Kris Spisak joins us this week to chat about Becoming Baba Yaga

Author Name: Kris Spisak

Book Title: Becoming Baba Yaga: Trickster, Feminist & Witch of the Woods

Book Genre: Nonfiction, Folklore & Mythology Studies / Self-Help

Release Date: September 3, 2024

Publisher: Red Wheel / Weiser, Tantor Audio

Welcome, Kris! Please tell us a bit about your book.

Darkness, fear, and instability sometimes inundate our daily lives, but the folktales of Baba Yaga speak to the dichotomy of our existence—the hope and the horror, the magic and the mundane. Whether you know her as a Slavic witch, earth goddess, or monster in modern media, Baba Yaga is an ancient force with secrets to divulge, and her chicken-legged hut is only the beginning of her intrigue and inspiration.

What was the spark? What drew you to write a book about this topic? What inspired you to tell this particular story?

Ukrainian traditions, folk art, and stories have always been a part of my life. As a Ukrainian-American author, I have been honored to delve into Ukrainian history in my fiction, but the folktales have always been there too, whispering their secrets and reminding me that more needed to be said.

I have met (and am still meeting!) with countless book clubs after my debut novel, The Baba Yaga Mask, launched in 2022 in paperback and in 2023 in audiobook; however, I was fascinated by how little most readers seemed to know about this ancient Slavic witch. She is not a character herself within my novel, but her folktales inspired my three female protagonists amid their intertwined journeys across eastern Europe. As I spoke of her at book clubs and eyes lit up at her absorbing complexities, I knew I was far from finished with Baba Yaga.

What was your research process like for Becoming Baba Yaga?

Similar to my explorations for The Baba Yaga Mask, which is a dual-timeline novel that necessitated meticulous research – especially regarding where Ukrainian World War II history merged with the family stories I grew up hearing – again, I found myself excavating the tales I knew versus the historical record. The tales were perhaps equally dark, yet this time I was working in spaces both fantastical and fictitious. And rather than eighty years of history, my studies spanned millennia.

Literary records, archeological findings, historical analysis, translation verifications, and countless conversations slowly allowed me to unravel everything I thought I knew as well as so many new details that beguiled me.

From your perspective, what’s the hardest thing about writing and researching? And what do you love most about it?

For me, the hardest part of both writing and researching is knowing that I have to find a stopping point. The research could go on forever, and the writing often raises further questions that I want to explore. I find myself falling down rabbit holes, where further allures frequently arise. For example, one such rabbit whole led me down etymology trails that exposed the connection between the name “Caesar” and the Russian word “czar.” Another led me to discover a comedic opera about Baba Yaga that was performed for Catherine the Great’s court. What else might I find if only I could keep looking?

Of course, I will always continue questing on like the protagonist of my own tale, but deadlines do force a tighter timeline.

In the writing and editing stages, I find similar rhythms, where I chase my passions and simply don’t want to stop. Yet still, I must. Baba Yaga might not be the one challenging me to undertake seemingly insurmountable tasks within the course of day, but her presence lingered over me all the same as I wrote this book. I had a task. I set out to accomplish it, and in the end, I did. If I said her presence was transformative in the process, it would only be fitting.  

Any new writing (or other) projects in the works?

Everything I write, whether fiction or nonfiction, is connected by the singular idea that well-written words and well-told stories can change the world.

My most recent two books, The Baba Yaga Mask (fiction) and Becoming Baba Yaga: Trickster, Feminist, and Witch of the Woods (nonfiction) enabled a depth of creativity and exploration that I honestly adored. I have loved the language and storytelling empowerment of my first three books – Get a Grip on Your Grammar, The Novel Editing Workbook, and The Family Story Workbook – but these latest two have unlocked a new path of possibilities.

A similar future pairing is already in the works, dual-timeline fiction set in both the present day and Depression-era Appalachia, driven unexpectedly by the work of Lewis Carroll – as well as new nonfiction examining the secrets within Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland as well as how readers can be empowered by falling down this literary rabbit hole in the twenty-first century.

I cannot wait to tell you more.

Where can readers find you?

All of my work, including my books, workshops, and book club guides can be found on my website: Kris-Spisak.com

I also love connecting on Instagram, where I regularly share my ongoing word origin and world storytelling explorations: Instagram.com/kris.spisak

Finally, I must add that with the release of Becoming Baba Yaga: Trickster, Feminist & Witch of the Woods, I have a busy event schedule of both in person and virtual events. I’d be honored if you joined me! Learn details here: https://kris-spisak.com/speaking/

Thank you, Kris! Becoming Baba Yaga is out NOW.

Becoming Baba Yaga

When darkness, fear, and instability inundate our daily lives, folktale figures like Baba Yaga speak to the dichotomy of our existence–the hope and the horror, the magic and the mundane. At once an old hag and an enchantress, a demon and wish granter, a feminist and nothing more than a fairytale, Baba Yaga is an endlessly complex folktale character.

Becoming Baba Yaga provides an in-depth look at the Baba Yaga mythos and history through Slavic folklore. Filled with historical and cultural context, analyses, and the stories themselves that add depth to the conversation. A comprehensive resource for anyone hoping to learn more about this ambiguous character and how her multifaceted presence still ripples through the present day, Becoming Baba Yaga is as thoughtful as it is illuminating.

Spisak explores Baba Yaga’s connection to nature as an Earth goddess and as an herbalist. She also delves into the Shadow Self and Baba Yaga’s aspect as a trickster and places her in a modern context as not merely a witch of the woods but also as an archetype and force for finding your own path. Becoming Baba Yaga shares how she is both a force for good as much as evil and a feminist before her time.

Author bio:

Kris Spisak earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the College of William and Mary, her master of liberal arts from the University of Richmond, and did further graduate work in fiction through the University of Iowa. She taught college writing courses at schools including Virginia Commonwealth University before stepping away from the classroom to pursue her own writing work. Kris has been spotlighted in Writer’s Digest and HuffPost for her work as an editor and author dedicated to helping other writers. She is the author of The Baba Yaga Mask (a novel) and Get a Grip on Your Grammar. Kris fully believes that well-written words and well-told stories have always changed the world and that they will continue to. She can’t wait to tell you her next story.