Anna Riva
Encyclopedia
Anna Riva was the pen name of Dorothy Spencer, who was a well-known American
occult
author and manufacturer of hoodoo spiritual supplies. According to Catherine Yronwode
, "Anna Riva" was a nom de plume that this author used only in her writing and business; Anna was her mother's name and Riva was her daughter's name.
In Spiritual Merchants, Carolyn Morro Long described how the "1970s and 1980s saw the publication of a new crop of spell books" for products available from the same companies selling the books. "The best-known of these writers is the extremely prolific Dorothy Spencer, who writes under the name 'Anna Riva.'"
When Spencer retired in the late 1990s, her company, International Imports of Los Angeles, was purchased by Indio Products. The owner of Indio Products, Marty Meyer, stated that the woman known as Anna Riva was suffering from Alzheimer's disease
in 2000. In Spiritual Merchants (2001), Carolyn Long wrote "Dorothy Spencer is now quite elderly and, unfortunately, suffers from Alzheimer's disease, so I was unable to interview her."
Anna Riva's magical oils, incenses and powders are sold by numerous occult suppliers, along with her books.
According to Craft Magick, Dorothy Spencer was born in 1923 and began writing as Anna Riva in the 1960s. She died in 2005.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
author and manufacturer of hoodoo spiritual supplies. According to Catherine Yronwode
Catherine yronwode
Catherine "Cat" Yronwode is an American writer, editor, graphic designer, typesetter, publisher, and practitioner of folk magic with an extensive career in the comic book industry....
, "Anna Riva" was a nom de plume that this author used only in her writing and business; Anna was her mother's name and Riva was her daughter's name.
In Spiritual Merchants, Carolyn Morro Long described how the "1970s and 1980s saw the publication of a new crop of spell books" for products available from the same companies selling the books. "The best-known of these writers is the extremely prolific Dorothy Spencer, who writes under the name 'Anna Riva.'"
When Spencer retired in the late 1990s, her company, International Imports of Los Angeles, was purchased by Indio Products. The owner of Indio Products, Marty Meyer, stated that the woman known as Anna Riva was suffering from Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
in 2000. In Spiritual Merchants (2001), Carolyn Long wrote "Dorothy Spencer is now quite elderly and, unfortunately, suffers from Alzheimer's disease, so I was unable to interview her."
Anna Riva's magical oils, incenses and powders are sold by numerous occult suppliers, along with her books.
According to Craft Magick, Dorothy Spencer was born in 1923 and began writing as Anna Riva in the 1960s. She died in 2005.