Mixed Chick Lit Prized By Barbara Kingsolver

Hey, you Hip Hapa Homeez! Here’s a BIG UP for joining us on Facebook. Your love has helped move us towards getting our film, Watermelon Sushi, into production. For that, we send you our shout-outs. Remember, Watermelon Sushi is not just a movie—it’s a movement. Every single day, Your Hip Hapa gets messages from folks everywhere reciting stories about their multi-culti lives. Whether they are of mixed heritage, or have crossed cultures in some way, people are tearing down the racial barriers that have kept us from sharing for so long. Please keep on keepin’ on by joining our Hip Hapa Homeez group page on Facebook where we post information affecting us and our agenda; and, the Watermelon Sushi Fan page where we keep you updated about the film. There are also t-shirts available at Hapa*Teez, and with every purchase you earn a rear crawl credit on the film.

As for this Watermelon Sushi World blog, Your Hip Hapa has big plans in the Year of the Metal Tiger. So, for now, we’ll be moving to an every-other-week publishing format. Next week, we’ll post an interview with another Hip Hapa Homee, but the one after that will be published on March 10. If you, or someone you know, would like to be profiled here, please drop a line to hiphapa@comcast.net

Your Hip Hapa first met Heidi W. Durrow (pictured above) along with her partner, Fanshen Cox, in July 2007 as a guest on their half hour podcast called Mixed Chicks Chat. And, last year, Your Hip Hapa facilitated a panel about mixed race relationships at the Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival also hosted by Heidi and Fanshen. Yesterday, Heidi’s highly anticipated book, The Girl Who Fell From the Sky (Algonquin Books), was released. Below, Heidi discusses the process of writing and publishing this important story about being multiracial.

That’s a pix of Heidi's book here. Below, she and Fanshen pose at the Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival. And, below that, her parents exchange vows on their wedding day.

For more information, check out Heidi’s website at: www.heidiwdurrow.com

Q: What's a nice multiethnic girl like you doing writing such an acclaimed work of fiction?

A: I’ve always wanted to write, and for a long time didn’t believe that it was worth writing because no one would be interested in a story about the Mixed experience. But when I gave up thinking about what “they” (agents, editors, literary journal editors) wanted, and decided to write what I wanted to read or wish I could have read; then, the writing started flowing.

The story, though, of The Girl Who Fell From the Sky was inspired by a real event that happened about 15 years ago. A family died in a terrible tragedy, but a miracle happened and the girl survived. I became haunted by what her survival might look like. I didn’t know anything about the girl but the barest facts of her biography. And so, I filled in what I knew--the story of a biracial and bicultural girl who suddenly discovers that her identity isn’t “American”, but a race.

Q: Had you written a novel before, and do you plan to write more?

A: This is my first novel. It took 12 years to write.

I’m working on some other book projects now, and I’m hoping they won’t take so long to complete.

My journey to publication was very long in part, I think, because I didn’t know how to get published. I was a journalist, and then a lawyer, and I thought if I just wrote then I would get published. But there are a lot of things that you need to do as a writer that are not writing. You need to cultivate mentors and advisors who can help you with recommendation letters. And, you need to get to know people (other writers and publishing professionals). Just like in any business, it’s easier to get published if you’ve met the editor. That’s not to say it’s the only way. My first publication, which appeared in Alaska Quarterly Review, was a blind submission. The same story had been rejected by two-dozen other literary journals. I had a rule that I had to send out the story to two more journals for every rejection I received. I’m surprised I didn’t have more rejections in hand by the time I got the acceptance. The rejections were discouraging, but I also needed to keep pushing forward.

I found my agent through a connection with my mentor, writer Michael Pettit. He had judged a contest I won and took an interest in helping me with my career. He’s been a huge support and I’m terribly grateful to him.

I found my publisher, again, just by a blind submission. My book won the Bellwether Prize for Literature of Social Change, an award created and funded by Barbara Kingsolver. Along with the prize came a contract for publication. Voila! You can bet I was excited when I got the call from Barbara Kingsolver that she had chosen my manuscript. It felt like magic--like I was an overnight success. But really, I had put many years of work into the manuscript. I got lucky that I found the one gatekeeper who said ‘yes’!

Q: Do you think that there's such a thing as a mixed-race genre for authors?

A: I think there are stories of the Mixed experience. I don’t know whether there is a mixed-race genre, but maybe there is. If so, I would call it the Creole Aesthetic. I chaired a panel on that at the Loving Conference--looking at the similarities between different types of art dealing with the Mixed experience. I’d love to have that discussion again.

Q: Will your book cross cultures?

