Wordle of Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories:

Wordle of my children's e-book Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories: http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5916316/Wordle_of_Grandpa_Sydney%27s_Anancy_Stories


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Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Reviews of Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories

Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories has been receiving some encouraging reviews from customers, including Andrew Blackman:

"This was a charming and well-written children's book, with great illustrations. It integrates a modern-day story about bullying in a Florida school with a traditional Anancy story from the Caribbean. Jimmy doesn't know how to deal with the new kid at school who steals his lunch, until he realises that the key lies in the story his Jamaican grandfather is always telling him about Anancy the spider, a trickster who manages to capture the more powerful Snake by fooling him and appealing to his ego."

To read more, please follow this link:

http://www.amazon.com/Grandpa-Sydneys-Anancy-Stories-ebook/product-reviews/B009JYLDZO/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_summary?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1


 
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Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.


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Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories on YouTube

When a bully threatens little Jimmy Harrison at school, Grandpa Sydney comes to the rescue and reads to him the story of "Anancy, Snake, and Tiger." How does the Anancy story help Jimmy to overcome the bully?  Find out in Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories.


Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories is available  exclusively at Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/SWM6wQ
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Blog Disclosure Policy

Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.


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Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories @ Madie Ives Elementary

Over the next few days, I’ll be visiting Madie Ives Elementary to read from Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy Stories. I hope the children will fall in love with Jimmy, Grandpa Sydney, and Anancy as much as I have.

The Language Arts/Reading/ESOL teachers have chosen The Trickster Tricked (Creek/MusocqeeTribe) retold by S.E. Schlosser; Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens, and Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy stories to meet the Common Core State Standards Initiative within Miami Dade County Public Schools:

RL.2.1 – Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why and how, to demonstrated understanding of key details in a text.
RL.2.2 – Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, or moral.
RL.2.3 – Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
RL.2.4 – Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
RL.2.5- Describe the overall structure of the story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
RL.2.6 – Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.
RL.2.7 – Use information gained from the illustration and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
RL.2.10-By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories and poetry, in the grades 2-3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

My presentation, Trickster Tales from the Caribbean, will cover literal, inferential, and analytical readings of Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy Stories, and Question Answer Relationships (QARs) within the text.

In addition, we’ll discuss the origins of Anancy stories and the counterparts in Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, and the American South.

We’ll also examine the following elements of a Trickster tale and their relationship to “Anancy, Snake, and Tiger’:

A clever animal or person who plays a trick on other characters.
One of the characters has a problem to solve.
The trickster has one or two main characteristics such as greediness or boastfulness.
There is a moral or lesson to learn.

Of course, Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy Stories is a story within a story, so the children will also have another level of complexity when they compare Jimmy's serious need--to outsmart a bully-- and Anancy's in the story, “Anancy, Snake, and Tiger.” They’ll also compare the methods that Jimmy and Anancy used to achieve their goals and the lessons to be learned from their actions.

I think it’s going to be a lot of fun!

Last Day for FREE Download of Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories

Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy Stories is now available on the Kindle, and today is the last day that is will be FREE. You read right, folks. FREE

Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy Stories will be free until 10/6/21012.

Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories confronts the subject of bullying by using a well-known Caribbean folk tale, "Anancy, Snake, and Tiger," in the multicultural setting of Miami, Florida. Here's a summary of the story:

Jimmy Harrison loves school and his favorite subject is snack time! But when a new boy, Kevin, joins his class, he begins to pick on Jimmy and the rest of the children. What’s worse, he begins to take away Jimmy’s snacks. Jimmy doesn't want to be a tattletale, but he also doesn’t want to be bullied.

When Grandpa Sydney finds out that Jimmy is being bullied, he reads an Anancy story to Jimmy. Will the story help Jimmy to overcome Kevin's bullying?

And remember, you don't need a Kindle to be able to read the story. You can download any one of these apps for your Smartphone, computer, or table

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=sv_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

So, head on over to Amazon get yourself a free copy of Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy Stories: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009JYLDZO

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Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.

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Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy Stories on Kindle!

Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy Stories is now available on the Kindle, and for regular readers of my blog, here’s a heads up!

Starting tomorrow, Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy Stories will be free until 10/6/21012.

