review - constructing a witch by helen ivory

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Interspersed with Ivory’s own collages, this visually appealing book is packed with differing aspects of the witch-woman, both as trope and as human.

Featuring historical figures such as Pendle witch Margaret Johnson, and taking inspiration from Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell and Carrington’s Grandmother Moorhead’s Aromatic Kitchen, together with observations from museums and witch tours, Ivory has created a compelling and thought-provoking collection. The poetry is in a variety of formats, and covers a wide range of subjects, closely focused on women – their internal monologue, their femininity, their power. It examines the terrible acts committed against women, both as witches and simply as females – misogyny, abuse, torture, murder. History silenced an overwhelming majority of the women executed as witches, and in this collection, Ivory gives voices to her women, their indomitable characters shining forth from her words.

I particularly enjoyed the poems which dealt with duality – the good witch/bad witch, the mother/woman and the mother/witch, and the woman/witch, all of which, for me, underscored the multitude of roles a woman plays in society, frequently unseen, behind closed doors, shaped for them by men, dismissed by men…

Numerous phrases have leaped out at me as I read. ‘The worst mother man ever invented’, ‘kettling troublesome women’, and ‘this breathing, she-made grief’ are just three which stopped me in my tracks and sent me down rabbit holes of thought.

Do not be deceived by this slim volume – its content is substantial, and deserves to be savoured like a fine wine. Take your time, taste every single word. 

Find out more about Helen here. 

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