The Acid Queen: The Psychedelic Life and Counterculture Rebellion of Rosemary Woodruff Leary
Rosemary Woodruff Leary has been known only as the wife of Timothy Leary, the Harvard professor-turned-psychedelic high priest, whose jailbreak captivated the counterculture and whose life on the run with Rosemary inflamed the government. But Rosemary was more than a mere accessory. She was a beatnik, a psychonaut, and a true believer who tested the limits of her mind and the expectations for women of her time.
Long overlooked by those who have venerated her husband, Rosemary spent her life on the forefront of the counterculture, working with Leary on his books and speeches, sewing his clothing, and shaping—for better and for worse—the media’s narrative about LSD. Ultimately, Rosemary sacrificed everything for the safety of her fellow psychedelic pioneers and the preservation of her husband’s legacy.
Drawing from a wealth of interviews, diaries, archives, and unpublished sources, Susannah Cahalan writes the definitive portrait of Rosemary Woodruff Leary, reclaiming her narrative and her voice from those who dismissed her. Page-turning, revelatory, and utterly compelling, The Acid Queen shines an overdue spotlight on a pioneering psychedelic seeker.
Author Susannah Cahalan and Psychedelic Historian Erika Dyck will discuss The Acid Queen in a discussion moderated by April Pride.
About Susannah Cahalan
Charley Wininger is a psychotherapist, psychoanalyst, and mental health counselor in private practice since 1989, specializing in relationships and communication. He is a longtime member of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), an elder in New York’s psychedelic community, and a frequent lecturer on psychedelics and aging. Charley is the author of Listening to Ecstasy: The Transformative Power of MDMA, a book that chronicles his personal and professional journey with psychedelics, aging, and love. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Newsday, and on television. website
About Erika Dyck
Erika Dyck is a professor and a Canada Research Chair in the History of Health & Social Justice at the University of Saskatchewan. She is the author or co-author of several books, including Psychedelic Psychiatry (2008); Managing Madness (2017); The Acid Room (2022); and Psychedelics: A Visual Odyssey (2024). Erika is the co-editor of two McGill-Queen's University Press book series on the history of medicine and Intoxicating Histories. She is currently the President of the Alcohol and Drugs History Society.
About April Pride
Psychedelic Salon is hosted by SetSet founder April Pride, a Seattle-based cannabis and psychedelics educator, entrepreneur, & podcast host who advocates to improve health outcomes for women.
About SetSet
SetSet is a psychedelic integration platform for women that hosts psychedelic events in decriminalized cities throughout the US.