Poetic Remedies for Troubled Times: from Ask Baba Yaga

by Taisia Kitaiskaia

In this follow-up to Ask Baba Otherworldly Advice for Everyday Troubles, award-winning writer Taisia Kitaiskaia once again embodies the legendary witch of Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga, to provide life advice to the questioning and the hurting. Answering real questions from readers, Baba Yaga provides responses in the form of short poems that are lyrical, surreal, sometimes funny, and always honest. During these difficult days, Poetic Remedies for Troubled Times provides literary self-help for readers who appreciate Baba Yaga's strange, surprising style and striking honesty.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Mythology, Self Help, Spirituality, Humor

114 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 14, 2023

Reviews

[Mindy Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

the second volume of ask baba yaga, in which baba yaga answers advice questions from real people in the most beautiful, lovely, poetic way. fucking ethereal, gorgeous, inspiring, a hand to hold in the darkness. 5/5.

[Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The other day my student said to me, "mx. clara, only you know the secret of where I got these peanut butter crackers." And I replied, "of course, you went to the secret pond and found the kindest toad and traded him three gray pebbles."
Later, my student excitedly repeated back to me the story of the pond, the toad and the pebbles.
Anyway, I just feel that baba yaga would agree as to the origin of the peanut butter crackers.

[Maxine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook version of this. The narrator's voice for Baba Yaga made the responses even more powerful, raw, and embodied for me.

[Kasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say other than everyone should read this book. Baba Jaga is wise and ruthless, and I love her advice.

[lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baba Yaga has been around for a long time and has some really helpful insights.

[sylas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a balm to my spirit.

SPL book bingo: poetry/essay

[Anna (Bananas) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“So early you conjured me - the tales live deep in yr mind-forest, without anyone saying. Seek out those who share yr longing, kneel with them at the fire. Most of all, know this: you are the living story: the tales loop&dive in your blood like fish. You are the best kindling for the fire, so Speak out loud to yrself, and you will hear the many things you know but have not yet discovered.”

You feel like you’re hearing directly from Baba Yaga herself as you read these pieces of advice. They are otherworldly and strange. Sometimes they make perfect sense, like a flash of clarity, and other times they wander into the wild - but somehow you don’t mind.

I love the feeling of fairytales and mythology, how they seem bigger than everything else, than any other type of story. Baba Yaga especially for me is archetypal, the witch who is frightening but wise, who could devour you or gift you a flaming skull to light your way.

So I’m kind of partial to her already. This collection isn’t quite as brilliant as the first one but I still enjoyed it. Sometimes she just gets it so so right.

“What happens now, has always been: all teeming things in survival, new forms arising, some deadly to others. And Humans, as always, falling through holes they made or never mended. But Earth is not failing. Earth is pushing out flower heads and cells. There is enough rock to absorb yr fear.”

[Genevieve O'Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Answers that smell of roots and mushrooms and sky and pond and the dirt under your toenails. A soothing hurricane? Baba Yaga speaks to my insides and probably yours too.

[Sinking Spring Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Acerbic and hilarious - Baby Yaga answers modern questions the way you would expect an ancient and grumpy "grandmother witch" to reply. A short, fun read.

[Liz Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My only quibble is that I wish it had been longer. The advice is actually very good and thoughtful, and the poetry is beautiful. The first wasn’t bad, but the second is great.

[JLJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you , choose my life--know you are choosing it, not hiding in the woods.

Baba Yaga's wisdom is a balm to the heart and rekindles the fire in your belly.

[Ceallaigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

“All my living I have been an old woman, in the woods ;alone. I do what I like : I muddy & sweep my hut, carry myself into the sky & listen to what it says, I gather mushrooms, terrorize foxes & men with my friendly claws & gait, laugh a long time into a bucket until it laughs back with a spit, breathe as a stone at the bottom of a creek—& many other things I do not say. But non of it is done from fearing. Poke at the fear as into the dying fire in yr hearth: which way do the sparks go, how does the fire hiss? If you , choose my life—know you are choosing it, not hiding in the woods.”

