Can you turn words into spells that conjure real community? Michelle Tea has been doing it for decades—and she's ready to share her secrets.
Have you ever felt like your writing was more than just words on a page? Like it could actually summon people, create connections, and build worlds? What if the stories you tell could literally manifest the community you've been searching for?
In this spellbinding episode of "Your Art is a Spell," we journey with iconic queer author and literary witch Michelle Tea as she reveals how her writing practice has conjured entire movements, publications, and creative spaces into existence.
Tune in to discover:
📚 How a young Michelle stood at her fence calling "I have books, come play with me!"—and still does that today
✨ The magical transition from writing for performance to creating deeper literary worlds
🔮 Why tarot and spiritual practices are integral to her creative process
🖋️ How Sister Spit poetry tours transformed from punk rock readings to a cultural phenomenon
💫 The birth of Dopamine Press and why "commissioning fees" might be the future of publishing
🌈 The delicate balance between authentic voice and reaching wider audiences
📕 Behind-the-scenes insights into the creation of the powerful WITCH anthology
Did you know Michelle's first published work came from writing an angry letter to a magazine about her favorite band? Or that she "stalked" literary icon Eileen Myles into becoming her mentor? The path to building a literary community is rarely a straight line.
This episode reveals how writing can be both deeply personal and powerfully communal—a bridge that connects us across time, space, and difference. Michelle shares her journey from DIY zines to founding a publishing house, always with an eye toward creating space for voices that need to be heard.
Whether you're looking to find your creative community, wondering how to stay authentic as your platform grows, or simply want to infuse your art with more intentional magic, this conversation offers a roadmap for turning your creative practice into a reality-altering spell.
Ready to discover how your words might summon the exact community you've been seeking all along? Listen to the full episode now!