Philly AIDS Thrift @ Giovanni's Room

“A fierce and voluble refutation of the patriarchy and its soul-crushing oppression of female power. These writers make clear that as witches, femmes, and queers, they will use their own strength, ingenious rituals, beauty routines, and spells to rise above and beyond the limits of racism/classism and objectifications set by a male-dominated society. While bound by a thread of magic, these are inspiring feminist writings for readers of feminist literature, however identified.” —Library Journal

Edgy and often deeply personal, the twenty-one essays collected here come from a wide variety of writers. Some identify as witches, others identify as writers, musicians, game developers, or artists. What they have in common is that they’ve created personal rituals to summon their own power in a world that would prefer them powerless. Here, they share the rituals they use to resist self-doubt, grief, and depression in the face of sexism, slut shaming, racism, patriarchy, and other systems of oppression.

Contents

Introduction
Notes from the Editors
Content Warning

1. Unfuckable–Cara Ellison
2. Trash-Magic: Signs & Rituals for the Unwanted–Maranda Elizabeth
3. Uncensoring My Ugliness–Laura Mandanas
4. Femme as in Fuck You: Fucking with the Patriarchy One Lipstick Application at a Time–Catherine Hernandez
5. Before I Was a Woman, I Was a Witch–Avery Edison
6. Undressing My Heart–Gabriela Herstik
7. Garden–Marguerite Bennett
8. Reddit, Retin-A, and Resistance: An Alchemist’s Guide to Skincare–Sam Maggs
9. The Future is Coming for You–Deb Chachra
10. My Witch’s Sabbath of Short Skirts, Long Kisses, and BDSM–Mey Rude
11. Buzzcut Season–Larissa Pham
12. The Harpy–Meredith Yayanos
13. Fingertips–merritt
14. Red Glitter–Sophie Saint Thomas
15. Touching Pennies, Painting Nails–Sim Bajwa
16. Ritual in Darkness–Kim Boekbinder
17. Gayuma–Sara David
18. Pushing Beauty Up Through the Cracks–Katelan Foisy
19. Ritualising My Humanity–J. A. Micheline
20. Simulating Control–Nora Khan
21. I Am, Myself, a Body of Water–Leigh Alexander

Contributors
Acknowledgements

A timely second edition of the classic text on transgender history, with a new introduction and updated material throughout

It’s just three words: I am nonbinary. But that’s all it takes to change everything.

When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they’re thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, whom Ben has never even met. Struggling with an anxiety disorder compounded by their parents’ rejection, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their therapist and try to keep a low profile in a new school.

But Ben’s attempts to survive the last half of senior year unnoticed are thwarted when Nathan Allan, a funny and charismatic student, decides to take Ben under his wing. As Ben and Nathan’s friendship grows, their feelings for each other begin to change, and what started as a disastrous turn of events looks like it might just be a chance to start a happier new life.

At turns heartbreaking and joyous, I Wish You All the Best is both a celebration of life, friendship, and love, and a shining example of hope in the face of adversity.