TITLE—Ask Baba Yaga: Poetic Remedies for Troubled Times
AUTHOR—Taisia Kitaiskaia
PUBLISHED—2020

GENRE—spiritual guidance; poetry
SETTING—deep in a dark, goodly forest… also potentially a typewriter semipossessed by Baba Yaga
MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—Love, Life, Magic, Fear, Hope

WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
CHARACTERS—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️—the characterization of Baba Yaga in this book is phenomenal
BONUS ELEMENT/S—the illustrations! I still want one of them as a tattoo…
PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️—“So : be vast!”

”Wishing for Earth to be otherwise, you are small & angry as a bee. Baba energy is chaos energy. Baba is carried on the hot black river of doom, because Baba is the doom & the quiet on the other side. Relax into Chaos. Be the river that dooms you.”

I’ve tried to explain these Baba Yaga books to a few ppl now and I’m not sure where I’m losing them but I’ll try again: these books are written by Taisia Kitaiskaia, a woman born in eastern Russia (who now resides in the US), and she communicates spiritually with Baba Yaga—she asks the old witch these questions, submitted by real people, and the witch answers, and Kitaiskaia writes down her responses. This is not confusing, yes?

”And, when you are itchiest and saddest, close yr eyes & say: This leaf knows where to go / This water is wise / This forest knows my name.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Further Reading—
- Ask Baba Yaga: Otherworldly Advice for Everyday Troubles, by Taisia Kitaiskaia
- Women Who Run with the Wolves, by Clarissa Pinkola-Estés

[Severind Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was almost a 5 star book. Ultimately, it was not. But it's still a book that I loved. It's a short book, but it's perfect for this kind of content. I love Baba Yaga's approach to advice. It's both cynical and beautiful and when you read between the lines, the metaphors are inspiring. You have to think outside the box a little to understand it sometimes, but that's what makes this wonderful. After all, Baba Yaga would not sound like Baba Yaga if she talked like us. She talks in riddles and metaphors and hides meaning in the messages. Highly recommend if you liked the first one.

[K.S. Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

After finishing "Ask Baba Yaga: Otherworldly Advice for Everyday Troubles", I immediately started this and devoured it in one sitting. I honestly didn't expect to find so much depth and insight in these two amazing books. I figured it would be a Baba Yaga-esque bit of humor to pass the time, but I couldn't have been more mistaken. It's prose brings forth undeniable wisdom and answers questions I thought I alone was asking. I am sure to reach for this book over and over again as I venture through the Birch Wood.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ask Baba Yaga has wild answerings for wild hearts. Questions about love, life, even the current social climate that has so many of us weeping and screaming over that fact that we must continue to fight for others just to see our humanity... and Baba Yaga comes in, not with pretty placating words, but with dirt and teeth and claws- she reminds us that our wild raging ferocious hearts are not to be feared by us, it is to be feared and awed by those who would stand in our way and do us harm.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lovely little book was a Solstice gift and I could not think of a better way to spend the longest night of the longest year ever than curled up with a mug of tea, a warm blanket, and the voice of Baba Yaga answering life's questions.

The poetic ramblings from a crone in a frontier shack hit close to home. This is a fun volume that I am sure I will go back to in order to ponder and reflect.

[Joshua Gross · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the poetic words of Taisia Kitaiskaia and the dark beautiful artwork of Katy Horan. This second volume of Ask Baba Yaga def seems more angled to address our current troubled times, tackling worries about climate change, Trump supporters, trans issues, and more. Some of the advice is more metaphorical and confusing than others, but it's all beautiful and interesting.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have not read the first book but this is the one that was available from the library. I love the nature imagery in this. The answers are not direct but they are very lyrical and poetic. The illustrations are also very pretty! I don't know that I'll read the first book but this one was enjoyable.

[Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baba Yaga is the weirdly empathetic feminist/humanist icon I didn't know I needed.

Free audio ARC from libro.fm in exchange for an honest review.

