option to add a 45-minute consultation with the instructor for an additional fee of $75. They will receive one-on-one feedback, including line edits, ideas for revision and publishing suggestions. The Power Pack is for those interested in a longer mentorship. These add-ons should appear at check out, or feel free to inquire.

Erica Anzalone’s Bio

Erica Anzalone is a writer and educator with over sixteen years of teaching experience at the college level. Her book Samsara was the winner of the 2011 Noemi Press Poetry Prize. In Samsara, she looks through a spiritual-historical lens at art, war, feminism, religion, and the body in extremis. She holds an MFA in poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa and a doctorate in English from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, where she was awarded a Schaeffer fellowship. Her work has appeared in The Colorado Review, Hotel Amerika, Cream City Review, Juked, Pangyrus, baldhip, Coconut, Denver Quarterly, The Literary Review, Greatcoat, Konundrum Engine Literary Review, Mary, The Offending Adam, Pleiades, Sentence, UCity Review, and elsewhere. Her second poetry manuscript explores the surrealism and simulacra of Las Vegas, and offers both a critique and celebration of American excess.