As a child, author Richard Brewster discovered a book in his attic that once belonged to the chief judge of the 1692 Salem witch trials and which contained eerie, handwritten notes about being haunted by “Evil Spirits.” Witchcraft Legacy: Stories from the Big Attic" traces the journey of that book and the lives it touched as it passed from hand to hand over the generations. The book was written during the pandemic lockdown and influenced by the concept of the Native American talking circle, which the author had used as a teaching tool in his classes on negotiation and conflict resolution in the New York State prison system. Please join Richard Brewster for a discussion and Q&A about the creation of Witchcraft Legacy, the nature and origins of the talking circle, and the circle’s power to build a sense of community and understanding among diverse people.

Richard Brewster Bio:

Rich Brewster is a mediator in New York City, following 40 years of trial and litigation practice, divided between commercial litigation and public service in the criminal justice area. He received his B.A. in the Classics from Princeton and his law degree from Harvard Law School. In his public service career, Rich served as Chief of the Criminal Division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, a Special Prosecutor in Kings County and Special Litigation Counsel in the New York State Attorney General’s Office. He is an Adjunct Professor of Law at both New York Law School and The Benjamin Cardozo School of Law and the author of Witchcraft Legacy: Stories from the Big Attic, Protean Press, 202