Here’s a summary:

Jimmy Harrison loves school and his favorite subject is snack time! But when a new boy, Kevin, joins his class, he begins to pick on Jimmy and the rest of the children. What’s worse, he begins to take away Jimmy’s snacks. Jimmy doesn't want to be a tattletale, but he also doesn’t want to be bullied.

When Grandpa Sydney finds out that Jimmy is being bullied, he reads an Anancy story to Jimmy. Will the story help Jimmy to overcome Kevin's bullying?

My advice is to get up as early as possible, say 1:00 a.m. (EST), and head on over to Amazon get yourself a free copy of Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy Stories

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009JYLDZO

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Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.


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Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Characters in Caribbean Folk Tales; Anancy Festival 2012

For the children's writing workshop, "How to Write Your Own Caribbean Folktale," that I'll be conducting at the Anancy Festival in Pembroke Pines tomorrow, I'll be introducing some of the characters that live in our dreams, fears, and hopes.

"Anancy" by Christina Philp
Anancy or Anansi, the Trickster/ spider man can change into a man or spider at will. A rugged survivor, who uses his wits to over come any obstacle, Anancy is rarely a victim.

"Papa Bois" by Christina Philp
"Papa Bois." An old man ragged clothes, sometimes hairy and though very old, extremely strong and muscular, with cloven hoofs and leaves growing out of his beard.

"La Sirene" by Christina Philp
"La Sirene," "River Mumma," "Mama Dlo," "Mama Dglo" or "Mammy Wata". A female water spirit who guards the source of many of our rivers. She can sometimes be seen sitting in the river, combing her hair with a golden comb. She sometimes leaves her comb on a rock, to entice victims whom she then draws into the water

"Soucouyant" by Christina Philp 
"Ole Hig" or "Soucouyant." A woman, often old, who sheds her skin at night and flies through the skies, sometimes as a ball of flame, to suck blood from her victims.

"Loup Garou": bit.ly/LbqnJM
The "Ligahoo" or "Loup Garou." A shape shifter, who can change form (to a werewolf) so that at night he could go around to kill without ever being caught.

"Rolling Calf" : bit.ly/MKgTLi
Rolling Calf. A huge, calf-like creature, which rolls along the road, blocking the way of nighttime travelers, and chasing them with a wicked intention. It has blazing red eyes that gash fire, and a chain that it drags behind it, making an unnerving clanking noise.

"La Diablesse": bit.ly/MKfK6p"La Diablesse." An old woman who steps forth with her cloven hoof from behind a tree on a lonely road, the sound of chains mingling with the rustle of her petticoat. Sometimes she takes the form of a beautiful woman, to lure some unsuspecting passerby to his death or perhaps to madness. 

"Headless Horseman" by Christina Philp
The Headless Horseman. An evil spirit riding a black horse and carrying his head under one arm (or holding it high to see at great distance). He wields a whip made from a human corpse's spine. When the headless horseman stops riding, death occurs. He usually calls out a name, at which point the named person dies immediately. In another version, he is the headless driver of a black carriage. 

It will be interesting to see how the kids react to and change these characters for their stories.

See you tomorrow!

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Disclaimer of Endorsement


The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.


Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Anancy Festival: June 11, 2011

Ft. Lauderdale

June 11, 2pm-6pm

Southwest Broward Regional Library, 

7300 Pines Boulevard, Pembroke Pines, FL 33024

Admission: Free

·         Live simulcast from the Anancy Festival in Kingston, Jamaica

·         Storytelling by Geoffrey Philp and Father Easton Lee

·         Short films on Anancy by Andrew Davies and Ananse Animation Project

·         Dance performance and workshop by Afua Hall

·         Musical performance by the Jamaica Folk Revue

·         Anancy books and other Caribbean books on sale

·         Sampling of Caribbean food

Kingston

June 11, 2pm-6pm

Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Library,

 2 Tom Redcam Drive, Kingston 3

Admission: Free

·         Live simulcast from the Anancy Festival in Pembroke Pines, Florida

·         Anancy storytelling by Amina Blackwood Meeks, Adziko Simba and Kellie Magnus

·         Short films on Anancy by Laura Tanna, Lukkee Chong, and Rachel Moss

·         Exhibit on Jamaican spiders from the Natural History Division of the Institute of Jamaica

