Author Event: How to Kill a Witch by Zoe Venditozzi and Claire Mitchell
Old Town Books 130 S Royal St, Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Old Town Books
2026 Eventbrite banners - 9.25 How to Kill a Witch
How to Kill a Witch authors Zoe Venditozzi and Claire Mitchell are coming to Old Town Books on September 25th at 7 PM
One of our favorite titles from the 2025 Holiday Gift Guide, How to Kill a Witch is now available in paperback. And the authors Zoe Venditozzi and Claire Mitchell are coming to the U.S.!
You do not want to miss this chance to hear Zoe and Claire in person and get your copy of How to Kill a Witch signed!
About the Book:
Nothing brings people together like a common enemy, and witches were the greatest enemy of all.
Scotland, 1563: Crops failed. People starved. And the Devil's influence was stronger than ever—at least, that's what everyone believed. If you were a woman living in Scotland during this turbulent time, there was a very good chance that you, or someone you knew, would be tried as a witch.
During the chaos of the Reformation, violence against women was codified for the first time in the Witchcraft Act—a tool of theocratic control with one chilling goal: to root out witches and rid the land of evil. What followed was a dark and misogynistic chapter in history that fanned the flames of witch hunts across the globe, including in the United States and beyond.
In How to Kill a Witch, Zoe Venditozzi and Claire Mitchell, hosts of the popular Witches of Scotland podcast, unravel the grim yet absurdly bureaucratic process of identifying, accusing, trying, and executing women as witches. With sharp wit and keen feminist insight, they reveal the inner workings of a patriarchal system designed to weaponize fear and oppress women.
This captivating (and often infuriating) account, which weaves a rich tapestry of trial transcripts, witness accounts, and the documents that set the legal grounds for the witch hunts, exposes how this violent period of history mirrors today's struggles for justice and equality. How to Kill a Witch is a powerful, darkly humorous reminder of the dangers of superstition, bias, and ignorance, and a warning to never forget the past… while raising the question of whether it could ever happen again.
About the Authors:
ZOE VENDITOZZI lives in NE Fife, Scotland and has worked in education for more than twenty years. CLAIRE MITCHELL, KC, works as a criminal lawyer. The authors are the creators of the Witches of Scotland podcast, and their work led to the First Minister of Scotland issuing a formal state apology in 2022 to all those accused of Witchcraft in Scotland—the first time in 300 years there had been any formal recognition of those who were wrongly accused.
