About

The purpose of this blog has continuously changed over the years, as, I suppose, has this About pag­­e. I don’t blame myself. About pages are hard. So is consistency.

Let’s start with a classic, bite-sized bio. This is the one I’m currently running with:

The Spider Kid. Occasional writer, full-time person. Believer in Grace, substandard practitioner of same.

Beyond this, describing myself is a little difficult. What I know for sure, for now, is that I’m an incredibly cerebral person. That means I live most of my life in my head, as opposed to, for instance, through my intuition, or through physical activity. I suppose some might refer to the type of person I am as “an intellectual.” I am in no position to reject that label.

My priority in life, in abstract terms, is the pursuit of freedom in all forms by which it can be attained.

My life goal, in less abstract terms, is to work my way into becoming a full-time, self-sufficient creative worker, particularly in the literary field. My aspiration is to build and own a creative multi-media company dedicated to telling African stories in a variety of forms.

As of September 2020, I have resolved to return this blog to the purpose by which I can feel freest on this here internet. In other words, this blog is going back to being my public trash can. A depository for my random, slightly longform thoughts, plus news and updates about my life, career, and existence.

All this being said, if you want to get more familiar with the entity that is The Spider Kid, here are a few great places to start.

🕸 Principles of Balance

Principles of Balance – a short story published in Jalada Africa’s After+Life anthology. The story was shortlisted in the 2020 Nommo Awards, and was translated into Spanish, so I have reason to believe it’s my most blown-up story to date.

🕸 My House Portraits interview

My House Portraits interview – a pretty random, fun, half-hour-long interview conducted by creative collective, House No. 3, that showcases my personality probably better than anything else on the internet right now.

🕸 My OTC passion project

My OTC passion project – On the Ceiling is a fictional universe/project that began to materialize around the same time as my Spider Kid alter ego formed. And if you know anything about a certain Ghanaian folklore character known as Kwaku Ananse, you can probably connect the dots as to why.

So there you have it: an introduction to Akotowaa. You may now go forth and explore the Spider Kid’s Web. 🕸