·         Exhibit of Anancy illustrations by young Jamaican artists: Rachel Moss, Roxanne Richardson, Andre McLean and Nick Shelton

·         Anancy face-painting, arts and crafts and spider snacks

·         Anancy books and other Caribbean children’s books on sale

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Related articles

• The Third Annual Anancy Festival: June 11, 2011 (geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com)
• The Third Annual Anancy Festival (repeatingislands.com)

Anancy Festival: Roundup

If the response of our audience to a show that ran for approximately three hours was any indication of the appeal (especially when we competing against the World Cup), then the Anancy Festival was a resounding success. There was dancing, singing, and, of course, storytelling about the hero of Caribbean-American Heritage Month in South Florida, Anancy.


Anancy was on tablecloths, caps, books, and pamphlets. He was everywhere. Anancy was also the star in the premiere showing of an animated series from the Ananse Animation Project, “Ananse and Bald Head Chicky.” It was one more step in making Anancy a part of the lives of our children and I was proud to be associated with this annual celebration.


The organizers, Dr. Andrea Shaw and Xavier Murphy, are to be congratulated for putting together this stellar line-up of performers:

The Ananse Animation Project is a joint partnership between Steadyimage Multimedia, Inc. and Frame by Frame Productions, Inc., namely, the principals, Adrian Allen, Vivienne Chance and Lukkee Chong. The project’s objective is to entertain and to assist with the re-socialization of the Afro Caribbean Diaspora through animated cartoons. These cartoons are developed to attract an audience through stories with a moral, while acquainting the viewer with their ancestry, culture, and history: www.anansespider.com

Beryl Johnson has played piano professionally for several years in musical theatre (including Jamaican pantomimes), rhythm and blues cover bands, and various settings as a soloist. She recently graduated with a Master of Music degree in ethnomusicology from the Butler School of Music at UT Austin.

Cherry Three is delighted to participate in this years’ Anancy Festival and to showcase the work of Afua Hall, Asha Darbeau, Melinda Desire and Katherine Alvarado. Movement is Cherry Three’s primary medium of communication, occasionally along with the aid of music, theater, the spoken word and the visual arts. The movement vocabulary is based largely on contemporary modern dance with West African, European, and Caribbean influences. Cherry Three is rooted in its commitment to service and excellence.


An enthusiastic lover of the worlds of theatre and music, Dawn Forrester Price is author of the novel Run to Freedom, as well as an award-winning actress, singer and writer. She teaches English in her hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.


Father Easton Lee is a playwright and poet as well as an amazing performer and storyteller. He is also an ordained priest in the Anglican Church. One of his numerous publications is Heritage Call: Ballad for Children of the Dragon.


The Jamaica Folk Revue was started over 30 years ago in the South Florida community. Over the years, this group of Jamaicans—men and women, from all walks of life—has done outstanding performances promoting the country’s rich cultural heritage through song, dance, oral history and drama. Through this effort, the group has showcased the historical interconnections between the various art forms, dating from early forms of Jamaican music to the internationally acclaimed music genre, reggae.

Please follow this link, for more photos: http://www.anancyfestival.com/?p=67&nggpage=2&pageid=67

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Related articles by Zemanta

• "Anancy Song" by Geoffrey Philp (geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com)
• What Does it Mean to be a Caribbean-American?: Malachi Smith (geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com)
• Anancy: Sins of Omission (geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com)

"Anancy Song" by Geoffrey Philp

Anancy Song

Me name Anancy, watch me dance and sing,

With my words, I make something out of nothing.

When me laugh, “Kya, kya,” is not for no reason

I will survive no matter what the season.

From before time, I see the beginning of earth,

Call me father of all mysteries, creator of mirth.

I measure the oceans, know every man’s worth,

I live at the crossroads between death and birth.

Some people say I only live for me pleasure,

But every Jack man must look in him heart for treasure.

Only when you have you own, you can pull up a chair,

Then call those who you love to your table to share.

I will spin my song to my children who are afar

Living in all kind of trouble, sickness, and war.

Mark my words; know how to touch a strand,

and make the universe tremble with your hands.

Tell all the giants in the world, Massa day done!

