Witches of Scotland

Zoe and Claire speak to the fabulous Marion Gibson about her Sunday Times Best Selling Book "Witchland" and to Al Seed and Jude Milligan about their witch/macbeth related play "Thrice" . Racoons in baby rucksacks on planes included

WE speak to Professor Claire McGlynn about Patriarchy and Porn - Shei is a leading expert on violence against women and girls and gender equality. Her particular expertise lies in the legal regulation of pornography, image-based sexual abuse (formerly known as 'revenge porn'), cyberflashing and all forms of online abuse. She advise governments, civil society and social media platforms regarding online and image-based abuse, and work closely with survivors to strengthen the law. We also speak to Dr. Dorka Tamás researcher, and author. She is a leading scholar and expert on the famous American poet Sylvia Plath Dr. Tamás is the author of the academic book Sylvia Plath and the Supernatural, which explores Plath's deep interest in magic, witchcraft, and demonology

Victoria Bradbury speaks to us about her new show about witches and her own personal connection to the witch trials in Salem Blue Boar VR project: https://blurringartandlife.com/vb/blueboarvr.html Blue Boar installation project: https://blurringartandlife.com/vb/blueboar.html Colonial Vegetables Sewn Sampler: https://blurringartandlife.com/vb/colonialvegetables.html S-WITCH project: https://blurringartandlife.com/vb/s-witch.html Info and links for my Glasgow School of Art Show July 3-5: Please join me at one of the events: Threads Pop-Up Preview Friday 3 July, 5–7pm or Virtual Gallery Tour for Remote Participants Sunday 5 July, 9am EST / 2pm BST The exhibition will be on view in-person at the Windows on Heritage Gallery at GSA's Reid Building during the following hours: Friday 3 July: 4pm–7pm Saturday 4 July: 10am–7pm Sunday 5 July: 10am–4pm

If you thought witchcraft accusations were a thing of the past, think again : Sarah Newey, a journalist based in Bangkok covering global health security across the Asia Pacific, predominantly but not solely for the Telegraph, investigated the witch trials of Papua New Guinea . Her website is here https://sneweyy.squarespace.com/. This is an uncomfortable but necessary reminder that witchcraft accusations are not a historic abberation but relevant now and historically. WOMEN NOT WITCHES QUARRELSOME DAMES REMEMBRANCE IS RESISTANCE

This bonus ep covers a range of topics related to sexual violence, misogyny, and women's rights. It delves into the normalisation of violence, legal definitions, and the ongoing erosion of women's healthcare. The discussion also calls for the criminalisation of misogyny in Scotland and the importance and necessity of resistance and community building. The chat ends with the suggestion that Raven Intelligence is utilised to smash the patriarchy. Standard convo from these two.

Zoe and Claire chat to Anna Caig, about Anna's new book, 'The Wise Witch of Orkney,' Set in 1593. it tells the story of Elspeth Balfour, a wise woman from Orkney.

Zoe and Claire present a review of the campaign so far to a London audience - for those with us from the start it's a meandering wander from then till now, for those just joining the pocast it's a catch up of where we've come from and where we are going #quarrelsomedames #remebranceisresistance

Zoe and Claire speak to Dr. Debora Moretti about ritual magic vs. folk magic and most importantly for those taking down their decorations on the 5th of January , The Befana tradition in Italy. On women's rights issues, we speak to Gemma Clark abortion rights activism in the UK and why we should make sure our healthcare rights are protected.

Zoe and Claire wish to offer a Solstice offering to all those who have stuck by us with this podcast through a VERY patchy period and we wanted to give u THE BEST festive guests we could think of to finish this year! First is @thatglasgowwitch whose quiet, authentic witch work has taken the world by storm and the hugely talented artist and author Juano Diaz whose excellent book, Slumboy tells of his childhood and whose current artistic work focuses on the spiritual world.

