Always Haunted: Hallowe’en Poems by LindaAnn LoSchiavo, illustrations by Erin Caldwell, and cover by Ekaterina Orlovskaya. Wild Ink Publishing, 2024, 75 pp., pbk $12.99 ISBN: 978-1-958531-73-0
A Review by Sandra J. Lindow
Elgin winner LindaAnn LoSchiavo presents twenty-four witchy poems in six sections many of them based on research on true crimes and superstitious legends. Nine humorous, full-page, black and white illustrations enhance the reading experience while reflecting semi-pro zine illustrations from earlier times.
LoSchiavo seems to have a fascination for the past. In “Samhain” the first section, an eponymous poem contains these evocative lines: “Glass-blown interiors invite me there, / Strange iridescent skies pontilled with stars.” Interesting word choice: A pontil is a scar on a handblown bottle from Early American times. Pointilled means dotted. The next poems skip from Washington Irving’s “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (1820) to “Dracula Plans His Hallowe'en Soiree” where
routine tension sets in.
Expected entertainment, catering,
Décor: a bachelor like Dracula
Tries to outdo last year’s event — though some
Attended by mistake and won’t return
“Bewitchment,” the second section, focuses on legendary superstitions and true crimes. “Hetty Green, the ‘Witch of Wall Street’” describes the first woman to make a fortune betting on the stock market. She was, of course, vilified. “Secrets of the Spell” looks at superstitions surrounding Shakespeare’s Macbeth (the Scottish curse) through a feminist lens.
When males engage with chemicals, rank brines,
Intent on alchemy, employing fire,
Rapt by discoveries perhaps benign,
They’re being scientific, praised. They’ll bask
In backlit glows that manly fame bestows.
But
When females huddle over cauldron smoke […]
“Suspicious scribes malign spell-casting crones,
Implying they are doing devil’s work.
In “Graveyard,” section three, “Night on Bald Mountain, All Hallows Eve” was inspired by Mussorgsky’s tone poem (1867). Here
Robed figures holding torches silently
Walk widdershins, their circular footpaths
Becoming three concentric circles marked
By powder that’s combustible — and now
These rings of fire leap up, light the night.
“Erasure at Nightfall” is a haibun that includes this evocative line: “Crunching frost-crisped leaves underfoot produces a dry crackle like ghosts coughing.”
Section four, “Day of the Dead,” reflects on Mexican traditions, usually celebrated on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2. “Our Lady of the Holiest Death: Santissima Muerte” is a haibun that suggests “Devotees nibble tiny chocolate skulls on her feast day, hoping mortality can be as sweet.” It concludes with this evocative haiku:
Saint Death needs no gifts
empty-handed, you’re welcomed
shake hands with omnipotence and helplessness
Section 5, “Haunting” includes a section on “Dating the Undead,” and two abecedarians: “Apparitions Beckon Cautiously, Determined” contains this alliterative line: “pixelated poreless spirits pulse with curiosity” while “Honeymoon Homicide, 129 Spring Street, 1799” ends with a lexicon of 18th century terms such as a “beard splitter” is “a man given to wenching.”
The final section, “A Lighter Shade,” explains that “Emily Post’s Etiquette Book for Ghosts” is a must read “since spirits are unruly.” Circa 1945 or so, the accompanying illustration depicts a suspendered young ghost writing on a blackboard “I will not frighten the pets” while a woman types happily. Other poems feature singing bones and the returning ghost of LoSchiavo’s dead uncle.
In conclusion, Always Haunted is an engaging read. Lovers of books like Michael Lesy’s Wisconsin Death Trip (1973) will love this book. Recommended.
Sandra Lindow has served as Vice President and Acting President of SFPA. Her poetry has been seen in various markets including Asimov’s, Star*Line, Dreams and Nightmares, Dwarf Stars, and the Rhysling Anthologies. Her spec related editing includes Dwarf Stars, Eye to the Telescope, the second Rhysling winners anthology, Alchemy of Stars II, and most recently the 2025 Valentines Day page. She lives on a hilltop in Menomonie, Wisconsin where she attempts various strategies to keep varmints from eating her vegetables and perennials.
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