{"id":17955,"date":"2019-06-01T01:10:31","date_gmt":"2019-06-01T06:10:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=21415"},"modified":"2019-05-27T10:29:58","modified_gmt":"2019-05-27T15:29:58","slug":"book-review-becoming-dangerous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2019\/06\/01\/book-review-becoming-dangerous\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review – Becoming Dangerous: Witchy Femmes, Queer Conjurers, and Magical Rebels Edited by Kate West and Jasmine Elliott"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Book Review<\/strong>
Becoming Dangerous:<\/strong>
Witchy Femmes, Queer Conjurers, and Magical Rebels <\/strong><\/em>
Edited by Kate West and Jasmine Elliott<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I\nwas lucky to be sent this amazing anthology of personal power\nnarratives to review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twenty-one\npersonal essays by the same amount of contributors are united by one\ntheme- sometimes, things happen that do NOT want to see us become our\nbest selves, and they go out of their way to try to keep us from\nthriving. These writers share their personal way they claimed what\nwas theirs, through personal ritual, and tenacity, and how they shine\nbrightly despite everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These\ninspirational stories of hope, strength, and triumph deal with topics\nranging from magic, religion, race, sexuality, abuse, sexism,\nsocietal norms, and PTSD. Each voice clearly expresses the power of\nthe human spirit to overcome, and LIVE, goddamn it, on one\u2019s own\nterms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\ngreat example is in the chapter, \u201cFemme as in Fuck You: Fucking\nwith the Patriarchy One Lipstick Application at a Time\u201d, by\nCatherine Hernandez. She writes, \u201cCOMMUNICATION WITH THE DIVINE: To\ncommunicate with spirit as a way of resisting Christian supremacy. <\/em>\u2018\nHere you go\u2019, said my theatre professor as he handed me a manila\nenvelope. Inside were photocopies of monologues from the plays\nfeaturing an Asian woman that he, as a white man, was actually aware\nof, such as\u2026well, anything by David Henry Hwang. That was as far as\nhis research went, it seemed. \u2018 This is for you. It\u2019s a bunch of\nmonologues that have you<\/em>r<\/em> people<\/em> in it.\u2019 That\nabout summed up my theatre school experience. \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\nsounds horrifying. Here is how she handled it. She writes, \u201cI\ntossed aside any former notions of artistic practice that the white\ninstitution of theatre school taught me. I refused to create work\nthat sought critical acclaim for it\u2019s adherence to colonized ways\nof storytelling\u2026I began writing as if I were simply notating what\nmy ancestors were telling me to write\u2026The decolonization of my\npractice became essential to my being. Listening to my ancestors\nevery minute of every day has been part of my healing process as a\nsurvivor of many traumas. \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This author is quite well known. Here is a link to her website<\/a> and about her on that page says, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCatherine\nHernandez is a proud queer woman of colour, radical mother, activist,\ntheatre practitioner, award-winning author, and the Artistic Director\nof current performing arts. Her one-woman show, The\nFemme Playlist<\/em>,\npremiered at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in 2014 as part of the\nafterRock Play Series co-produced by current, Eventual Ashes and\nSulong Theatre. Her other plays include Singkil\n<\/em>(fu-GEN\nAsian Canadian Theatre Company in association with Factory Theatre),\nEating\nwith Lola <\/em>(Sulong\nTheatre and Next Stage Festival), Kilt\nPins <\/em>(Sulong\nTheatre) and Future\nFolk <\/em>(collectively\nwritten by the Sulong Theatre Collective, produced by Theatre Passe\nMuraille). She has served playwright residencies at Theatre Passe\nMuraille, Carlos Bulosan Theatre, Shaw Festival Theatre, Blyth\nFestival Theatre, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and Nightswimming\nTheatre. Her children\u2019s book, M\nis for Mustache: A Pride ABC Book, <\/em>was\npublished by Flamingo Rampant and her plays Kilt Pins and Singkil\nwere published by Playwright\u2019s Canada Press. Catherine\u2019s first\nfull-length fiction, Scarborough,\n<\/em>won\nthe Jim Wong-Chu Award for the unpublished manuscript, was\nshortlisted for the Toronto Book Awards, shortlisted for the\nEvergreen Forest of Reading Award and longlisted for Canada Reads.