The Mystic Women of Salem (MWS) is going to be a photography book. With much encouragement from my son (who has many years of experience in the world of publishing)... MWS project was born. This will be a coffee table photo book...it will be large and beautiful (as most photo books are).
A photo series takes a tremendous amount of time. The average amount of time for a project this size before it's ready for publishing is anywhere from seven to ten years. Interviewing began in June, 2010. As of September 2011 forty nine women have been interviewed for consideration to become a Mystic Woman of Salem. The women selected (as of January, 2012) to participate in the project are listed under The Mystic Women button on the home page of this blogsite. Additional interviews will be conducted in 2012. After all interviews are completed, the remaining Mystic Women will be selected and notified. As a result of sheer numbers and the calibur of women, the bar has been set very high by the women themselves. At this point diversity is the focus for the remaining women to be considered for the project.
An essay that the women have written themselves will accompany each photograph on the adjacent page. The mysterious and historical sites in and around the Salem area will also be photographed. The exact layout and format of the book will be designed after all shooting has been completed. During the next several years I will be doing studio and location shoots. I may even do a show at the Ellison Center, Winfisky Art Gallery prior to the release of the book.
A draft of the woman's story must be brought to the interview and will play an important role in the selection process. For women already chosen, a draft of their story MUST be brought to the shoot or faxed to the Project Manager at foxhagen@hotmail.com
The criteria is as follows: a) women only b) must be mystical (broad, I know) c) must live/work in Salem or the surrounding area d) must sign a model release prior to shoot. Please feel free to give my email address out to women that you think would be interested in being featured in the book. If the first book does well, I will do two more, the second being NEW ENGLAND’S ANCIENT ARTISTS OF BELLYDANCE and then the third and crowning glory, will be THE WITCHES OF SALEM.
Thanks for your interest!
Rebecca Fox, alluresol@hotmail.com