You’ll have seen memes saying “I made dinners for men I should have poisoned” , well Zoe and Claire speak to Hope Reese about her book “The Women Are Not Fine: The Dark History of a Poisonous Sisterhood. Hope tells the story of about a woman who lived at the turn of the 20th century, in the village of Nagyrév, Hungary, midwife Zsuzsanna Fazekas. She was more than a caretaker - she was a confidante. She helped poor women give birth; she assisted them with abortions; and she listened. Their stories were the same: husbands who drank, who beat them, who made their lives unbearable. In response, Auntie Zsuzsi asked one question: "Why bother with them?" Her solution was arsenic. Soon, women began slipping this concoction, made by dissolving flypaper in water, into their husbands' porridge, stews, and brandy. And over the next twenty years, the quiet village became the epicentre of one of the deadliest poisoning epidemics of the 20th century - according to some estimates, up to 300 people in the region were…

Listen to Zoe and Claire to talk to Professor John Azumah and extraordinary photographer Claire Thomas about the women suffering modern day witch accusations, the witch camps in which they are forced to stay for safety and what we can do to help them.

EPISODE 76 DR MARGARET BENNETT Zoe in conversation with DR MARGARET BENNETT “is a Scottish writer, folklorist, ethnologist, broadcaster, and singer. Her main interests lies in the field of traditional Scottish folk culture and cultural identity of the Scots in Scotland and abroad. The late Hamish Henderson, internationally distinguished poet and folklorist, said about her: Margaret embodies the spirit of Scotland.” THIS WAS RECORDED BEFORE WE HAD CONFIRMATION THAT THE UK AND US HARDBACK OF OUR BOOO WILL HAVE THE TARTAN ON IT

CLARE CAMPBELL OF PRICKLY THISTLE talks to Zoe and Claire about the tartan and about how we are releasing the WOS Tartan, clans and much more

Zoe and Claire discuss the witch trials in France and speak to ANNETTE YOUNG, journalist and presenter of the 51% - a feminist French TV show about Gislèle Pelicot. WARNING The discussion includes details of sexual assault.

Zoe and Claire talk to the folks at the Connecticut Witch Trials and find out all about their campaign. They also talk about the Afghanistan Government decision to remove education from women, the internets reaction to a woman celebrating her PHD (Congratulations Dr. Ally Louks) and also talk about middle class women of a certain age.... Those brave listeners who are able to make it to the end of the podcast will be rewarded with raven chat and festive requests.

Zoe and Claire come clean about why there has been no podcast in a while and what they have been up to... SPOILER : They've written a book! Their publishers say "HOW TO KILL A WITCH is a compelling and detailed investigation into the historic persecution of women as witches by Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi, founders of the world-famous Witches of Scotland campaign. With testimony from a small army of experts, pen portraits of the women accused, trial transcripts, witness accounts and the documents that set the legal grounds for the witch hunts, HOW TO KILL A WITCH builds to form a rich patchwork of tragic stories, helping us comprehend the underlying reasons for this terrible injustice, and raises the serious question - could it ever happen again?

Zoe & Claire speak to Prof Goodare about how the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft came about and Euan McAndrew, Wikimedian in residence at Edinburgh University explains bringing the work to a digital audience along with student Ruby Imrie PLUS BONUS APOLOGY EPISODE with Kristof Smeyers about a topic close to Zoe & Claire’s hearts….

Zoe & Claire speak to the endlessly fascinating Professor Marion Gibson about her new book which spans 700 years of witchcraft trials - from the trial which probably started the European witch hunt to the 21st century allegations of “witch-hunting” of Donald Trump by Stormy Daniels *may include raccoons

Zoe and Claire speak to author Stacey Thomas about her debut novel “The Revels” - all about witchcraft accusations . Stacey Thomas is a contributor to Bad Form Review. She is an alumna of the Curtis Brown Creative novel writing course where she was awarded the Clare Mackintosh Scholarship for Black Writers. In 2021, she was announced as one of the three winners of HarperCollins’s inaugural Killing It Competition for Undiscovered Writers.