\nScarborough<\/em> made\nthe “best of 2017” lists for The Globe and Mail, National\nPost, Quill and Quire and CBC Books. Catherine was named one of 17\nWriters to Watch by CBC Books. She\nis currently working on her second children’s book, I\nPromise<\/em> (Arsenal\nPulp Press 2019), her second novel Crosshairs<\/em> and\nher final play, Library<\/em> (Geordie\nProductions 2019). \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThis\nbook is a celebration of the collective writers selves, and a call to\neverybody reading to do the same. There is no such thing as weird,\nodd, or OTHER. There is only a world full of unique individuals\nstriving to live their best lives, and be happy. Unfortunately,\npeople, the system, and sometimes, the whole world, it seems, is\nhellbent on destroying individuals, one vibrant soul at a time. These\nwomen say, HELL NO!, and share how they broke free and became the\npowerhouses they are! Sometimes, sharing with others is very healing,\nfor both the one sharing and the one listening. It serves as reminder\nwe are not alone, and there are other people who understand because\nthey have suffered similar pain, and they provide the support to heal\nand grow. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Great\nbook, great read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happy\nReading, and Blessed Be!!!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Becoming Dangerous: Witchy Femmes, Queer Conjurers, and Magical Rebels on Amazon<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

***<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About\nthe Author:<\/strong>\n \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Saoirse<\/strong> is\na recovered Catholic.  I was called to the Old Ways at age 11,\nbut I thought I was just fascinated with folklore. At age 19, I was\ncalled again, but I thought I was just a history buff, and could not\nexplain the soul yearnings I got when I saw images of the Standing\nStones in the Motherland. At age 29, I crossed over into New Age\nstudies, and finally Wicca a couple years later. My name is Saoirse,\npronounced like (Sare) and (Shah) Gaelic for freedom. The gods I\nserve are Odin and Nerthus. I speak with Freyja , Norder, and Thunor\nas well. The Bawon has been with me since I was a small child, and\nRangda has been with me since the days I was still Catholic. I\nreceived my 0 and 1 Degree in an Eclectic Wiccan tradition, and my\nElder is Lord Shadow. We practice in Columbus, Ohio. I am currently\nfocusing more on my personal growth, and working towards a Second and\nThird Degree with Shadow. I received a writing degree from Otterbein\nUniversity back in 2000. I have written arts columns for the s\nCouncil in Westerville. I give private tarot readings and can be\nreached through my Facebook<\/a> page Tarot\nwith Saoirse<\/a>. You can, also, join me on my Youtube\nChannel<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book Review Becoming Dangerous: Witchy Femmes, Queer Conjurers, and Magical Rebels Edited by Kate West and Jasmine Elliott I was lucky to be sent this amazing anthology of personal power narratives to review. Twenty-one personal essays by the same amount of contributors are united by one theme- sometimes, things happen that do NOT want to see us become our best selves, and they go out of their way to try to keep us from thriving. These writers share their personal way they claimed what was theirs, through personal ritual, and tenacity, and how they shine brightly despite everything. These inspirational stories of hope, strength, and triumph deal with topics ranging from magic, religion, race, sexuality, abuse, sexism, societal norms, and PTSD. Each voice clearly expresses the power of the human spirit to overcome, and LIVE, goddamn it, on one\u2019s own terms. A great example is in the chapter, \u201cFemme as in Fuck You: Fucking with the Patriarchy One Lipstick Application at a Time\u201d, by Catherine Hernandez. She writes, \u201cCOMMUNICATION WITH THE DIVINE: To communicate with spirit as a way of resisting Christian supremacy. \u2018 Here you go\u2019, said my theatre professor as he handed me a manila envelope. Inside were photocopies of monologues from the plays featuring an Asian woman that he, as a white man, was actually aware of, such as\u2026well, anything by David Henry Hwang. That was as far as his research went, it seemed. \u2018 This is for you. It\u2019s a bunch of monologues that have your people in it.