A: Yes, I think so. At bottom, the book is about a young girl who’s trying to learn how to be a woman without her mother. She’s looking for role models; trying to figure out what kind of woman she’s going to become. I think a lot of people can relate to that.

Q: Are mixed people hungry for stories about themselves?

A: I can speak for myself and say ‘yes, I definitely am’. It’s one of the reasons, my partner Fanshen and I started the Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival--www.mxroots.org. It’s an opportunity for mixed people, mixed families, and people in mixed relationships of every stripe and sort to see themselves reflected in film and in readings and performance. We’re putting together the 3rd Annual Festival now. It’s set for June 12-13, 2010, at the Japanese American National Museum. And, it’s free! I just want to put in a little plug here: Please donate to help keep the Festival free. It’s a fiscally sponsored project of the New York Foundation for the Arts and, your donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Donate on-line now!

Q: How did your parents meet?

A: My parents met in Germany in the 1960s. My father was in the Air Force and my mom (who is from Denmark) was working as an au pair to an American military family. They were married in Denmark because it was illegal for them to marry in South Carolina, where blacks and whites could not marry and, where my father was about to be stationed.

Q: How much are you affected by Danish culture?

A: My Danish family is my heart! I love them so much and they were such a big part of my growing up. My mom—the smart woman that she is—decided to raise us speaking Danish. We only spoke Danish with her and spoke English to our dad. Being Danish is such a huge part of my identity, even though I never went to school in Denmark or lived there for more than a few months. It’s just part of who I am.

Q: How did you become so involved with the mixed-race community?

A: I became involved in the mixed-race community because I felt isolated. It really did just start with my longing and need to talk to my friend Fanshen about these issues. We realized that every time we saw each other (which wasn’t much) we’d talk about these issues. We started the podcast, Mixed Chicks Chat--www.mixedchickschat.com--as a way to connect more often. We didn’t really think that people would start to listen! The Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival was a natural outgrowth of that. We wanted to create a space for artists to share their work. We wanted to offer a forum for their stories.

Q: What has changed for mixed people since you two began your podcast and festival?

A: The fact that people who are not mixed simply say the word biracial--I think just that is a huge step. That is of course because of President Obama. Thank you, Mr. President! Because of the One Drop rule, people hadn’t even been allowed to think about mixed-race identity—the lines had been drawn. I think people are more likely to share information about their blended families or relationships now. And, I think mixed families are starting to look like families to outsiders. People aren’t trying to do the math of how the kids belong with the mom or dad. That’s the best. I think that’s progress.

Congratulations, Heidi! Here’s to good fortune with your book.

Remember, Hip Hapa Homeez, find us on Facebook and Twitter. And, don’t forget to write!

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Mixed Arts, Mixed Marriage, And Riding The Metal Tiger

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Sun Neen Fai Lok!

HAPA Lunar New Year of the Metal Tiger, my Hip Hapa Homeez. Are you ready to ride the tiger yet? Grrrr, so are we! This Saturday, the planet celebrates Lunar Year 4708 so Your Hip Hapa thought it appropriate to feature painter, poet, author, newspaper arts editor and produce worker Alan Chong Lau. Every single year, no matter where in the world Your Hip Hapa calls home, Alan sends her a hand-painted Lunar New Year card from his Seattle digs.

That’s Alan with his grandmother in the photo here taken in 1955 in California, and below are three of his paintings. The first one, a self-portrait of him working at his produce job, appeared in his book Blues and Greens: A Produce Worker’s Journal. The second image is called Gods of the People and the third, Bittermelon Achieving Overripeness.

You can find out more about Alan’s artwork by going to the gallery link where Alan’s artwork is featured and clicking his name: http://www.sedersgallery.com/

To learn more about his poetry and published work, drop us a line at hiphapa@comcast.net, and Your Hip Hapa will hook you up with Alan.

Q: How did your family end up in California?

A: My father was originally from a small village in Guangdong Province in Southern China. He left his village as a young boy and lived in Hong Kong with a relative, eventually joining the merchant marines and sailing numerous times to the U.S. One day, he just decided to "jump ship" and when the ship docked for a few days in San Francisco, he got off and never returned. He became one of hundreds of illegal immigrants working the fields as a laborer in the Sacramento Valley. Eventually, he enlisted in the Army when World War II broke out and was granted a pardon for enlisting, becoming a naturalized citizen.

My mother is a second generation Chinese American who grew up in Stockton where her folks had a Chinese restaurant on El Dorado Street. Both of my parents are Haka Chinese. Eventually, my folks settled in Paradise California, which was then a small, conservative, mostly-white retirement community in the upper Sacramento Valley just at the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas--15 miles from Chico. My father often said, "I wanted to start a Chinese restaurant where there wouldn't be any competition."

