Shallow Waters A Novel By Anita Kopacz

When I spoke to @anitakopacz about her new novel, I had only read a few pages, but I knew Shallow Waters would be a book I would love. This book reminds me of books by two of my favorite authors, Tananrive Due and Octavia Butler. It is very similar to Children of Blood and Bone by Nigerian author Tomi Adeyemi. I love how modern day myths are being written about African characters. The Creator, expressing as our African ancestors, are speaking in multiple ways. Our collective consciousness is seeing ourselves as powerful and supported by the mysticism that is the nature of this Universe. We have been taught to ignore it. We have done so at our peril. Shallow Waters, gives us a myth to help us conceive of ourselves differently. Kopacz is Spiritual Psychologist as well as an Artist and healer. Our conversation was so rich that I invited her to come back on the show to discuss the healing work she is doing at her upcoming retreat. Anita talks about the ritual she used to petition Yemaya and how the energy of the ocean responded and much more! Accolades for Shallow Waters, A Novel Spellbinding...A captivating debut.” —Harper’s Bazaar ​ ​​In this stirring and lyrical debut novel—perfect for fans of The Water Dancer and the Legacy of Orïsha series—the Yoruba deity of the sea, Yemaya, is brought to vivid life as she discovers the power of Black resilience, love, and feminine strength in antebellum America. Shallow Waters imagines Yemaya, an Orïsha—a deity in the religion of Africa’s Yoruba people—cast into mid-1800s America. We meet Yemaya as a young woman, still in the care of her mother and not yet fully aware of the spectacular power she possesses to protect herself and those she holds dear. The journey laid out in Shallow Waters sees Yemaya confront the greatest evils of this era; transcend time and place in search of Obatala, a man who sacrifices his own freedom for the chance at hers; and grow into the powerful woman she was destined to become. We travel alongside Yemaya from her native Africa and on to the “New World,” with vivid pictures of life for those left on the outskirts of power in the nascent Americas. Yemaya realizes the fighter within, travels the Underground Railroad in search of the mysterious stranger Obatala, and crosses paths with icons of our history on the road to freedom. Shallow Waters is a nourishing work of ritual storytelling from promising debut author Anita Kopacz. Anita Kopacz is an award-winning writer and spiritual advisor. She is the former Editor-in-Chief of Heart & Soul Magazine and Managing Editor of BeautyCents Magazine. When she is not writing, you can find her on the dance floor or traveling the world with her children. Anita lives in New York City with her family. Host Sanaa Green is Spiritual Royalty, an Indigo Child, descendant of Madagascar and Lemuria, Reiki Practitioner, Ecopyschologist, Community Activist, Environmental Educator, Youth Development Coach, Teacher of Belly Dance for Earth & Soul and Spiritual Thinker.  She is also a graduate of Howard University and a native of Detroit, Michigan.  Contact her at [email protected], www.centerherpower.com OR Instagram@centerherpowerpodcast Please subscribe, like or follow @centerherpowerpodcast, leave a message on Anchor, donate! #black healer #biracial #empath #goddess #white allies #black woman #ancestral healing #ancestors #Yemaya #Yemaja #indigenous #ocean #water