Lavender Witchcraft, Tituba, & the Queering of Halloween

Details

Tune into Out-FM on Tues., October 27, 2026 from 8:00-9:00 pm ET, on​ WBAI/NY​, 99.5 FM​, or livestreaming at wbai.org/listen-live

By Wednesday evening we will post the show to stream or to download mp3 file.

Lavender Witchcraft

Lavender Witchcraft



An Out-FM Halloween Special: Halloween is arguably the queerest of all the holidays of the year. This October, Out-FM is queering Halloween still further with a consideration of the queer roots and contemporary queering of pagan spirituality. Pauline Park talks with Sam Wise (she/they), a Reclaiming witch and eclectic pagan, about their book, Lavender Witchcraft, and queer pagan practices.

Sam Wise

Sam Wise

Tituba, Black Witch in Salem

In keeping with the Halloween theme for our program, Stahimili’s contribution will be a reading from the 1986 novel by the Guadeloupean writer Maryse Condé, entitled I Tituba, Black Witch of Salem, which won the French Grand Prix award for women's literature.


Tituba was an enslaved woman of color who was accused of witchcraft during the Salem trials. She was caught up in the infamous witch trials in colonial Massachusetts, in which hundreds of individuals (mostly women) were tried for what were probably imaginary crimes. Many were tortured and executed in an episode in American history with lessons for the present day. Condé says there is little in the record describing what happened to Tituba and writes this fictional account of her life and fate. 

Tituba, Black Witch in Salem (French)

Music:
 
Henry Purcell, "Destruction's Our Delight" (witches' chorus) from "Dido & Aeneas" (Monteverdi Choir & English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner conducting): 
(0:00-2:02)
 
Giuseppe Verdi: witches' chorus from "Macbeth" (ROH Covent Garden):
 
Giuseppe Verdi, "Sul fil d'un soffio etesio" from "Falstaff" (Lisette Oropesa & the Metropolitan Opera chorus):
 
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About Out-FM

Out-FM is a weekly progressive, intersectional queer show by and for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, two-spirit, non-binary, gender non-conforming, intersex, queer, and questioning communities. Our program originates from listener-sponsored, noncommercial WBAI/Pacifica Radio in New York, 99.5 FM and wbai.org. Our programs are archived at outfm.org. You can also follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

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