Kaliisha wrote the poem, SOUCOYANT
Gnome & UnGnome Facts About Kaliisha:
Kaliisha Cole (she/her) is a college senior pursuing a career in book publicity.
She loves Young Adult stories the most and never feels too old to read them.
She has spent over five years as a Bookstagrammer under the name of Kali’s Bookish Rambles where she predominantly promotes LGBTQ+/ Diverse YA titles.
Kaliisha is half Italian-American/ Trinidadian-American which is where she discovered the Caribbean mythological creature, the Soucouyant.
Absol’s Q&A with Kaliisha:
Kaliisha, it’s delightful to meet you! Thanks for being our LEGEND of the WEEK!
Tell us what magical or legendary creature, who or what would you be?
I would definitely be a mermaid.
Everybody wants to be a mermaid. Mermaid 20. Gnome 0. What’s so great about mermaids?
I love the idea of them as well as the beauty that they are known to harness. Yet, I also love the dark nature of them as well. They can be horrifying and ethereal at the same time. I never have been able to swim or even pop down underwater so to be a mermaid and have no fear of experiencing that would be amazing.
OK, that’s a pretty good reason. How you came to be a part of Gnomes & UnGnomes?
I found a submission call out for the Odes of Us poetry anthology published through Writers’ Loft and submitted my poem, Ode to Book Spines, which had been accepted! From there, I formed a connection with Kristen Wixted and was asked to be a part of this anthology!
Kristen is the best! And what’s your connection to the Soucouyant?
I am half-Italian and half-Trinidadian. I don’t have much knowledge of the culture of my Trinidadian side and when Kristen suggested I look into mythological creatures from my own culture, I came across this creature from Trinidadian folklore that is a woman by day and then is a blood-sucking fireball by night. It was a tale that adults would tell to scare children. However, I tried to make it as kid-friendly as possible. Sometimes dark things tend to have some twisted form of beauty about them. It certainly fascinated me and gave me a sense of connection with a part of my culture that I am not familiar with.
This is true. Funny no one ever wants to be Suocouyant either ;-). Thanks for your time!
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