Anancy is here and him going have some fun.

Him nah bring no knife, him nah bring nuh gun

Only him brains—Jack Mandora me no choose none!

***

Wanted: The Transformation of a Trickster/ Warrior

This weekend my family and I went to see Wanted, one of the best written Trickster movies in recent years. Well, it's not a pure Trickster movie. It's more of a Trickster/Warrior movie. This is all right with me because these are the two dominant archetypes in Jamaican culture.

To a certain extent, Wanted follows the pattern in James N. Frey's, The Key: How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth which applies Joseph Campbell's insights into the structure of the so-called "monomyth" to creative writing. Many avid moviegoers will recognize the elements which have been used in films such as Star Wars, The Matrix, and Harry Potter.

1.The story opens with the hero, usually male, functioning badly in the Everyday World and desiring something (he doesn't know what he wants) to escape from his mundane life (Neo's wake up call in The Matrix)

2. A Herald bursts into the hero's life with a Call to Adventure: to go on a Quest to recover/retrieve something that has been lost or stolen (Princess Leia in Star Wars)

3. The hero may or may not answer the Call to Adventure. If he refuses the call, he will suffer. This is the plight of many of the characters in James Joyce's Dubliners.

4. For novels and full length films, the hero accepts the Call (sometimes reluctantly) and meets a Mentor (Morpheus in The Matrix or Dumbledore in Harry Potter) who introduces the hero to the Armorer and the Magical Helper (Mouse, Apoc, and Tank in The Matrix)

5. A Threshold Guardian appears at this moment and warns the hero of the dangers. Cypher in The Matrix: "Little piece of advice: you see an Agent, you do what we do; run. Run your ass off." If the hero ignores the advice, he crosses The Threshold and enters the Mythological Woods. The hero has begun The Initiation.

6. During the Initiation, the hero will be Tested and will learn all the rules of the new environment. Morpheus's advice to Neo: "This is a sparring program. Similar to the programmed reality of the Matrix. It has the same basic rules . . . rules like gravity. What you must learn is that these rules are no different than the rules of a computer system. Some of them can be bent. Others can be broken."

7. The hero may have a Sidekick (Trinity in The Matrix) and encounters many variations of the female archetype: Mother, Goddess, Witch, Whore, Femme Fatale (The Oracle, Persephone, Niobe in The Matrix and The Matrix:Reloaded)

8. The hero will also be in conflict with the Evil One (Valdemort in Harry Potter) or his willing surrogates. (The Merovingian in The Matrix: Reloaded)

9. The hero will be betrayed, have a change in consciousness, fall in love, or lose a loved one to death.

10. The hero will undergo a Death and Rebirth. (Neo's death and rebirth in The Matrix)

11. Confrontation with the Evil One in his or her environment (Neo and The Architect)

12 The hero fails or triumphs (momentarily) over the Evil One (Neo and The Architect in The Matrix: Reloaded)

13. The hero returns to the community and is Retested.

14. During the return, there is another confrontation with the Evil One and the hero gains the prize.

15. Once the hero is reintegrated back into the community, the prize may be rejected or an imposter may take the credit.

The most important element of the monomyth is the transformation of the hero (through time) over the course of the adventure and to witness his becoming aware of his change. In other words, the prize is unimportant--it's a MacGuffin.

So, Wanted could be called The Education/Transformation of an "apathetic nobody" into an "unparalleled enforcer of justice" and we watch in fascination as Wesley Gibson accepts the call to adventure, is initiated into a fraternity of Trickster/ Warriors, and his confrontation with the Evil One played by Morgan Freeman.

I was also intrigued by the use of Trickster symbolism and its connection with Yoruba and Akan mythology:

1. X of Eshu (Eleggua, Papa Legba), God of the Threshold

2. The web/loom of Anancy mythology

3. The circles used in Akan and Yoruba mythology and the necessary creative irruption that causes dis-equilibrium and the appearance of the Trickster

And if that wasn't all, the visual effects and stunt scenes were remarkable and managed to disrupt my analysis/enjoyment of the film as I was watching it.

