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Scott Cunningham
Scott Douglas Cunningham (June 27, 1956 – March 28, 1993) was an American writer. Cunningham is the author of several books on Wicca and various other alternative religious subjects. His work Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, is one of the most successful books on Wicca ever published;[1] he was a friend of notable occultists and Wiccans such as Raymond Buckland, and was a member of the Serpent Stone Family, and received his Third Degree Initiation as a member of that coven.[citation needed] Early lifeScott Cunningham was born at the William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, USA, the second son of prolific author Chester Grant "Chet" Cunningham[2] and Rose Marie Wilhoit Cunningham.[3] The family moved to San Diego, California in the fall of 1959 due to Rose Marie's health problems. The doctors in Royal Oak declared the mild climate in San Diego ideal for her. Outside of many trips to Hawaii, Cunningham lived in San Diego all his life. Cunningham had one older brother, Greg, and a younger sister, Christine. Scott was openly gay for much of his life. He studied creative writing at San Diego State University, where he enrolled in 1978. After two years in the program, however, he had more published works than several of his professors and dropped out of the university to write full-time. In the early 1980s Cunningham wrote "more than a dozen novels in various genres from adventure to horror",[4] using pseudonyms, such as "Cathy Cunningham" or "Dirk Fletcher", for his novels.[5] During this period he had as a roommate, magical writer Donald Michael Kraig and often socialized with Neopagan witchcraft writer Raymond Buckland, who was also living in San Diego at the time. WiccaIn 1980, Cunningham began initiate training under Raven Grimassi and remained as a first-degree initiate until 1982 when he left the tradition to pursue a solo practice of witchcraft.[6] DeathIn 1983, Scott Cunningham was diagnosed with lymphoma, which he successfully overcame. In 1990, while on a speaking tour in Massachusetts, he suddenly fell ill and was diagnosed with AIDS-related[7] cryptococcal meningitis. He suffered from several infections and died in March 1993. He was 36.[3] Published worksNon-Fiction
Fiction
Art by Robin WoodSeveral of Scott's books include black and white drawings and (in some editions) cover art by the Wiccan artist Robin Wood. Among these books are Magical Herbalism, Earth Power, and Earth, Air, Fire, Water. Videos
Film referencesNever Say Macbeth, a 2007 film, is based around a group of actors who battle the curse of Macbeth by using Scott's book, Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner. This film was released on DVD by Vanguard Cinema in August 2008.[11] See alsoNotes
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External links
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