Black Magic Women: BIPOC Encounters with The Fantastic

From Hermione Granger to #hexthepatriarchy, white feminism is well-represented in modern-day witchcraft and writing about magic. However, many aspects of fantasy and spirituality are deeply rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing, in Black culture, and communities of colour. In this panel discussion, join immensely talented BIPOC writers Nafiza Azad, Jillian Christmas, Kim Senklip Harvey, and Téa Mutonji as they discuss cultural appropriation, tell stories of the fantastic, and celebrate knowledges and ways of being that have existed for thousands of years. Moderated by Serena Lukas Bhandar.

Event Type: Panel
Event Code: MAS/FRI-2
Venue: Massy Books
Date: Friday, March 13, 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Cost: Pay What You Can (recommended: $12.50)
ASL Interpretation Available by Request Before February 15, 2020

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Jillian Christmas is a poet, musician, clown, educator, organizer, and advocate in the arts community. Utilizing an anti-oppressive lens, Jillian has performed and facilitated workshops across the continent.

Nafiza Azad is a self-identified island girl. Her debut novel, The Candle and The Flame, was released by Scholastic in 2019.

Serena Lukas Bhandar is a Punjabi/Welsh/Irish transfemme witch, youth worker, and facilitator living as a settler on Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ lands. Her Pushcart Prize-nominated writing has appeared in print in Nameless Woman and Turn This World Inside Out: The Emergence of Nurturance Culture. She is currently working on a novel and a hybrid collection of essays and poetry.

Congolese born, Téa Mutonji is a writer and poet. Her collection of short stories, Shut Up You’re Pretty, was the first book published by Vivek Shraya’s imprint, Vs. Books with Arsenal Pulp Press. Originally from Scarborough, Téa now lives and writes downtown Toronto.