Join us for a discussion with three different authors, as we delve into the truth about witches and the fantastical elements surrounding them.

Thorn Mooney  is a Wiccan writer and academic who holds graduate degrees in both religious studies and English literature. Thorn writes and lectures about magic, new religious movements, and spirituality in the United States, and has been creating blogs and videos about witchcraft and Paganism through her popular online platforms for more than a decade. Thorn has been featured on NPR affiliate WFAE’s Charlotte Talks, Anthony Padilla’s popular YouTube series I spent a day with…, and has also served as an academic advisor on the National Endowment for the Humanities funded podcast Magic in the United States. Visit her at ThornTheWitch.com.

Salinee Goldenberg is a speculative fiction writer and multimedia artist who lives in Washington DC, and is drawn to outsider perspectives. Her debut fantasy novel, The Last Phi Hunter, was published by Angry Robot in April 2024. A biracial, bisexual, diaspora writer, Sal often explores themes of identity, obsession and alienation in her work. A gaming industry veteran, Sal has created narrative trailers for titles such as Skyrim, Fallout 4, Dishonored, and Minecraft. When not writing, she likes to paint, listen to records, and play in punk bands.

Rita Feinstein is the author of the poetry collections Life on Dodge and Everything is Real, both from Brain Mill Press, and the young adult novel-in-verse Meet Me in the Fourth Dimension (Page Street 2024). She is also the manager of Writopia Lab DC, a creative writing nonprofit that runs workshops for kids and teens. Her stories and poems have appeared in Permafrost, The Normal School, and Willow Springs, among other publications, and have been nominated for Best of the Net and Best New Poets. She lives with her husband, who is a lawyer, and her dog, who is not.

Moderated by: Rania Hanna is a Syrian-American writer and researcher. She is a neuroscience doctoral student at George Mason University. The Jinn Daughter is her debut novel. She lives in Northern Virginia. You can follow her on social media to stay updated: @rania_the_writer

If you’d like to purchase these titles online and still support People’s Book, follow the links below:

https://bookshop.org/a/88548/9780738777375

https://bookshop.org/a/88548/9781645678380

https://bookshop.org/a/88548/9781915998149

https://bookshop.org/a/88548/9781649033635

This is an in-person event. Seated capacity at People’s Book is 50 patrons. Standing room is an option. All events are first-come, first-served seating. Accessible seating is always available.