Gerina Dunwich (born December 27, 1959, in Illinois) is a professional astrologer, occult historian, and New Age author, best known for her books on Wicca and various occult subjects. She is also involved in paranormal research and is the founder of the Paranormal Animal Research Group, which investigates cases of alleged hauntings by animal spirits. Her first newspaper article was published in October of 1976. It was an interview with singer/songwriter Jim Peterik from the local Chicago band, the Ides of March (and later, Survivor). By the spring of 1980 Dunwich was publishing a small press literary journal called Golden Isis, a one-woman operation that specialized in Goddess-inspired poetry and off-beat fiction.
In December of 1993 she moved to Fort Covington, New York, where she opened a small shop on High Street called "The Country Witch" (later renamed "The Calico Cat Whatnot Shop"), which sold antiques, curios and various occult supplies. She officially established Coven Mandragora on Candlemas 1996 and served as its High Priestess. That same year she established the Wheel of Wisdom School (an educational organization offering correspondence courses on the sabbats) and the Pagan Poets Society (a literary circle for writers and publishers of Pagan poetry), along with a local networking organization known as North Country Wicca. In February of 1998 she received a ministerial license from the Universal Life Church.
A respected spokesperson for the Wiccan/Pagan community, Dunwich has been a guest on numerous radio talk shows throughout the United States and Canada. She has lectured and presented workshops at festivals and gatherings across the country, such as the CraftWise Pagan Gathering (Waterbury, Connecticut), the Real Witches' Ball (Columbus, Ohio), and Panpipes' Pagan Day Festival (West Hollywood, California).
A member of the Fellowship of Isis, Circle, the Pagan Poets Society, the Authors Guild, and the Authors League of America, Dunwich's biography is listed in a number of reference works, such as Who's Who in the East; Personalities of America; The Wicca Source Book; The Modern Witch's Complete Sourcebook; and Crossroads: Who's Who of the Magickal Community (published by The Witching Well Education and Research Center, 1988). She is also mentioned in Anne Carson's Goddesses and Wise Women (The Crossing Press, 1992) and other works. Her articles, poetry, and reviews have appeared in numerous publications, including Sage Woman, Magical Blend, Circle Network News, Pagan Free Press, and American Woman.
In addition to her own book writing, Gerina Dunwich has contributed to:
Circles, Groves and Sanctuaries by Dan & Pauline Campanelli (Llewellyn, 1992) The Cat Book of Lists by Stephen J. Spignesi (New Page Books, 2001) A Witch Like Me by Sirona Knight (New Page Books, 2001) The Witch Book by Raymond Buckland (Visible Ink Press, 2002) Haunted Northern New York by Cheri Revai (North Country Books, 2002) The Action Hero's Handbook by Joe and David Borgenicht (Quirk Books, 2002) American Witch by Anthony Paige (Citadel Press, 2003) Encyclopedia of Haunted Places by Jeff Belanger (New Page Books, 2005) Llewellyn's Witches' Datebook (various years) Llewellyn's Witches' Calendar (various years) Llewellyn's Magical Almanac (various years) Llewellyn's Herbal Almanac (2001) Llewellyn's Spell-A-Day Calendar (2001)
