Interview with 'Salem in Seance' author Susana H. Case

"Salem in Seance" by Susana H. Case uniquely captures the drama and inhumanity of the legendary Salem Witch trials in 17th century Massachusetts, through a collection of poems. In my interview with Case she discusses the material and the writing process.

Q: What do you hope to accomplish with “Salem in Séance”?

A: I would hope first off that the poems be appreciated for their aesthetics. But I would also hope that it would lead readers to think about the way in which hysteria and oppression come about. Salem was not the first nor last of these sorts of incidents.

Q: Was it your intention to use this poetry to education readers about the Salem witch trials, in addition to moving them emotionally?

A: Yes, though it’s a story that many people know, through movies, or through Arthur Miller, for example. For me, as the major characters became vivid in my head, I found that I could hear them speaking to me and that I had things I wanted to say to them. This is the reason I sometimes interjected myself into the poems. It was also the reason for the title. I didn’t mean a séance in the mystical sense. Many of the poems, though not all, are persona poems, that is, they are written in the voice of the historical person—from that point of view. I felt compelled at times to respond, to insert myself into the poem as part of the story, and so I began to see the words as part of a séance in the traditional sense of the term, i.e., as the result of a sitting, a session among us.

Q: Do you think fear was the primary motive behind the atrocities committed against these individuals convicted of witchcraft?

A: I think there were a lot of motives. The accusations played to people’s fears about a world that was believed to exist, but couldn’t be seen. There were also issues of property and other forms of wealth. The area was split between the poorer and more rural Salem Village and the more prosperous (because of the harbors) Salem Town. The Salem Villagers were jealous and there wasn’t as much wealth in the land. Sex was also an issue.

Q: How long did it take you to write “Salem in Séance”?

A: About a year, including the time taken to refine it.

Q: What was the most challenging aspect of writing “Salem in Séance”?

A: I needed to resolve the differing perspectives in the literature as to why the events in Salem unfolded as they did and also to resolve for myself what it meant to be a female during that time. The accusers were also often female, but they were often children—and they were used by adults. There were few words then for adolescent disturbances. And even the lives of less disturbed children were bleak and boring by today’s standards. The adult accusers who were women were also victims of those struggling to obtain more power, or aligned with their families.

Q: Does an emotionally evocative book like this necessitate a certain mood when you’re writing, or were you able to work on it any time you wanted?

A: I’m good at compartmentalization, so I just do the writing and get into the story as I’m doing it. While I’m writing, I don’t really think about my own moods, but try to put myself into the characters and/or settings I’m writing about.