And, of course, there was Angelina Jolie

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Technorati Tags: Wanted movie Angelina Jolie wanted movie review wanted movie angelina jolie wanted angelina jolie

Anancy @ The Caribbean Book and Art Fair 2008

The Caribbean Book and Art Fair 2008 was a wonderful opportunity to read with old friends Donna Weir-Soley, Joan Cartwright, Eunice Tate, Malachi, and Carole Boyce-Davis. It was also good to meet Jeanine Agant and Marcia Douglas.Jeanine and I read during the children's section, and I was pleased and surprised that many of the children knew about Anancy. The parents who attended the book fair have obviously done a good job with educating their children, and I didn't have to give the history of Anancy. All I had to do was read and enjoy being with the children.I began with the second chapter of Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories where Kevin, the bully, confronts Jimmy in the playground. I could see and hear the children's reactions when Kevin took away Jimmy's snack and it was an affirmation that I'd captured their imagination.The Caribbean Book and Art Fair is off to an auspicious start. I'm already looking forward to next year's program and to be a part of their growth.

***

For photos of the Caribbean Book and Art Fair, please follow this link: Anancy in Miramar

Technorati Tags: caribbean children author
caribbean children book

Caribbean Book and Art Fair

I will be reading from Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories @ the Caribbean Book & Art Fair, Miramar City Hall, 2300 Civic Center Drive, Miramar, FL 33025 on Saturday, June 21, 2008.

***

Anancy @ Madie Ives Elementary School

The children at Madie Ives Elementary School helped me to experience being the kind of artist I've always imagined myself to be: a writer working in the community for the community. And because Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories is set in our neighborhood of Ives Estates, they were delighted when I read about the trees, birds, people and things that they see (0r didn't see until we read about it in the book) every morning and evening when they walk to and from school. We talked about using the imagination to solve problems and conflict resolution. I made a special effort to emphasize that Anancy as the smallest, weakest animal in the forest was often the target of bullies. They were also full of questions:

Q. Does it take a lot of reading to write good stories?

A. Even if you are a born storyteller, reading other stories and learning what makes a story work is always helpful. (Everything comes down to form.) In this way I am very "old fashioned" because I believe that stories should have a beginning, middle, and end.

The more you read, the more you will discover new ways of telling stories and you will learn about other writers who faced similar situations and you will learn about the answers that they devised. You may not agree with them, but you have given yourself another alternative, another possibility, another choice.

Q. How many steps does it take to write a book?

A. These steps don't follow a 1, 2, 3 pattern. They all overlap. But, generally, these are the steps:

1. The "AHA" moment when an idea pops into your head either by sheer luck or the conscious effort of always reading, reflecting, and making connections with your life.

2. The "squirrel' stage. You begin to do research by reading, getting all the facts straight by asking who, what, why where, when, and how.

3. Planning. Figuring out how you are going to tell the story. First, second or third person? How to begin? Some writers skip this stage. They just begin and worry about this later. Because I'm usually involved with other projects other than teaching, I've always had to plan, so this has always been an invaluable step.

4. Writing. Firmly sitting in a chair/ desk with paper/ pen/ writing instrument and writing.

5. Proofreading. Checking for grammar, style, and spelling errors.

6. Simmer over a low heat for a few days, weeks, months, until the story is clear in my mind. Tweaking word choice, style, and voice. Structuring the sentences to say what I mean or sometimes holding back information so that the reader will put the pieces together: Do I need to say more or less?

7. Sending the story out to my friends and asking for their opinion about the overall story and minor revisions.

8. Rewrite. Rewrite. Rewrite.

9. Sending out for publication. Saying a prayer. Lighting a candle.

10. Conferring with an editor about changes via phone or e-mail.

11. Publication and helping with publicity via my blog or web site.

12. Back to work: See Step 1.

Q. Do you get frustrated when you can't get your ideas on paper?

A. All the time. Some days are better than some. Some days are just awful. Some days I can walk on water. On the days when nothing seems to go right, I work on other things. I read more. I study more. And then I get back to the writing. These are the two big lessons of writing: persistence and perseverance.

Q. What inspires you as a writer?

A. My inspiration has changed over the years. When I started writing, it was all about seeing my name in print, trying to impress people (some of whom I didn't know or didn't even like) and to be recognized. Now that I've written a few books, I've realized that writing is what Charles Deemer calls "a way of being in the world."

