Today’s guest is Brooklyn-based poet and witch Stephanie Athena Valente. Stephanie’s published works include Hotel Ghost, waiting for the end of the world, Little Fang and Spell Work, and her writing has been featured in Witch Craft Magazine, Maudlin House and Hobart, among others. She’s also the associate editor at Yes, Poetry.

I first encountered Stephanie on Instagram, through the network of witches and writers connected to the online magazine Luna Luna. I was instantly intrigued by her unique blend of poetry, tarot, astrology and glamour. Her writing is unabashedly magickal and femme, and her Instagram persona seems uninhibited in a way I envy.

We talked about everything from covens to Doc Martens, including her teenage obsession with Hot Topic, her overwhelming success with love spells, her Italian and Greek-flavored glamour magick and how she was, in her words, radicalized by The Craft. And since we’re both writers, we couldn’t help nerding out about writing and creativity too. 

Stephanie is inspired by the designs of L'école des Femmes.
One of her favorite mantras is from The LA Minimalist.
She recommends Waking the Witch by Pam Grossman and she's excited to read The GLAM Witch by Michael Herkes.
Her vegan boots are from Koi Footwear.

If you want more fashion magick or to get my insights on tarot and astrology, you can follow me on Instagram @littleritualstarot. I’m also on twitter @tobeyward. You can find Stephanie on Instagram @stephanie.athena. The intro and outro music is Song of Sweetness by Potential Gospel. The podcast art is by Juliann Gates. This episode was mastered by Matt Fox.