Zoe and Claire catch up with Leo Igwe to find out about witchcraft accusations in the present day : what are people being accused of, by whom and why? NB The Aye Write event has now already taken place - sorry to those who missed it! WARNING - Discusses violence against people accused of witchcraft

Zoe and Claire talk to the hugely knowledgeable Dr. Andrew Sneddon, historian of medicine, religion and the supernatural, especially ghosts, magic and witchcraft. Senior Lecturer in History @ Ulster University.

Zoe and Claire speak to Lorraine Murray Archivist at The Watt Institution in Greenock and at The Glasgow Academy in Kelvinbridge. She is an Art and Architectural Historian who has been researching the woman and men accused of witchcraft in Inverclyde

Zoe and Claire speak to author Anya Bergman about her story of the women killed as witches in Vardø. We talk magic, menopause, weather witches and why a Scotsman might have been to blame. Raccoons included

Zoe and Claire speak to Dr. Martha McGill about her game, developed by a team at the University of Warwick, to explore and understand the witch hunt phenomena - based on events in Haddington, Zoe & Claire consider the history of Haddington accused and one of the accusers who owned an enchanted pear. Raccoon chat included

Zoe and Claire speak to the fabulously knowledgeable Judith Langlands Scott about witch confessions in Forfar, John Kincaid’s “expert” expenses and find out where following the money trail gets you on the hunt to uncover the details of those killed as witches

Zoe and Claire speak to Assistant Professor Jem Bloomfield to explore "witches" in crime fiction of the mid-twentieth century. His work explores the intellectual and social worlds of these books, relating them to contemporary concerns around gender, art, magic and religion.

Zoe and Claire talk to Anna Day, Cultural Public Programme Manager for Perth about statues in memory of women accused of witchcraft, why memorials are important and Anna shares her own family story of remembering those who died in WWII.

Zoe and Claire interview the brilliant author Jenni Fagan about her new book “Hex” : “ A witch will die here in the morning. It is the 4th of December 1591. On this, the last night of her life in a prison cell several floors below Edinburgh’s High Street, convicted witch Geillis Duncan receives a mysterious visitor – Iris, who says she comes from a future where women are still killed for who they are and what they believe.” (Birlinn Publishers)

Zoe and Claire speak to Professor Malcolm Gaskill about his study of witchcraft accusations in England - from the 17th century jjury trials to the 20th century trial of “Hellish Nell”

Zoe and Claire talk to the criminal defence lawyer - made famous by #thestaircase documentary on Netflix about american injustice - the Salem witch trials, forced confessions, pardons and why they are important and much more! also : cake references

Join Zoe & Claire speaking to Dr Jan Machielsen who studies and teaches about witchcraft accusations and trials - we ask what an apology really means and why each country builds different narratives around the witchcraft trials

Zoe and Claire speak to Dr. Louise Yeoman about her amazing work on the scottish witchcraft trials - from The Survey of Scottish Witchcraft to her discovery of Lilias Adie’s “grave” with lots more chat about Satan’s world uncovered, service magicians, John Knox and enchanted sticks

Zoe and Claire speak to Dr. Danny Buck about witch trials in the south of England - we talk about religious in fighting, rowdy Quakers and the self proclaimed Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins

Zoe and Claire go to Edinburgh for IWD2022 and listen to the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon grant an official apology to all those 4000 or so people, mostly women, who were accused of witchcraft - the first time in Scottish history that an apology had been tendered to all those who were accused

Zoe & Claire speak to Caterina Úbeda of Sapiens Magazine about their successful campaign to have the Witches of Catalonia pardoned. We also speak to Laura Graham, artist about her Exonerate Agnes event which takes place on International Women’s Day 2022 . Ravens and Raccoons also included

Zoe & Claire speak to Dr Miranda Corcoran - author of Teen Witches Witchcraft and Adolescence in American Popular Culture - about the use of the witch icon in popular culture, the rise in modern day witches, we talk about witches of our youth Tabitha, Sabrina, Endora and Buffy - we ask why do young women need witch role models?

