Brief this week as I’m prepping a scene for a live reading on October 8 (details to come):
- Modern-day alchemy: Researchers reveal that magnetic ‘rust’ performs as gold at the nanoscale – research from my alma mater. I gather it’s similar to nuclear transmutation, but I’ll leave it to the article to explain how this is and isn’t alchemy.
- Gone and Forgotten: The Sad Fate of the Witches of Prussia – witchcraft was never technically a crime in Prussia but persecution lasted until relatively late – this article records an 1811 execution. Illustrates that the line between venerated “wise woman” and witch was a fine one indeed.
- A Prideful and Naughty Coniurer: Tudor England’s Crackdown on Semi-Learned Male Magicians – in this case, educated former clergymen making their livings through magic after the English Reformation.