In the Loop: October 2023

Ready, Set, Ghoul!

October is our favorite month. We love it from top to bottom (and everything in between). Give us apple pie and lattes. Give us flannels and gothic novels. Give us creepy holiday displays and scary movies. Do not give us Raisinets, please. If you know, you know.

At PostScript, we are creepin' it real this spooky season. This month, find out how to cite an electronic (spell) book, witches! We've gathered a fang-tastic collection of links (all treats, no tricks). Check out this month's playlist for indie chills and thrills. And so much more. Happy haunting!

Editing Q & A: How to Cite a Scary e-Book

MLA

Squire, Lindsay. The Witch of the Forest's Guide to Natural Magick: Discover Your Magick. Kindle ed., Leaping Hare Press, 2021.

Chicago Notes
Pradas, Lidia. The Complete Grimoire: Magickal Practices and Spells for Awakening Your Inner Witch. Beverly, MA: Fair Winds Press, 2021. Kindle.

Chicago Author-Date
Greywolf, Anastasia. 2016. Witchcraft: A Handbook of Magic Spells and Potions. New York: Wellfleet Press. Kindle.

APA
Murphy-Hiscock, A. (2017). The green witch: Your complete guide to the natural magic of herbs, flowers, essential oils, and more. Adams Media.

[NB: For e-books, the device (e.g., Kindle, NOOK) is not included in the reference in APA style.]

A Spook-Tacular PS Playlist

What's the Diff?

There are a lot of sneaky words out there—words with similar spellings, similar sounds, or just similar vibes. Here’s the lowdown on some of those commonly swapped-by-accident words.

Hoard (n.): A hoard is a large amount of something valuable, an accumulation that is hidden away or carefully guarded for preservation or future use. For example, you might have a hoard of Halloween candy. As a verb, it means to accumulate a cache.

Horde (n.): A horde is a large group, a mass or crowd, often with connotations of wildness or fierceness (like a throng or swarm). For example, you might have a horde of zombies try to take your hoard of candy. Yikes!

Cool Guide: Super Scary Groups!

Stuff We Like

Sure, you can read about ghosts. But these books were written by ghosts.

Do you know the mysterious history of the Ouija board?

Watch this fun short from the comedic duo Key & Peele that images a zombie apocalypse with racist zombies.

“Our bad!” Women executed for witchcraft hundreds of years ago have recently been issued pardons or apologies.

The North American tradition of carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns has been around for a while, but did you know it comes from an old Irish folktale about Stingy Jack? Find out more about how people used to carve scary faces into turnips and use them as lights to scare away evil spirits.

If you want to read something scary this month, start with some of these horror books.

Martha Stewart knows what you should do with your leftover pumpkin seeds (post–pumpkin carving, that is).

"Scourge upon your Instagram!" and other curses from a millennial witch.

Everyone should know their roots. Even monsters can trace their origins.

Spooky season giving you the chills? Ever wonder what goosebumps are and what causes them? Then check out this handy explanation from the folks at Harvard Health.

The horror genre is often criticized for its lack of representation, but things are changing for the better! Check out this list of 19 essential LGBTQ+ horror movies. Who’s up for a scary film fest?

Listen to Rebecca Solnit read Harlem Renaissance writer Helene Johnson’s beautiful and haunting poem, “Trees at Night.”

Ever wonder why haunted houses are always creepy old Victorian mansions? Check out Erin Blakemore’s short history of the haunted house. Bonus points if you can spend the night in the spooky manor!

Load up your phone with episodes from Variety’s list of the top twelve horror movie podcasts. From classic horror films of the 1930s to Stephen King, from new horror cinema to queer horror, there’s something here for even the most die-hard horror fans!