Zoe and Claire speak to the wonderfully knowledgeable Professor Marion Gibson (@witchesetc on twitter) about confessions, dooking witches, and, when all is said and done what accusations of witchcraft are really all about. Also, cake and ravens

Zoe & Claire talk to Dr Ciaran Jones who is a historian of religion and witchcraft in early modern Scotland, and he recently completed his PhD in Scottish History at the University of Edinburgh in 2020. His thesis explored the relationship between Calvinism and witchcraft trials, and it focussed on the religious and spiritual aspects of some accused witches' confessions. Ciaran's research has been published in History Scotland magazine, the Scottish History Society, and a chapter of his thesis is due to appear in the next volume of the journal of Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft, published by the University of Pennsylvania . We also talk about his new researches on the WITCHES OF QUEENSFERRY and the work he was commissioned to do for the National Trust of Scotland

Owen Davies is a British historian who specialises in the history of magic, witchcraft, ghosts, and popular medicine. He is currently Professor in History at the University of Hertfordshire and has been described as Britain's "foremost academic expert on the history of magic. Zoe & Claire speak to him about accidental witches, conflict witches, witch bottles and myth busting witch folklore

Zoe & Claire talk to Professor Nicola Ring about her research funded by the Royal College of Nursing Foundation into the stories of Scotland’s early nurses and midwives accused of witchcraft for helping others. We also hear the stories of women accused as witches in Penicuik

Zoe and Claire talk to Matthew Bridson who is a postgraduate scholar of Heritage Studies. He recently submitted his Masters thesis on the topic of the group referred to as “The Lancashire Witches”. We talked to him about the Lancashire Witch Trials and Matthew’s work on “witch signs” . We talk about the Witches Walk in Lancashire and whether we should be thinking more about how we engage with places of historic interest to properly record what happened and make that history accessible for all.

Zoe and Claire speak to Helen Woodsford Dean and Ragnhild Ljosland, the two women who were the inspiration and driving force in getting the memorial to those killed as witches in Orkney erected - we talk witches, collecting tears, pagans, whether we can change history and reveal the secret depths of the Orkney memorial

Zoe and Claire talk to Ash William Mills on his book - The Black Book of Isobel Gowdie - we discuss what was known of her, whether she was a “wise woman” and the cauldron of cultures that made up the various folklore and spells that were used by charmers and healers

Join Zoe and Claire as they speak to Kayla Kandzorra about the bi-weekly podcast where hosts Stephanie and Kayla discuss trials and tales of witches throughout the centuries. Each episode sheds light on a new story bringing attention to the thousands of people who have been persecuted as witches

Zoe and Claire talk to author Carolyn Jess Cooke about her new book The Lighthouse Witches and her inspiration from the scottish witchcraft trials. We talk themes of trauma, loss, and justice

Zoe & Claire talk to Jennifer Wight who has researched scottish folk history (more can be found on her website The Adder’s Deb) and is part of Scottish Cunning Ways (FB) . What is the difference between cunning folk and witches? were those executed as witches pagans? Listen as Jennifer helps us separate fact from fiction!

Join Zoe & Claire as they learn from the experts as to how they research the history of those accused of witchcraft : Judith Gorman, Helen Upfield, Mary Craig, Norah Carlin and Catherine McPhee : with a reading from Elizabeth Lee’s new book Cunning Women and an exclusive performance from Heal and Harrow

Join Zoe and Claire speaking to Laura Graham, lawyer and artist. Laura’s work has been particularly informed by the Scottish Witch Trials - we discuss the patriarchy, what’s in a name, her work “Soul Murder” and the “dittays” against women accused as witches

Zoe and Claire learn more about the criminality involved in witchcraft - we hear about how a trial of an alleged witch was conducted and the sentences imposed - we talk more about quarrelsome dames and how the transgressing of “feminine norms” of the time was more likely to find someone in the dock in Scotland than being a “charmer”.

Zoe and Claire talk to performance artist Amy Kingsmill about her year long project- Light Source - finding out about the witches of England - and we discuss why the current zeitgeist seems perfect for memorialising those killed as witches. www.light-source.co.uk