march '25 magic
the resistance, vampires, and middle ages (but make it gay)
hello, dear ones.
Welcome back to the story-wood. Before we dive between the brambles and follow the hares to the meadows, I want to speak with you about something. You—who reads of rebellion and quest, tyranny and resistance, who seeks the blueprint for better worlds within the turn of the pages.
You may already know Mahmoud Khalil, a Pro-Palestine leader of nonviolent student protests, has been kidnapped by ICE under false pretenses. There are a number of reasons why this is both unjust and terrifying. I’d like to share the words of Seth Anderson-Oberman, our executive director at Reclaim Philadelphia, which includes some action items, below.
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“Trump’s administration has crossed another dangerous line. Mahmoud Khalil, a nonviolent student protest leader, has been kidnapped by ICE under the false pretense that he was on a student visa. This is misinformation—Mahmoud has a green card and is married to a U.S. citizen who is eight months pregnant with their child. His detention is not about immigration status; it is about criminalizing dissent.
Whether or not you agree with Mahmoud’s pro-Palestine stance, his arrest is a direct attack on our First Amendment rights. He helped lead peaceful demonstrations, yet Trump and his goons are using the cover of antisemitism to justify repression. This isn’t just about him—it’s about the broader assault on our right to speak, protest, and organize.
This is a line in the sand in the march toward fascism. Trump is testing how far he can go in suppressing dissent. If we don’t fight back now, there will be no ground left to stand on later. Today it’s Palestine, but tomorrow they will target free speech that supports trans rights, racial justice and climate activists.
Congress Must Act—Call Now
So far, only 14 Democratic members of Congress have signed a letter demanding Mahmoud’s release. Not a single one is from Philadelphia. That must change immediately.
Call your Congressional Representative right now and demand they take action to:
Publicly call for Mahmoud’s immediate release
Condemn Trump’s weaponization of ICE against political activists
Defend the First Amendment before it’s too late
Here are the office numbers for Philadelphia’s representatives—make the call, then forward this email:
Rep. Dwight Evans – (215) 276-0340
Rep. Brendan Boyle – (267) 335-5643
Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon – (610) 626-2020
Rep. Madeleine Dean – (215) 884-4300
Every minute Mahmoud remains in custody, the government gets bolder in its attack on our rights. Flood their offices with calls.
Then… join us Monday March 17th on the North Side of City Hall at 5:30 PM! Free our Speech! Free Mahmoud! Sign-up here: bit.ly/FreeMahmoudKhalil
Stand up to fascism. Make your voice heard. Let them know they can't silence us!”
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Thank you for reading Seth’s message. We live, as we always have, in dangerous times, and we’ll only get through if we stick together. So, take my hand, won’t you? The story-wood awaits.
what i’ve been reading.
A peek into what I’ve been reading! As always, because we’re in this private little space, I’ll be more forthcoming and honest with you about how I felt. The intention is always to help guide you, my lovely readers, not to tear anyone down. (And on the rare occasion my intention is, in fact, to tear someone down, tbh they probably deserve it!!!) I would LOVE if you discussed these books with me in the comments!
THIS WORLD IS NOT YOURS by Kemi Ashing-Giwa—3/5—I was excited for this one, but unfortunately it felt more like a draft or a short story to me than anything else. There’s a lot of interesting premise; in particular I enjoy the not-quite-linear storytelling. And I’m always down for a toxic sapphic couple. But at no point do the characters really grow beyond pawns for the plot—and, even worse, the plot just isn’t strong enough to make up for that lack of characterization. It’s a quick read, so if it’s on your TBR, by no means should it come off, I don’t think. It’s just … a bit forgettable, I’m afraid.
grab a copy: Bookshop.org | LibroFM | Philadelphia Library | Spiral
MARY AND THE RABBIT DREAM by Noemi Kiss-Deaki—3.25/5—this is a translation, which always brings in the issue of not knowing whether you’re critiquing the translator’s work or the writer’s, or (perhaps most realistically) a bit of both. Again, we have what I find to be a fascinating premise: taking the tale of Mary Toft, the rabbit-birther, and transforming it into a commentary on class and gender. Cool, sign me up. There’s some particularly searing parts of this book, but overall, the style it’s written in seems to do little more than appeal to people who want to feel smarter for reading works they deem literary or complex or difficult. I’m always excited by experimentation with structure and language, but when it gets in the way of the story itself … I find that kind of useless, personally.