Also, because I grew up in Jamaica listening to Reggae and when I was old enough to see the inequality and injustice around me and realized that I could put two sentences together that could have some influence about how others viewed the world, I livicated myself to the idea of InI. That was why I wrote Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories. I found out that many children, who grew up in Jamaica and the Caribbean and now living in Miami, had never heard of Anancy or the value of Anancy stories. Somehow, I think, their parents thought that Anancy stories were no longer relevant. Something had to be done and I could do it.

I wanted the children to experience something that was very important to my self-esteem: seeing myself or someone who looked like me in a book. It's a feeling that never leaves you.

I would like to thank Dr. Tanya Brown-Major, the principal of Madie Ives Elementary School for inviting me to speak to the children during Caribbean-American Heritage Month.

I would also like to thank Ms. Ferro-Philp, Ms. Debose, Ms. Hope Murray, who presented me with this Golden Apple Award, and the children for their interesting responses (PDF file) to the reading: Ms. Murray's and Ms. Ferro-Philp's Second Grade Class. I really liked the one that said, "Jimmy is just like me."

Best compliment, ever!!!

I had a wonderful time reading at Madie Ives Elementary School and I look forward to more events like this.

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For more photos of the reading, please follow this link: Anancy @ Madie Ives Elementary School.

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Anancy and Bullying: Reader Question

Dear Geoffrey,

I just read your book Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories, and found myself a little disturbed by the message. Could you explain what you intended that your readers should learn about bullying from this book? I am hoping that your explanation will help me understand your book better and appreciate the application of Anancy to everyday life.

Thanks.

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Dear______,

Greetings!


I am hoping that Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories will be read by a parent and child together. I am also hoping that the parent and child will think about Kevin's bullying and ask questions like these:

How else could Jimmy have avoided/solved the conflict?

Was Jimmy "right" in doing what he did?

Anancy stories are about a smaller, weaker individual outsmarting a bigger/stronger individual and they typically fall within the area of Trickster tales in folk mythology. This is why I would like the book to be read by parents with children because the character of Anancy is basically amoral.

In other words, if Anancy stories are misread, they are dynamite. Within the West African tradition Anancy stories would have been told by an elder or a griot to school the untrained in the values of the community. The story would have been used to show the consequences of actions and in Jamaica (it's not included in the Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories), Anancy stories end with the disclaimer, "Jack Mandora me no choose none!" By repeating this refrain, the storyteller would remove herself from the actions within the story and claim a morally disinterested perspective. The claim was often far from the truth.

Anancy, as part of the cosmogony of the Akan people, represents the archetypal creative impulse that thrives on momentary chaos, drama, and disorder in the lives of the actors (sometimes he creates it), in order to achieve a resolution to a dialectical conflict and take the conversation to a higher level. Anancy's message is always clear:

Always outsmart/outwit the bully or overcome the situation that threatens you. You are greater than any situation or circumstance.

I want the children (and perhaps the grownups) to understand that there isn't any situation that our imagination cannot overcome and to every problem, there is a solution. We just have to use our mind, and this is why Anancy stories are always relevant.

We will also need intergenerational conversations so that the children will be able to figure out when it is appropriate to use their "Anancy powers." For like any other archetypal figure, Anancy does have a shadow, and just as Caregiver can become a "suffering martyr" and a Ruler can become a Tyrant, so too can Anancy become a "Shadow Fool."
So, Anancy's application to real life involves creative thinking and realizing that conflicts can be solved if we think "outside the box" and NOT locking ourselves into EITHER/OR mindsets. These are just a few of the values of Anancy stories.

Anancy as a creative problem solver and a figure in conflict resolution offers what Edward de Bono calls Alternatives, Possibilities, and Choices.

For the grownups, they could also think about Snake's role as the Ego that always wants "more, more, more" and Tiger as the archetypal Ruler who despite the fact that he appears "weak" still manages to keep his kingdom in order by "using" Anancy to bring about a resolution without resorting to violence.

Indeed, both Jimmy's story and Anancy's story could be read allegorically with Kevin, as the cause of the karmic disorder, who is removed from the setting, and Jimmy as the hero who restores order.

Take care and thank you for this great question!



Blessings,

Geoffrey

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