Wendy wrote the poem
PERFECT WITH CARROTS & POTATOES
Gnome & UnGnome Facts About Wendy:
Like Baba Yaga, Wendy M. McDonald (she/her) enjoys a hearty, home-cooked stew. However, she prefers beef, not children, in hers.
When not penning darkish stories and poems in the garret of her New England home, Wendy watches science fiction, fantasy, dark comedy, and animated shows with her geeky husband, knits socks and fingerless mitts, and generally acts like a dork.
Wendy’s poetry has been included in FRIENDS & ANEMONES, Ocean Poems for Children (Writers’ Loft Press 2020).
Absol’s Q&A with Wendy:
Hello, Wendy! Thanks for being our LEGEND of the WEEK!
Can you tell us a little about how you came to be a part of Gnomes & UnGnomes? How did you hear about the Loft and this project?
I’ve been involved with the Writers’ Loft for about ten years, now (whoa!), so I know to keep an eye out for all the awesome new stuff that’s in the works. I had a short story in Firsts and two poems in Friends and Anemones, so I was excited to submit for the Gnomes and UnGnomes anthology when I saw the notice online. Plus, it’s pretty much impossible for me to resist both poetry and mythical creatures!
How did you come to write about…shudder, Baba Yaga?
My poem, “Perfect with Carrots and Potatoes,” is about Baba Yaga; she’s a witch from Slavic folklore, and my heritage is largely Slavic. My great-grandparents and grandparents abandoned many aspects of their Slavic culture as they grew up in the United States, and I sometimes feel quite disconnected from my roots. So, I took this opportunity to explore Slavic folktales.
OK, but Baba Yaga? You could have chosen any non-eater-of-children, like a Slavic gnome…?
Baba Yaga appeals to me because she is, to use a Dungeons and Dragons term, chaotic neutral. The idea of a character whose actions and morality change on a case-by-case basis is fascinating: she’s not evil, but she’s not good, either, and nobody really knows what her guidelines are for deciding whether she’ll help you or eat you. I want to write a character like that someday, in one of my own stories, but in the meantime, I had fun exploring a chance meeting with Baba Yaga herself for Gnomes and UnGnomes.
Well, I’m glad you weren’t dinner! Thanks for your time, Wendy!
writersloftpress.com 