 |
      |
|
|
|
|
|   Lynne KositskyLynne Kositsky, the author of Rachel: A Mighty Big Imagining, is an acclaimed writer of fiction and poetry. Find out more about her inspiration for Rachel in an exclusive interview with the editorial team at www.ourcanadiangirl.ca: Q: Why did you decide to write about the Loyalist slaves who immigrated to Nova Scotia? LK: It was a wonderful story, which I found, quite by accident, while researching something else. There is very little children's literature about the plight of ex-slaves who came up to Canada after the American Revolution, and I had a particular interest in the subject as two of my children are black. Q: What kind of research did you do to find out about the world Rachel and her family lived in? LK: I read all the books I could find about the black experience in South Carolina and Nova Scotia. I also found first-hand accounts, written by blacks and slave owners of the time. Finally, I visited Birchtown in Nova Scotia, looked at the lay of the land, visited the archaeological digs, and spoke to the archaeologist and descendants of the original settlers. I found a rock near the place where the boat must have come in. It was incredible to stand on that spot, stare down at the red-flecked water, and imagine what it must have felt like to be a stranger in a strange land. Q: What do you think was the most difficult aspect of Rachel's life? LK: I don't think there was anything easy about Rachel's life. She had to contend with difficulties that few of us have ever experienced. But it must have been terrible for her to experience near-starvation. I imagine almost everything else pales next to that. Q: Do you think that Rachel would be a very different person if she were alive today? LK: She would be the same determined person, but her circumstances would be different. She would have enough to eat, a warm place to live, and a school to go to. Racism still exists, but it is less prevalent, and in this country blacks have the same rights as everyone else. Q: Would you want to go back and live in that time yourself? LK: There's a simple answer to that -- no! I'd be thrilled to zing back there for a day or two and really experience Rachel's life, taste her food, and try on her clothes, but only if I had a return ticket. I am truly a creature of the twenty-first century. I eat convenience foods, travel by plane, write my novels on computer, and use the Internet and e-mail constantly. I have friends all over the world who really enrich my life and understanding. My sister lives in Scotland, my closest friend in the United States, but we e-mail or send instant messages almost every day. Such relationships would have been all but impossible in Rachel's time. I'm really grateful to be who I am. I enjoy the privileges of living now. |
|
|
|
|
