The Power of Ritual Storytelling — Anita Kopacz

Alongside raising three children, working as an editor, and practicing as a spiritual psychologist, Anita Kopacz spent seven years creating the magnificent work of art that is Shallow Waters, her debut novel.

Part historical fiction and part parable, Shallow Waters deals with deep ancestral trauma through ritual storytelling.

The heroine of the book is a Black mermaid, Yemaya, and you’ll hear Anita’s reasoning for centering her story around this mythical deity, and what she thinks is the most valuable lesson that readers can learn from her.

In today’s episode, we cover how Anita heals her own generational wounds by writing this story, a gift which she hopes it will also give to others.

• Anita shares the quirks that make her describe her younger self as strange.
• Where Anita’s family is from.
• A description of the deity, Yemaya, that is the protagonist of Anita’s book, Shallow Waters, and
what the story is about.
• The connection that Anita feels to Yemaya.
• How the process of writing Shallow Waters was healing for Anita.
• Unexpected feedback that Anita has received from readers of her book.
• Why Anita chose to write a work of fiction.
• A novel that Anita read in high school which had a profound impact on her.
• How the Yemaya in Anita’s book differs from the mythical deity that she is based on.
• Reasons that Anita decided not to include any sexual trauma in the book.
• The target audience that the book was originally intended for, and why that changed.
• An important lesson that readers can learn from Yemaya.
• Anita’s love for ritual storytelling and her plans for the future in this realm.
• Advice from Anita on transitioning from non-fiction to fiction writing.
• Fears that Anita has managed to overcome.
• The process Anita went through to get Shallow Waters out into the world.
• A valuable lesson Anita learned about how to deal with writer’s block.
• Anita’s request to buy the book from independent outlets.

References

Anita Kopacz on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/anitakopacz/?hl=en
Shallow Waters - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/56180285-shallow-waters
HEROINE (Podcast) - https://majomolfino.com/podcast