season 1, episode 12 - broom boss with amina haswell

our guest for episode 12 is amina haswell! amina is a winnipeg based broomsquire (the official term for broom-maker) and the creative director and owner of prairie breeze folk arts studio (pbfas). pbfas is an artisan driven home décor and household essentials company, specializing in quality crafted brooms, brushes and other household essentials. amina was first drawn to the art of broom-making in 2011, attending various institutions in the US for in-depth training opportunities in folk arts. since then, she has been honing her skills in the folk-art form of broom-making, sharing ideas and collaborating with broom makers across canada and the us. amina also teaches the art form/trade to others which allows her to experiment and develop new techniques. amina is inspired by colour and fibers and so broom-making seemed like a natural fit.

amina spends her days binding naturally unprocessed broom corn (also known as sorghum bi-colour) grown locally on her acreage and imported from north american sources. amina binds them with natural and synthetic threads to make over 60 varieties of brooms and brushes in over 42 different colours. amina harvests many of the handles she uses in her broom making by foraging the forest for the perfect sticks in areas across manitoba and across canada when possible. you can find her online at prairebreezefolkartsstudio.com and on instagram @prairiebreezefolkarts.

each season we read a new book about witchcraft practices around the world with the #snortandcacklebookclub, with a book review by ash and the occasional guest helping us close out the season. this season's #snortandcacklebookclub read is witchcraft in early modern poland 1500-1800 by wanda wyporska.

take the fibre witch quiz at ashalberg.com/quiz. follow us on instagram @snortandcackle and be sure to subscribe via your favourite podcasting app so you don't miss an episode!

seasons 1-3 of snort & cackle are generously supported by the manitoba arts council.