Constructing a Witch

by Helen Ivory

Despite the Devil being conceived to direct human baseness away from our goodly selves, there has always been sin in the world. The Bible has it that woman is the weaker vessel, therefore her inferior ways could easily let the Devil into the house, and into her oh so corruptible body – and thus the story begins.

Helen Ivory’s new collection Constructing a Witch fixes on the monstering and the scapegoating of women and on the fear of ageing femininity. The witch appears as the barren, child-eating hag; she is a lustful seductress luring men to a path of corruption; she is a powerful or cantankerous woman whose cursing must be silenced by force.

These bewitching poems explore the witch archetype and the witch as human woman. They examine the nature of superstition and the necessity of magic and counter-magic to gain a fingerhold of agency, when life is chaotic and fragile. In the poems of Constructing a Witch Helen Ivory investigates witch tourism, the witch as outsider, cultural representations of the witch, female power and disempowerment, the menopause, and how the female body has been used and misunderstood for centuries.

With ten collage illustrations by Helen Ivory.

Genres: Poetry

96 pages, Paperback

Published December 3, 2024

Reviews

[Clare Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helen IvoryConstructing a Witch

An Intoxicating Richness

There is an intoxicating richness to Helen Ivory’s latest collection ‘Constructing a Witch’. Published in October 2024 by Bloodaxe Books, it is already on its second print run and I can fully appreciate why. It bristles with bold wordplay, supported by wide-ranging, detailed research. The cover subtly sets the tone: the bewitching coolness of midnight blue, enhanced by a doll’s stark white robes reflected in the still pool. Aside from the more obvious associations with ducking stools and trial by water, the use of reflection immediately reinforces notions of multiple, even shifting perspectives and the suggestion that things are never quite what they seem.

This collection weaves its enthralling way through artwork, word and theme. It is an enlightening exploration of transformation in its many guises, at times ‘dark as a cellar’, at others ‘a chimney {roaring] …with the glory of it all’. It is also transformative in its impact, challenging us to think again about ‘the foul embarrassment / of ageing female bodies’. Helen Ivory invites us to rewrite our stories ‘in dragon’s blood with oil of cinnamon’, which she promises can withstand both ‘meddling hands’ and ‘buckets of caustic’. She advises that ‘each woman should make her own figure from scratch’ because as she later reminds us, in a glorious celebration of our unique qualities, ‘Lo, you are supreme!’

[Sujatha Menon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful, clever and witty book has made me fall even deeper in love with poetry. Its Chaucerian vibe is haunting and magical yet is also threaded with references to contemporary life. This stark juxtaposition makes for utterly delicious reading that is both moving and deeply engaging. Constructing a Witch is not just a book of poetry but a very well researched study on the discourse of witches and witchcraft. Its lyrical handling of narratives is so skilful that you will feel transported into a world from where you can never quite come back. An extraordinary work of literary creativity.

[GretchenGround · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best poetry collections I've read in the past year. A brilliantly eclectic and multi-faceted take on the subject, including collage-poems, and wonderful ekphrastic poems after Dante Gabriel Rosetti, Leonora Carrington, and intruiging less well-known studies: 'There comes a point in every woman's life / when she transmutes into The Spirit of the Storm . . . get out and find a fitting auditorium'. With spells and testaments to and of those historically accused of witchcraft, this builds to even more than the sum of its parts.

[Sue Finch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way Helen Ivory has explored the witch archetype in this collection. The reader is able to immerse themselves in this exploration, and there is a wonderful width to the angles and lenses through which the different elements are viewed.

Hearing a selection of the poems read aloud by the author also added to my enjoyment of this collection and I highly recommend the experience. Taster here via Meet the Poet from Home Stage: https://youtu.be/WaCYJAu2V74?si=wOYx5...

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cauldron of poems stirs a beautifully linguistic potion where a witch has many guises from ‘practitioner of forgotten ways’ to a ‘night hag’, where ‘rain is the sky’s voice ’ and ‘night is the underside of a raven’s wing’. Immersed in the feminine, poems range from creation to menopause and aging and speak of both magic and the everyday. A book I will definitely reread.

[Dela Bela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Its so evocative and well researched. The poetry is absorbing and i read it in one sitting.
You will love it.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant poetry, cleverly using historic tales and documents about witches and relating these to the fear and oppression of women as the “other”. Loved it.

[Gary Longden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bewitchingly good. Contemporary poetry at its best. Ivory seamlessly weaves the dark arts of the past into a compelling modern offering. Erudite but light, dense yet accessible.

[Melody Soundy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars

[Ralph Dartford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine collection. It’s playfulness makes it very serious
about its subject matter. Lyrical when it needs to sing and direct when it craves your attention and call you to action.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love any of these poems but they were all interesting and I liked the art.

[Tôpher Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Co-mingling the historical with modern concepts of witchcraft and witches, these weirding poems create a tantalising glamour of horror, magic and humour. Weaving words like spells Helen Ivory has conjured up a powerful feminist evocation of witchery.