To Walk in Clear Skies

In October 2018, Virginia stood where her 8th-great-grandfather, John Hale, helped execute twenty people for witchcraft. That was before his own wife (Virginia’s 8th-great-grandmother) was accused of being a witch. In this essay, Virginia reckons with her ancestral connection to the Salem Witch Trials and the nature of witchcraft itself. “To Walk in Clear Skies” was first published in the 77th issue of the Lincoln Center Theater Review.