Witches

The Transformative Power of Women Working Together

Sam George-Allen

A celebration of the revolutionary potential of women working with other women, and a powerful statement about myths like the “cool girl” or the “catty workplace.”

Covens. Girl bands. Ballet troupes. Convents. In all times and places, girls and women have come together in communities of vocation, of necessity, of support. And wherever women gather, magic happens. Female farmers change the way we grow our food. Online beauty communities democratise the intricacies of skincare. Teen girls invent phrases that enter the urban lexicon, and choose our next pop superstars.

Patriarchal societies have long been content to uphold men’s and boys’ clubs, while viewing groups that exclude men as sites of rivalry and suspicion. In this deeply personal exploration of what women make together, Sam George-Allen delves into workplaces, industries and social groups to dismantle the cultural myth of female isolation and uncover the inherent revolutionary potential of these groups.

Thoughtful, intimate, and convincing, Witches is a long-overdue celebration of the power and pleasure of working with other women.

Sam George-Allen is an Australian writer and musician. Her essays, memoir and cultural criticism have been published in the Guardian, the Griffith Review, the Lifted Brow, LitHub, and Overland. She lives in a haunted village in the south of Tasmania with her partner, a dog, a cat, and five chickens. Witches is her first book.

“Engaging… An uplifting celebration of women’s power through communion.” —Kirkus

“Her words are carefully chosen to compellingly describe women’s experiences. These words are funny and kind; they are also angry, incredulous, demanding, smart, harsh, gentle, and complicated. Simply put, the stories she paints with these words are as multifaceted as the women she describes, just as women actually are.” —Booklist *Starred* Review

”Counters common misconceptions about female friendships . . . Compelling, thoroughly researched, and thoughtfully written.” —The Sydney Morning Herald

“While it takes into account the lived experiences of many kinds of women, Witches never offers one fixed definition of what it is to be a woman. Instead, it highlights the endless possibilities of what women can achieve by boosting each other up.” —Kill Your Darlings

“George-Allen uses Witches to make space for other women to speak.” —Sydney Review of Books

”This book is a forceful rejection of the titillating stories of female rivalry that are so tirelessly recycled in the office, in pop culture and in political discourse… full of surprising insights.” —Washington Post