A Novel Idea on Passyunk

The witch is a shapeshifter. She transforms from vixen to hag, healer to hellion, adversary to advocate based on who seeks her. Kristen J. Sollee The history of witchcraft both contemporary and historically offers an incredible amount of choice in practice. The practitioner can opt to study herbalism, candle magic, cartomancy, rune stones, and many other choices. Some options strike us as more taboo or questionable. The ethics of magic and magical practice are impacte...d by cultural norms and expectations within a society. Join us for an exploration of the taboo. We will spend time discussing topics such as sex, death, blood, bones, pain, and questionable herbs. This is not in advocacy of any specific practice but a recognition that magic does not live solely in love and light. This Scorpio Season, spend a night learning about taboo magical practices what is it, how is it done, and why? We will dive into specific practice and spell-work, as well as make space for discourse about how we feel about these practices and if we utilize any of them in our witchcraft. There is no expectation that you must take any of these practices with you, but let this act as an offering of options. Sunday, November 15th 6-8pm EST via Zoom $15-25 sliding scale Hosted By: Ash Yezuita, a heathen witch that uses a variety of taboo practices in their magical and spiritual practice. They hope to lift the veil a bit to destigmatize and end the fear around this work. Register now at the link in our bio! #anovelidea #bookstore #eastpassyunk #southphilly #indiebooks #shoplocal #supportlocal #community #tabootopics #witchcraft #magic #workshop #virtualevent

Thank you to everyone who came out for Christina’s reading and book signing yesterday. We appreciate your support so much! And a big thanks to our partner for this event, @levirtuphila. It was the perfect setting for a magical and socially distanced event. If you haven’t dined at their patio yet, you should! * We still have copies of SHE IS A BEAST in stock, along with broadsides (free with every purchase). Come by the shop today to grab yours! #anovelidea #bookstore #eastpassyunk #southphilly #indiebooks #shoplocal #supportlocal #community #authorevent #sheisabeast #levirtu #christinarosso

We’re sure everyone’s feeling a little stir crazy at this point in Covid. So why not up your cocktail game? Introducing the Too Long At Home Bundle. $40.00 (plus tax). Save 20%! DM or email to order. #anovelidea #bookstore #eastpassyunk #southphilly #indiebooks #shoplocal #supportlocal #community #stayhome #stayhydrated #bookbundle

Looking forward to this event!

NEWPRODUCTALERT We are excited to announce a line of A Novel Idea candles, handmade by Alex and Christina. Coming to the shop this weekend are two scents: lavender and green tea. These soy wax candles are currently available in 7 ounce glass containers. Come by the shop to grab yours! #anovelidea #bookstore #eastpassyunk #southphilly #indiebooks #shoplocal #supportlocal #community #candles #homemade

The murder of George Floyd has prompted widespread conversations about racial injustice throughout the country, and Philadelphia is no exception. Philadelphians have taken to the streets to protest the oppression that has dominated our history. One object of focus has been the Christopher Columbus statue in Marconi Plaza. Though now boxed up, it continues to idolize colonization and cultural erasure in South Philadelphia. Less than a mile away, along the commercial corridor o...f East Passyunk, a stereotypical image of a Native American in a Western Plains headdress appears on telephone poles, street signs, and manhole covers. This example of cultural appropriation is not a single occurrence. Join us for a discussion examining issues of erasure and gentrification, and their roots in settler colonialism, in this neighborhood. Touching on the themes of the 2020 One Book, One Philadelphia selection There There by Tommy Orange, this event will feature a change-based conversation with Steve Burton, a member of the Ramapough and the New Jersey Commission on American Indian Affairs; Pastor John Norwood, Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Judge and former Tribal Councilman and author of We Are Still Here; and Adam Leiter, Executive Director of the East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District. Thursday, November 5th 7:30pm EST via Crowdcast Register now at the link in our bio! #anovelidea #bookstore #eastpassyunk #southphilly #indiebooks #shoplocal #supportlocal #community #virtualevent #socialjustice

Re-Imagining Myths Workshop In this virtual class, we will look at several re-imagined myths by contemporary writers and discuss how the authors have changed the centuries-old tales of gods and monsters. We will do several generative writing exercises, looking at how changing various aspects of a myth can shape it into something new. The class will culminate in working toward creating our own re-imagined myths. This workshop is open to both poet and fiction writers. All writi...ng levels are welcome. Led by @christinarossoschneider. Tuesday, November 17th 7-9:30pm EST via Zoom $40.00 Christina Rosso-Schneider lives and writes in South Philadelphia with her rescue pup, Atticus Finch, and bearded husband, Alex, where they run an independent bookstore and event space called A Novel Idea on Passyunk. She received an MFA in Creative Writing and MA in English from Arcadia University in 2016. Her debut chapbook, SHE IS A BEAST (APEP Publications), was released in May 2020. CREOLE CONJURE, her first full-length collection, is forthcoming from Maudlin House. Her fiction and nonfiction work centers around gender, sexuality, and fairy tales, and has been nominated for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize. Learn more at christina-rosso.com. Register now at the link in our bio! #anovelidea #bookstore #eastpassyunk #southphilly #indiebooks #shoplocal #supportlocal #community #creativewriting #virtualevent #workshop #reimaginingmyths

Resurrecting Your Ghosts: How to Make Haunting Flash This workshop with flash author Madeline Anthes will highlight the idea of resonance, one of the key components to flash fiction and nonfiction. Through readings and exercises, this workshop will use memories and emotions as a springboard for creating haunting flash. Sunday, November 8th 12-2pm via Zoom... $15-25 sliding scale 50% of proceeds going to the Okra Project Madeline Anthes is a writer from Cleveland, Ohio. Recently, she won the Barren Magazine Flash Fiction Award, had an Editor’s Choice pick in CRAFT Magazine‘s flash fiction contest, and was a finalist for the SmokeLong Quarterly flash fiction award. Her fiction has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best Microfiction, Best Small Fictions, and her flash has been longlisted for Wigleaf’s Top 50 Very Short Fictions. She is the Assistant Editor of Lost Balloon and her first collection, Now We Haunt This Home Together, was published in May, 2020. Register now at the link in our bio! #anovelidea #bookstore #eastpassyunk #southphilly #indiebooks #shoplocal #supportlocal #community #virtualevent #workshop #flashfiction