Since the logo has a spider in it, I thought this would be a good Halloween post.
Before I tell you what a Tusitala is, let’s make sure you’re pronouncing it correctly. Tusitala is four syllables and is pronounced too-se-tall-a (the “se” is pronounced like the first part of “sit,” but since the “t” goes in the “tall” part of this word, I couldn’t write it like that phonetically). Now that you’re pronouncing it correctly, let me tell you what it means.
Tusitala Publishers began because I needed a publisher for my book The Relational God. After hearing the same feedback from multiple literary agents–that the book was good, but that I had no platform–I decided to publish it myself. Tusitala is the Samoan word for storyteller, and it is how the Samoan people referred to Robert Louis Stevenson who owned a plantation on the island (called Vailima) and lived on the island during the final years of his life. This was at the height of Colonialism. Very few citizens–like Stevenson–ever settled or visited the islands; because three of the world’s military powers were vying for control with little regard for the natives. Yet Stevenson made his home there and tried to help the Samoan people as best he could–with his pen! Stevenson wrote a small book called A Footnote to History that cataloged the abuses of the various governments against the Samoan people, and it created quite a stir.
Stevenson employed the Samoan people and treated them as family. He was highly regarded and respected by the Samoan people, and they referred to him as Tusitala.
I learned all this at the beginning of 2017 when I read Matthew Pearl’s historical literary fiction work The Last Bookaneer. I have a master’s degree in English, and I always find Pearl’s works to be both entertaining and educational. The name “Tusitala” seemed like a great fit for my publishing company, because my wife and I actually visited a Pacific island earlier that same year, and it was unlike anything we have ever experienced. We have memories from that trip that will last the rest of our lives, and I understand what drew Stevenson to the land (other than doctor’s orders that he change climate to improve his health). Stevenson was also from Edinburgh, a city that I have had the privilege of visiting and falling in love with.
When I looked all this up online to do a quick fact check, I also discovered that a Tusitala is a genus of spider. So, in the end, for me, Tusitala has a rich, historical background that is connected to beloved people and places. Tusitala: a teller of tales. Tusitala Publishers Online: a web of stories and books.