grab a copy: Bookshop.org |Spiral
SO THIRSTY by Rachel Harrison—3/5—vampires are having a moment again (well, they’re always having a moment, just in varying degrees) and I’m always here for that, tbh. This book is a fun exploration into female friendship, what women are willing to put up with in life, and what exactly it means to be a monster. I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more were the cast not entirely white (or at least white-appearing, OR perhaps I’m just fucking stupid and can’t read) and if this didn’t often kind of veer into … white feminism vampires, I guess? I don’t know. This could’ve been really good if Harrison had let things be a bit more complex and really investigated some of the themes she brought up. For something that often looks like it’s going to dig deeper into complex morality, it just always falls a little short, at least for me. But arguably, that makes this book more commercially viable, so there’s that reality.
grab a copy: Bookshop.org | LibroFM | Philadelphia Library | Spiral
LUCY UNDYING by Kiersten White—4/5—listen, if you told me that we were gonna combine gender politics + MLMs + vampires, I would’ve been excited but unclear on how anyone could pull that off. Well, I would argue White nearly nails it. This book is long, sometimes meandering, and unfortunately bogged down in a few places, but it’s incredibly fun, smart and deeply engaging in a way White has really mastered. There’s both healthy and toxic sapphic relationships to play with here, plus a great commentary on the way that (all too often) men view women as something to be consumed and controlled, and how women gleefully cannibalize each other in the name of power. I’m not convinced this couldn’t have been shortened up and tightened by a heavier edit, but it’s fresh and well-written, plus it’s got a beautiful cover. I recommend picking this one up!
grab a copy: Bookshop.org | LibroFM | Philadelphia Library | Spiral
on my TBR.
OATHBOUND by Tracy Deonn, which I’ve exercised a LOT of restraint in not diving into the second I had my lil hands on it.
BLOOD OVER BRIGHT HAVEN by M.L. Wang, for Capricorn’s book club later this month (though I had a copy already because it sounds like a home-run.)
PROMISES & POMEGRANATES by Sav R. Miller, because I’m really really behind on my ARCs.
cool stuff happening.
FANTASY PANEL at Capricorn Books | April 4 at 7 PM EST
Join Katrina N. Lewis, Frankie Diane Mallis, Sheila Masterson and yours truly for an evening of fantasy fun at the gorgeous Capricorn Books in Jenkintown! We’ll be donating all proceeds of the tickets to the Attic Youth Center, plus there will be signed books, prizes for best-dressed and more! Wear that Ren Faire outfit you’ve been dying to put on again and we’ll see you there. More details here.
QUEER MEDIEVALISTS SALON on Zoom | March 16 at 3 PM EST
The University of Washington has pulled together the COOLEST group of people (that I somehow snuck into????) to chat about queer identity, artistic inspiration, and the Middle Ages. Gabrielle Bychowski (medievalist, trans activist, writer), Genevieve Gornichec (Author of The Witch's Heart and The Weaver and the Witch Queen), Kelsey Hine (slow fashion, ixdoxdeclare on IG), Victoria Mier (author of Beyond the Aching Door and yours truly), Ash Nuñez (writer, poet, podcaster, artist, tea blender extraordinaire, oldgrowthalchemy on IG), Fyodor Pavlov (artist, fyodorpavlov on instagram), Alia Pyatt (cosplay, magicalblackgirlalia on instagram) and Gaiatri Sud (artist, maeowl on IG) will all be together in one virtual salon to chat! More details here.
things i loved recently.
This post helping you identify the bird calls you’re starting to hear as our part of the world wakes up from its winter sleep.
This gorgeous patch from Italian artist Lolle.
This announcement for a boxed SE set of Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness Quartet, which tbh changed my life as a kid.
until next time.
I hope you find ways to stay rooted in your community and create change. I hope your stories bring you comfort and challenge in equal amounts.
with love & rage,
Victoria