About the Author

Denise Alvarado was born and raised in the rich Creole culture of New Orleans, Louisiana. She has studied indigenous healing traditions from a personal and academic perspective for over four decades. She is the author of numerous books about Southern folk traditions. She is a rootworker in the Louisiana folk magic tradition, a spiritual artist, and a teacher of Southern conjure at Crossroads University. Learn more at www.creolemoon.com.

Reviews

"Teacher and author Alvarado (The Magic of Marie Laveau, 2020) brings readers into the magical side of New Orleans. She introduces readers to many heroines of New Orleans history and folklore to show that the magical and spiritual practices of Voodoo and Hoodoo are not something to fear, as they are usually portrayed in media. Alvarado includes quotes, biographical notes, and stories of heroines such as Annie Christmas, Aunt Julia Brown, and Betsy Toledano. Many of these women were of Black, Native American, or Creole decent, activists for equality, and went against the gender norms of their day. Their spiritual practices have a long living history and continue to thrive today. Alvarado allows their stories to live on in the written form for many to enjoy. This book is recommended for those who wish to learn more about the real legacy of Voodoo and Hoodoo and the ancestral women who practiced it."
―Booklist "Alvarado stirs each story with warmth, compassion, and salvation while never once scorching the roux. This book is a must have for any serious lover, devotee, or student of New Orleans from an African-centered perspective."
―Mawiyah Kai EL-Jamah Bomani, award winning playwright, author of Spring Chickens "New Orleans is legendary, complex, and delicious and I suspect few people know it better than Denise Alvarado. Witch Queens, Voodoo Spirits and Hoodoo Saints is her love story to the practices in this great American city and to the diaspora that carried it with them wherever they settled. This is as good as the best gumbo."
―H. Byron Ballard, author of Seasons of a Magical Life "Denise Alvarado's Witch Queens, Voodoo Spirits, and Hoodoo Saints is the book I wish I could have read as my introduction to the folklore of New Orleans. As my surname suggests, my family has a long history in New Orleans and I have visited many times over more than fifty years, since I was a small child. Despite a thorough grounding in the spiritual history of New Orleans, I learned a lot from this book. A superb account of the important spiritual figures, unusual saints, and renowned practitioners of New Orleans -- a multicultural crossroads with a fascinating religious history --- Witch Queens, Voodoo Spirits, and Hoodoo Saints gives readers a well-rounded picture of the cross-cultural spiritual "gumbo" of New Orleans, America's most interesting city."
―Caroline Kenner, founder of The Fool's Dog Tarot app "Witch Queens, Voodoo Spirits, and Hoodoo Saints: A Guide to Magical New Orleans is filled with fascinating and lesser-known historical facts alongside insightful, detailed, and intimate introductions to the spectral or unseen-- but felt! -- New Orleans, hidden just beneath the city's surface. Denise Alvarado brings to life the powerful divine loa from Africa, as well as ancestral spirits, such as Mamzelle Marie Laveau, who are the wisdom, truth, and power of its Voodoo, Hoodoo, and witchcraft practices and lore, the delicious cultural synergy or gumbo that is magical New Orleans."
―Orion Foxwood, author of Mountain Conjure and Southern Rootwork