\u2019 That about summed up my theatre school experience. \u201c That sounds horrifying. Here is how she handled it. She writes, \u201cI tossed aside any former notions of artistic practice that the white institution of theatre school taught me. I refused to create work that sought critical acclaim for it\u2019s adherence to colonized ways of storytelling\u2026I began writing as if I were simply notating what my ancestors were telling me to write\u2026The decolonization of my practice became essential to my being. Listening to my ancestors every minute of every day has been part of my healing process as a survivor of many traumas. \u201c This author is quite well known. Here is a link to her website and about her on that page says, \u201cCatherine Hernandez is a proud queer woman of colour, radical mother, activist, theatre practitioner, award-winning author, and the Artistic Director of current performing arts. Her one-woman show, The Femme Playlist, premiered at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in 2014 as part of the afterRock Play Series co-produced by current, Eventual Ashes and Sulong Theatre. Her other plays include Singkil (fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company in association with Factory Theatre), Eating with Lola (Sulong Theatre and Next Stage Festival), Kilt Pins (Sulong Theatre) and Future Folk (collectively written by the Sulong Theatre Collective, produced by Theatre Passe Muraille). She has served playwright residencies at Theatre Passe Muraille, Carlos Bulosan Theatre, Shaw Festival Theatre, Blyth Festival Theatre, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and Nightswimming Theatre. Her children\u2019s book, M is for Mustache: A Pride ABC Book, was published by Flamingo Rampant and her plays Kilt Pins and Singkil were published by Playwright\u2019s Canada Press. Catherine\u2019s first full-length fiction, Scarborough, won the Jim Wong-Chu Award for the unpublished manuscript, was shortlisted for the Toronto Book Awards, shortlisted for the Evergreen Forest of Reading Award and longlisted for Canada Reads. Scarborough made the “best of 2017” lists for The Globe and Mail, National Post, Quill and Quire and CBC Books. Catherine was named one of 17 Writers to Watch by CBC Books. She is currently working on her second children’s book, I Promise (Arsenal Pulp Press 2019), her second novel Crosshairs and her final play, Library (Geordie Productions 2019). \u201c This book is a celebration of the collective writers selves, and a call to everybody reading to do the same. There is no such thing as weird, odd, or OTHER. There is only a world full of unique individuals striving to live their best lives, and be happy. Unfortunately, people, the system, and sometimes, the whole world, it seems, is hellbent on destroying individuals, one vibrant soul at a time. These women say, HELL NO!, and share how they broke free and became the powerhouses they are! Sometimes, sharing with others is very healing, for both the one sharing and the one listening. It serves as reminder we are not alone, and there are other people who understand because they have suffered similar pain, and they provide the support to heal and grow. Great book, great read. Happy Reading, and Blessed Be!!!!! Becoming Dangerous: Witchy Femmes, Queer Conjurers, and Magical Rebels on Amazon *** About the Author: Saoirse is a recovered Catholic.  I was called to the Old Ways at age 11, but I thought I was just fascinated with folklore. At age 19, I was called again, but I thought I was just a history buff, and could not explain the soul yearnings I got when I saw images of the Standing Stones in the Motherland. At age 29, I crossed over into New Age studies, and finally Wicca a couple years later. My name is Saoirse, pronounced like (Sare) and (Shah) Gaelic for freedom. The gods I serve are Odin and Nerthus. I speak with Freyja , Norder, and Thunor as well. The Bawon has been with me since I was a small child, and Rangda has been with me since the days I was still Catholic. I received my 0 and 1 Degree in an Eclectic Wiccan tradition, and my Elder is Lord Shadow. We practice in Columbus, Ohio. I am currently focusing more on my personal growth, and working towards a Second and Third Degree with Shadow. I received a writing degree from Otterbein University back in 2000. I have written arts columns for the s Council in Westerville. I give private tarot readings and can be reached through my Facebook page Tarot with Saoirse. You can, also, join me on my Youtube Channel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":211,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/211"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17955\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}