I write, teach, and make magic for all forms of justice and bright futures.

My bio:

BrightFlame (she/they) writes, teaches, and makes magic for bright futures. In addition to her witchy, solarpunk, contemporary fantasy novel, The Working, her climate fiction is featured in Bright Green Futures, Solarpunk Creatures, Bioluminescent, Solarpunk Magazine, and elsewhere. Her acclaimed workshops for magical and mainstream audiences foster interconnection and resilience. She co-founded the Center for Sustainable Futures at Columbia University and is a member of SFWA, the Climate Fiction Writers League, and Brooklyn Speculative Fiction Writers. She lives on Lenape territory (Turtle Island/US) with a human, a forest, turtles, fungi, and other nonhumans.

More:

My adult speculative novel THE WORKING is here: Bookshop (or wherever books are sold). It’s perfect for those who cry Yes! to feminist Witches. A modern coven must thwart a looming eco-cataclysm and find the key to the bright futures we need.

Within a riveting story that traverses the astral and physical realms, I embed my flavor of magic and activism, plus Ancestor wisdom. Readers hail THE WORKING for its diverse characters, chosen family, and hope. Full info here.

My climate fiction is featured in Bright Green Futures (Twisted Space, 2025),  Solarpunk Creatures (World Weaver Press, 2024), Bioluminescent (Android Press, 2023), in Issue 6 of Solarpunk Magazine, and elsewhere.

I have a growing number of cli-fi stories on submission, and will collect my stories set in the same solarpunk future, different timeframes into a mosaic novel.

I write nonfiction for the Columbia University sustainability education center I’m affiliated with, for instance “Towards Solarpunk Futures.” My essay “Weaving Magic in the Mundane” is included in Honoring the Wild (February 2023).

I enjoy taking part in panels and sessions at speculative fiction cons and book festivals. Recently at WriteHive, Wiscon, SFWA’s Quasar, Philcon, Readercon, and Flights of Foundry.

Active and teaching in the worldwide Reclaiming Tradition for decades, my workshops—including with internationally acclaimed author Starhawk— offer tools to shape our world. My recent Witchcamp teaching and workshops help us stay centered and resilient in these spinning times and widen our energy and effect on the world. I’ve offered versions of Solarpunk Narrative Arc, Storying a Bright Future, and more to both magical and mainstream audiences, including for book festivals and an international collaboration through Columbia University.

Solarpunk is a great descriptor of how I move through life. It describes my writing and teaching. See my article to understand more about this movement, genre, and vibe.

Peruse my writing and class offerings for more about my work.

Fun Facts

I’ve been teaching and priestexing in the worldwide ecofeminist, antiracist, non-hierarchical Reclaiming Tradition of Witchcraft for more than two decades. I love Reclaiming’s ecstatic ritual style and our blend of spirit and activism.

My pronouns are she or they.

My home is on the unceded territory of the Lenape, the Original People of the Hudson and Delaware River watersheds. I strive to be an ally to local Lenape Nations. Do you know the Original Caretakers of the land you call home? I urge you to find ways to support them.

With my partner, I tend a native plant sanctuary. It’s a very magical place that inspires my writing.

Find me in Frances F. Denny’s Major Arcana: Portraits of Witches in America. I’m in good company!

In the non-magical world, I’m affililated with the Center for Sustainable Futures at Columbia University and offer workshops for educators on storytelling and on how to make science experiential and visceral.

I’m an active member of SFWA, BSFW, the Climate Fiction Writers League, and Broad Universe.

An aside:

I’ve been using my magical name in the world for decades. I’m amazed (and perturbed) at the number of people and businesses using BrightFlame as their RPG (gaming) or business name. Perhaps you’ve come across this phenomenon when searching for me.