As I’ve grown older, raised children, and seen the social and political climate proceed towards increasing aggressive confrontation, my creative intentions have changed with it – or rather, against it.

I’ve grown less interested in pushing audience boundaries with representations of violence and sex, and more interested in writing stories and making art that challenges the imagination.

We certainly need more stories that encourage kids of all ages to continue to believe in the impossible; stories of dragons and magic that open doorways to worlds beyond our own.

Adults, too, need stories that speak to the desire to let go in the presence of the ethereal, enjoy the appearance of the less grounded, or images of the comically absurd.

But I’m far from advocating for sanitized works of fiction. Nor am I looking for utopian worlds. Stories need conflict. Stories need strong and weak characters. Stories need characters with differences and frailties.

Movies like Oldboy and The Chaser are very violent. They’re also very artful. Some stories should indeed include violence, even graphic violence, but the vicarious thrill of violence should not be used to sell an anemic story.

Fantasy, as a genre, can deal imaginatively with naked aggression, violence and death, and at the same time give the creative imagination its due. There are plenty of creative people in the world ready for this task; but taking it up is a challenge. Each one of us must become a champion of the creative imagination.

Maggie MacCormack and the Witches’ Wheel is my humble contribution to that goal.