iPagan is an anthology of 59 contributions about Druidry, Shamanism, Witchcraft and Goddess Spirituality from forty authors, including some of the world's leading Pagan voices.
Topics focus on issues facing contemporary Paganism such as gender dynamics, sexuality, politics, and parenting. The writing itself is very much in the mode of personal narratives -- there are no well-researched and cited essays here, it's all experiential.
The wide variety of topics covered is a plus: readers get a chance to dip into ideas and perspectives while getting to know an author (ideally, leading them to seek out more of the authors' work). But that same variety can feel overwhelming, especially to a newcomer, as well as a bit shallow. Again, the latter issue can be solved by going to find more of the authors' work and going deeper that way.
I wish Editor Greenfield had included an introduction. iPagan suffers from not being placed in context -- why this anthology, now? Did the categories stand at the outset or were they part of the organization that came with the editing? As I mentioned earlier, there is a bit of 'kitchen sink' mentality as we have essays for beginners ("So you want to be a Druid?," "Lamia") included with interviews (Paul Davies), and challenging topics ("Civil Rights: A Pagan Perspective," "Paganism over the Rainbow"). Very frustratingly, there are no bookmarks or page numbers, so the reader must look for specific essays the long (and hard) way.
I found several essays particularly relevant, and suspect that each reader will find their own favorites.
Offered only as an ebook and for the tantalizing price of $0.99, I seriously recommend iPagan as absolutely worth it.
~review by Lisa Mc Sherry
Editor: Trevor Greenfield
Moon Books, 2017
ebook, $0.99
