Denise Alvarado was born and raised in the rich Creole culture of New Orleans, Louisiana. She has studied indigenous healing traditions from a personal and academic perspective for over four decades. She is the author of numerous books about Southern folk traditions. She is a rootworker in the Louisiana folk magic tradition, a spiritual artist, and a teacher of Southern conjure at Crossroads University. Learn more at www.creolemoon.com.
"Teacher and author Alvarado (The Magic of Marie Laveau, 2020)
brings readers into the magical side of New Orleans. She introduces
readers to many heroines of New Orleans history and folklore to
show that the magical and spiritual practices of Voodoo and Hoodoo
are not something to fear, as they are usually portrayed in media.
Alvarado includes quotes, biographical notes, and stories of
heroines such as Annie Christmas, Aunt Julia Brown, and Betsy
Toledano. Many of these women were of Black, Native American, or
Creole decent, activists for equality, and went against the gender
norms of their day. Their spiritual practices have a long living
history and continue to thrive today. Alvarado allows their stories
to live on in the written form for many to enjoy. This book is
recommended for those who wish to learn more about the real legacy
of Voodoo and Hoodoo and the ancestral women who practiced it."
―Booklist "Alvarado stirs each story with warmth, compassion, and
salvation while never once scorching the roux. This book is a must
have for any serious lover, devotee, or student of New Orleans from
an African-centered perspective."
―Mawiyah Kai EL-Jamah Bomani, award winning playwright, author of
Spring Chickens "New Orleans is legendary, complex, and delicious
and I suspect few people know it better than Denise Alvarado. Witch
Queens, Voodoo Spirits and Hoodoo Saints is her love story to the
practices in this great American city and to the diaspora that
carried it with them wherever they settled. This is as good as the
best gumbo."
―H. Byron Ballard, author of Seasons of a Magical Life "Denise
Alvarado's Witch Queens, Voodoo Spirits, and Hoodoo Saints is the
book I wish I could have read as my introduction to the folklore of
New Orleans. As my surname suggests, my family has a long history
in New Orleans and I have visited many times over more than fifty
years, since I was a small child. Despite a thorough grounding in
the spiritual history of New Orleans, I learned a lot from this
book. A superb account of the important spiritual figures, unusual
saints, and renowned practitioners of New Orleans -- a
multicultural crossroads with a fascinating religious history ---
Witch Queens, Voodoo Spirits, and Hoodoo Saints gives readers a
well-rounded picture of the cross-cultural spiritual "gumbo" of New
Orleans, America's most interesting city."
―Caroline Kenner, founder of The Fool's Dog Tarot app "Witch
Queens, Voodoo Spirits, and Hoodoo Saints: A Guide to Magical New
Orleans is filled with fascinating and lesser-known historical
facts alongside insightful, detailed, and intimate introductions to
the spectral or unseen-- but felt! -- New Orleans, hidden just
beneath the city's surface. Denise Alvarado brings to life the
powerful divine loa from Africa, as well as ancestral spirits, such
as Mamzelle Marie Laveau, who are the wisdom, truth, and power of
its Voodoo, Hoodoo, and witchcraft practices and lore, the
delicious cultural synergy or gumbo that is magical New
Orleans."
―Orion Foxwood, author of Mountain Conjure and Southern Rootwork
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