Monday, January 6, 2014

Ask Baba Yaga: "One Morning I Am Emboldened and On Fire, But the Next I Am Choking in the Smoke"

Baba Yaga (& creatures) from The Tale of the Firebird by Gennady Spirin
Possibly the most perfect advice post for New Years and all the resolutions we make - even if we swear we're not going to do that to ourselves yet again...

This week's question and answer (via poet and oracle Taisia Kitaiskaia* of The Hairpin):
(Originally posted at The Hairpin HERE)

This exchange in the comments says so much:
  • How are these always SO GOOD? Is she actually a witch? (myeviltwin)
  • @myeviltwin Theory: all good female poets are part witch (j-i-a)
  • @j-i-a Ooh, I like that. Makes me extra glad I'm wearing my snake brooch today. (Cat Named Virtute)
Yes! The little things; "the paltriness of kindling". Reminds me of butterfly wing beats inciting monsoons... all I need is a good supply of kindling to take the initial steps of my (seeming daunting) journey this year. Thank you Baba!

What do you think of Baba Yaga's advice?

Want to ask Baba Yaga a question of your own?
You can!
There's now an email address where you can send your questions
directly to Baba Yaga herself.
AskBabaYaga AT gmail DOT com
To encourage Baba Yaga to continue imparting her no-bones-about-it wisdom (ok, there may be some gristle in there... bones too), I suggest we not to leave her box empty... 

Thank you Baba Yaga (& Taisia).


Taisia Kitaiskaia is a poet, writer, and Michener Center for Writers fellow. Born in Russia and raised in America, she's had her poems and translations published in Narrative Magazine, Poetry International, and others.

1 comment:

  1. Perfect advice. I have been pulling together materials for two novels to be written this year -- feeling all bright and excited. I read over my notes on narrative ideas got really excited and then just wanted to read the book rather than figure out how to write it! Time to swap out the oak hearts that burn slowly all night in place of the pine kindling.

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