The Magic of Community: Michelle Tea on Writing, Witchcraft & Creating Artistic Spaces

Your Art Is A Spell

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 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 community you've been seeking all along? Listen to the full episode now!

0:00 - Introduction to the podcast "Your Art is a Spell" with guest Michelle Tea
0:10 - Host introduces Michelle Tea and reads her bio
1:37 - Welcome and conversation begins
2:01 - Michelle shares how she's doing and discusses processing current events
4:38 - Discussion about using creative work as a refuge during difficult times
4:56 - Michelle's art journey and how she became a writer
7:08 - Michelle's first published writing (Christian Death interview)
8:24 - Michelle's brief college experience and decision to be a writer
9:01 - Moving to San Francisco and discovering the literary and poetry scenes
10:08 - The beginning of Sister Spit with Sini Anderson
11:07 - Michelle's experience in a band and how it led to the Sister Spit tour
12:00 - Evolving from poetry to narrative writing, influenced by Eileen Miles
13:21 - Getting published with help from Eileen Miles and Chris Kraus
14:28 - Transition from performance writing to writing for readers
15:45 - Discussion about audience and who Michelle writes for
17:22 - The challenges of writing for larger publishers and maintaining authentic voice
21:28 - Finding her voice again while working on a new book
24:47 - Discussion about the precarious nature of making a living as an artist
26:12 - The story behind Dopamine Books and its name
28:01 - Michelle's experience with Radar Productions nonprofit in San Francisco
30:44 - The process of starting her own publishing press
32:57 - Structure of Dopamine Books as a nonprofit press
33:58 - Discussion about the Witch Anthology
36:29 - Q&A section begins
36:52 - Question about how changing economic landscapes have affected artistic communities
40:35 - Question about Michelle's go-to tarot deck
43:06 - Question about how Michelle determines if something is substantial enough to be a book vs. an essay
46:04 - Question about knowing when to let a project go versus keeping at it
49:44 - Question about how Michelle's practice as a witch informs her writing process
54:11 - Closing and how to connect with Michelle (Instagram: @michelleteaz)
55:22 - Host's closing reflections about artistic evolution and community
58:07 - Podcast outro and invitation to subscribe

To learn more about Michelle Tea:
https://www.instagram.com/michelleteaz/
https://www.michelle-tea.com/

Dopamine Press
https://www.instagram.com/dopaminebooksla/

The WITCH Anthology is being released via Dopamine Press on May 20, 2025
https://bookshop.org/p/books/witch-anthology-michelle-tea/21662848?aid=100032&ean=9781635902457&listref=dopamine-titles

Dopamine Press Is Hosting a Book Release Event on 5/20 at The Philosophical Research Society
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/michelle-teas-witch-anthology-panel-discussion-book-launch-tickets-1320690223009

To Watch / Listen to More Episodes from Your Art Is A Spell
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVN8TPFy9dYKoNr4LjNV9yDajN-ILKNR&si=1WF6GkfQh2pGfrzl

To send Edgar a voice note
https://www.speakpipe.com/YouArtIsASpell

To learn more about Edgar and their art
www.yourartisaspell.com

To learn about Edgar's private practice Therapy With Edgar
www.therapywithedgar.com

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https://www.edgarfabianfrias.org/sign-up-to-my-newsletter

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