Archival, Testimony: Poetry and the Salem Witch Trials.

The author's book of poetry, 'The Afflicted Girls,' due to be published in 2004, reimagines the events surrounding the Salem witchcraft trials. The poems consider both the social structures in place and the personal relationships of the individuals involved. The author considers questions raised by scholarship at the turn of the 21st century regarding contemporary responses to the events both at the individual level and at the broader city and state levels. The article includes three poems from the book. Lepore comments that the poet's work ensures that diverse interpretations and reimaginings of Salem will endure but raises the question of whether they should endure.