[Rabbit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life lessons through metaphor and intriguing illustrations. I love the voice of Kitaiskaia’s grandma witch character.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this was a podcast.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is serious but fun at the same time. I love the way Kitaiskaia channels Baba Yaga.

[Edith Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sublime poetry with both practical and philosophical implications. I just adore Baba Yaga's voice. Gave this volume to *so many* folks for the holidays during a difficult year.

[Ariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as the first. A wise soul and powerfully written. Taisia really captures Baba Yaga well

[Jennifer Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written

[Abbie Rose]

Excellent and gorgeous advice. Felt like a warm hug from a grandmother I never met.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quirky and charming little book of advice in letter format. Given that I read the newspaper advice column daily (shout out Dear Amy), this was right up my alley. But it definitely isn't your typical newspaper fare. Yes, some of the problems are the same - and don't they all stem from how we get along (or don't) with others? But the voice of Baba Yaga, the wise witch of Slavic folklore, "speaks in the language of trees and ponds and fairy tales, an immortal witness to our folly and suffering." Her answers are definitely circuitous and seem not like an answer at all, until it sinks in a bit and then it seems profound. Mostly Baba Yaga prompts the asker to find the answer within themself. The first section is called "Love Cauldrons" and deals with how to love others; the second section is "Good in Your Bones" and deals with how to love yourself; the third section is "The Forest Path" and deals with how to love the world - natural & human-made. That's an oversimplification, but it's the gist. Here's an example of her folksy wisdom regarding leaving mistakes behind: "your errors are like little foxes that paw at my hut" and then goes on to tell the asker to welcome them rather than let them claw their way in. Obscure, but not wrong. Kudos to the author to create such an authentic persona and for her poetic musings. Also, stunning folk drawings by Katy Horan add to the allure and the authenticity. And this is the second Baba Yaga book - need to backtrack to the first, but looking forward to it.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Poetic Advice for Troubled Times from Ask Baba Yaga” by Taisia Kitaiskaia is the author’s 2nd collection of advice from the being from Slavic Folklore, Baba Yaga. When I say this is among one of my favorite books, it includes the original book too & is not hyperbole. The advice is somehow pointed & yet general to anyone. Divided into sections, “Love Cauldrons…”, “Good In Yr Bones…”, & “The Forest Path…” each piece offers a piece(s) to think about no matter if the question at hand is applicable to the specific reader. It poetic meanderings straddle the mundane & philosophical, the muddy, the strange, the poignant, & the daily. Included are also an abundance of illustrations that give the reader (viewer?) just as much to think about.

Come, let Baba Yaga offer you advice. It may hurt, but it will also heal if you’re ready to hear it.

Love it & will absolutely read again. 💜

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading Baba Yaga as a kid, it may have been a staple and when I had the chance to request it from Andrews McMeel I jumped on that.
Firstly, this cover, AMAZING! And there’s artwork sprinkled throughout that book but it stays on the same colour grid which is super cool.
And the concept is such an interesting one. People write questions to Baba Yaga, similar to a Dear Abby, and she answers them in the most poetic and beautiful way while still giving amazing advice. My brain can’t fathom how Taisia Kitaiskaia could think of all of these responses and have them go perfectly with what Baba Yaga would actually say. I did not realize when I requested this book that it was book two so I’ll try to grab book one and read it as well.

Thanks to Andrew’s McMeel for another magical book sent my way.

[Kendall Snee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new friend from a writing workshop suggested this book. We both were in need of a break from poetry that analyzed the horribleness of everyday. Boy, was she onto something. This book still does that, don’t get me wrong. It’s just packaged as something entirely more manageable and entertaining. Poetry which is usually praised wholeheartedly for its form or when lacking/ it’s consistent bit or gimmick, when there is no form to be found. For such a gimmick to work you must have buy-in from your audience. What buy in do I have with this Slavic folktale witch? None really, but I have come from this book with a deep sense of admiration for all the older crone women in and out of my life who suffer no fools. Perhaps it is what I needed most in these “unprecedented” 🙄 times.