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#153 - Tourmaline, Liberation Luminary

June 25, 2025 · 1 h 27 min

Show notes

It’s the Witch Wave Season 8 Finale! Tourmaline is an award-winning artist, filmmaker, writer, and activist whose work is dedicated to Black trans joy and freedom. She’s the author of the new book Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson, which is the first comprehensive – and utterly beautiful! - biography of the visionary trans activist. Her prior book, One Day in June, is a picture book about Marsha and the Stonewall Uprising.

Tourmaline is a TIME 100 Most Influential Person in the World awardee and a Guggenheim Fellow. She has frequently appeared on ABC News, as well as in the New York Times and Vogue. Her art is in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Tate, and the Getty Museum. She created the critically acclaimed film Happy Birthday, Marsha!, and she has directed Pride campaigns for Dove, Marc Jacobs, and Reebok. She previously worked with Queers for Economic Justice and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project.

Tourmaline lives in Miami, Florida, but she was able to join Pam in person in the podcast studio here in Brooklyn!

On this episode, Tourmaline discusses the magical activism of Marsha P. Johnson, the importance of freedom dreaming and liberatory manifestation, and how we can conjure future flourishing for all.

Pam also talks about the deep kinship between witches and the queer community, and answers a listener question about a bewitching gift for a new mom.

Check out the video of this episode over on YouTube (and please like and subscribe to the channel while you’re at it!)

Our sponsors for this episode are Ritual + Shelter, Mixed Color, Wheel of Fate, The Witch Summit, LOGOS Candles,  BetterHelp, PaganPagesOrg, and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

We also have print-on-demand merch like Witch Wave shirts, sweatshirts, totes, stickers, and mugs available now here, and all sorts of other bewitching goodies available in the Witch Wave shop.

And if you want more Witch Wave, please consider supporting us on Patreon to get access to detailed show notes, bonus Witch Wave Plus episodes, Pam’s monthly online rituals, and more! That’s patreon.com/witchwave

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