An Interview with Anansi

And now, live on our stage, 
ANANSI THE SPIDER! 

Fabulous art work by Adrienne Saldivar!

Anansi is getting so excited about having his stories published he thought it would be fun to do some interviews. So let's give him a warm round of applause. This is his first interview and he might be a little shy.

Who you calling shy?

Well, I thought maybe dangling in front of an audience might make you a nervous.

No sir, not me! I love attention. Go on, ask your questions. 

All right, let's start out with your nicknames. How many do you have?
I have plenty name they call me by, and some not so nice, but mostly people call me,  ’Nansi, Hanansi, Bru’ ’Nansi, or Brer Anansi. No matter what they call me, we all know who they mean. There is only one Anansi and that's me!

Do you watch much TV? 
Only when it have something good on.

And what would you consider a good show? 
Iron Chef, Rachel Ray…anything to do with cooking or eating food.

Oh, so you like food. (Anansi snorts) 
That would be an understatement. 

Do you have a favorite scent? 
FOOD. Any kind of food smell good to me!

If you had a million dollars you could only spend on yourself, what would you do with it? 
Oh, that's easy. I’d build me a big, big house, with a big, big kitchen and I’d fill it with enough food so’s I’d never be hungry again.

What one place have you visited that you can’t forget, and want to go back to? 
My grandmother  kitchen.

Do you trust easily? 
Do you know who you talking to? I is ANANSI. If you think I am going trust someone like Tiger…well, nothing at all go so.

Do you generally think before you act, or act before you think? 
Well now, it all depend on the situation. Sometime I got no time to think up a plan. Sometime I got to act quick, quick, like when Tiger looking at me as if I were he food. 

Is there anything that has made you unhappy lately? 
The only thing make me unhappy is when there ain’t enough food to fill my belly.

Do you have a good body image? 
I is the most handsome spider in all the world. Why just look at the curve of my back and my fine long legs. You ever seen anything so handsome as me?

What is your favorite fruit? 
Oh now, this one hard. I like them all, you know, like mango, guava, sugar apple, tamarind, genip, sour sop, hog plum, mammie apple….

I get your point. What about websites, are there any you visit daily? 
I love the ones up in the rafters. I go there every day. You get a good view. The ones in the corner is best. That's where you ketch the most fly.

What have you been seriously addicted to lately? 
I addicted to only one thing, and that is food. If I don't get enough food in my belly, I likely to get hungry. Being hungry make my belly growl and I don't like that sound at all, at all. So food is it,  any time of the day or night, I is up for eating.

What’s your favorite item of clothing? 
I is a spider, why I would want to cover up my beautiful self with clothes?

Do you think Rice Krispies are yummy? 
If it food I sure to like them.

What would you do if you saw $100 lying on the ground? 
I would grab it up quick, quick and take all my friend out for a big fancy dinner.

Even Tiger? (Anansi stares at the ceiling, thinking.) 
Yes, even Brer Tiger, because he have been known to give me food.

What items could you not go without during the day? 
My cooking pot and some food.

What should you be doing right now? 
I should be thinking up some way to sneak into Brer Tiger kitchen and steal some of he food.

Well thank you very much, Anansi. Would you like to come back? 
I would love to come back so long as you have some food. 

I'll be sure to have something for you. Would you be willing to answer questions from the audience? 
Sure, sure! I love to talk.

So, audience, do you have any questions for Anansi? Don't be shy. Leave your questions in the comments and I'll be sure to bring Anansi back. 

The Next Big Thing

I've been tagged by my long time friend, Vijaya, over at Reading, Writing & Ruminating. She is the very first person I met online while taking a writing course through Institute of Children's Literature. Vijaya is multifaceted being a scientist, a writer, mother and wife. She's taught me a lot. 

The Next Big Thing is a meme designed as an interview where you describe you current WIP. This particular  meme is the perfect time for me to make a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! So read carefully.

What is your working title of your book?

Anansi and Company

Where did the idea come from for the book?

The idea to translate and retell some of these wonderful stories from the Caribbean came about when my sister Erva gave me, for safe keeping against the tropical climate, an old book of Jamaican Anansi stories. Because they were faithfully transcribed into the Jamaican dialect they are difficult to read and understand. I've spent at least five years slowing going through them, picking ones I feel are worthy of being retold. One of the stories I retold, "Why Dogs Beg," won first place in the Children's Writer Fantasy/Folktale Contest.  You can read it HERE.

What genre does your book fall under?

Caribbean folk lore.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Since it would no doubt be an animated film, who would I like as the voice of Anansi? Oh gosh, somebody who can do a good West Indian accent. I'll shoot for the best, I'll shoot for the moon, Sidney Poitier.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Anansi the spider tricks, sings, and dances his way into and out of trouble in this collection of ten retold Jamaican stories.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Here's the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT folks. I'm going to self-publish this collection. It will be my first foray into the ebook market. The talented Adrienne Saldivar over at The Story Board is doing the cover which will be revealed at a later time. 

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? 

I'd say it's taken me about four or five years to pull these stories together. They're something I've been dabbling at while working on other things.

May we see an intro?

Okay, this is from the first story: "Anansi Takes Wee Pig Home," which has an object lesson at the end.

It was late in the afternoon when Anansi the spider and Wee Pig came to a stream they had to cross. After spending a long day at market selling a few yams and mango, they were tired and wanted to get home.

Wee Pig sat down by the edge of the stream to rest. 

Anansi, impatient to be on his way said, "Wee Pig, jump across this stream so we could go home."

Wee Pig said, "Anansi, I will not jump across this stream."

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Brer Rabbit and family

The Uncle Remus stories come closest, particularly when you realize Anansi is their predecessor. Anansi came to the Caribbean as a stowed away in the minds of the Ashanti people of West Africa.  He survived the Middle Passage and hundreds of years of slavery. His stories eventually made their way into the United States and, over time, evolved into the stories of Uncle Remus.

There are many tricksters in lore like, Loki, Pan, Puss in Boots, and Coyote to name a few. Tricksters break the rules and defy convention. They can be cunning or foolish. They lie, steal, and cheat often unintentionally causing something else to happen that is beneficial. Their importance is that they give the down-trodden a bit of hope and explain why certain things are the way they are. 

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I'd have to say, in regards to my writing, my mother has always been my primary inspiration. But there other factors as well. The Anansi stories deserve to be more widely known. They are a part of the Caribbean culture and heritage. I want to help spread the word, because the history of the Caribbean is so rich and diverse.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

Although there are picture books depicting Anansi, as far as I have been able to discover, this is the only collection of ten stories in one place. Plus, I've included ten riddles!

So that's it folks. I'm joining many of you in this Brave New World of e-publishing. 

Gulp! Got any tips? Any suggestions? Will you hold my hand?