Q: What was it like for you, a Chinese American, living in Japan?

A: Having an Asian face in an Asian country at first is totally liberating! To go from being a minority in the U.S. where it seems, at times, your every move and action is scrutinized and where you feel you have to explain yourself constantly to being part of the majority where you can just be yourself is initially an exhilarating feeling. But your cover is blown as soon as you open your mouth, or your body language gives you away. “Asian American” was a difficult concept for Japanese to fathom when I was there in the late 1960's to early 1970's. Right away, they try to relate to you by speaking of China; the older folks will speak of the wisdom of Chinese culture or the time they spent in the Japanese army in China during WWII. I lost count of the times I was serenaded by well-meaning old Japanese guys once the sake flowed freely with their rendition of "China Nights" (Shina No Yoru), a nostalgic old song that reminded them of their time spent in China. I think the younger Japanese understood more clearly when you said you were “Asian American”. The way Japanese feel about their place in Asia and their relationship to the U.S. is complicated and definitely colored by history and colonialism. I still remember once, in my morning English conversation class, when one of my students corrected me as I read out his name. He said, "Oh, that's my Japanese name. I am actually a Korean living in Japan." There was dead silence in the room from his fellow Japanese students. I mean, you could have heard a pin drop. Like I said, it’s complicated and something that is being worked out continually.

I spent six months hitchhiking around Japan in 1968-1969 during a leave of absence from San Francisco State University one semester. The second time I ended up in Japan was at the tail end of a trip that took me to Copenhagen to represent my family at my sister's wedding to a boy from Bangkok. They met at the Royal Hotel. He was a busboy and she was a maid. After the wedding, I just kept traveling overland across Europe, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia, and eventually landed back in Kyoto totally penniless. It was the early 1970's and I ended up staying for 3 1/2 years studying brush painting and meeting my wife Kazuko.

Q: How did you two meet? Were there any cultural clashes between your families?

A: The only jobs most foreigners can get are as English conversation teachers. A friend whom I met on the boat to Japan (my first trip was from San Francisco to Yokohama on a cruise ship) had gone to U.C. Santa Barbara and loved Bob Dylan, becoming a Japanese folksinger himself. He got me a job teaching beginning English conversation at Kyoto Unesco. Students would take the class at 7 a.m. before going off to their office jobs. My wife was one of those early morning students.

At the time, I did not speak much Japanese and her parents spoke no English and through that wall of non-communication, somehow we got along. The first time my mother met Kazuko, she told her, "If my mother were still alive, she would be shocked that her grandson married a Japanese woman like you." She was referring to my grandmother's very real hatred of the invading Japanese army who came to her village in China. She once told me about her memory of seeing a Japanese soldier bayonet a pregnant woman, which haunted her for years.

Q: Do you two eat mostly Japanese or Chinese, and who does the cooking?

A: A little of both and all of the rest, although since I am partially vegetarian (I eat fish once in a while), that limits what we eat at times. Kazuko does most of the cooking although at times it really comes down to who gets home first and who's the hungriest. I pick out the produce at work if I am not in a big hurry to go home.

Q: Is Chinese or Japanese spoken at home?

A: I would have to say we speak kind of a "baby" version of both languages. It's strange, but I can speak more Japanese than Chinese. But I think my comprehension of Chinese (in my own Haka dialect) is more thorough than my comprehension of Japanese. Plus, I probably speak Japanese like a girl since I learned it from my wife and some of my female students. So, sometimes Kazuko will say key words in Japanese and fit them into an English sentence or vice versa. Or, sometimes when we don't want to be overhead in a crowd, i.e., when riding the bus, I might say in Japanese, "Someone just cut a fart. Let's move to the back of the bus."

Q: How do you juggle so many careers—poetry, painting, editing the arts section of a newspaper, being a produce worker?

A: I guess my life is a jigsaw and every piece contributes something to make me whole. I am in awe of poetry and just amazed at the magic and power of words. Poetry in an oral sense may have been one of mankind's first utterances--feelings and emotions put to song, notes going out and up into an empty sky. Painting is something that to me is very immediate. You may not have a clear idea in your head, but you can just start splashing ink on paper and before you know it you follow where the painting takes you and wants you to go. I love that feeling when you can't totally control where the journey takes you. Growing up during the Asian American student movement left an indelible mark on my consciousness. I came away from that experience feeling that some part of what you do has to contribute to society and that you have to give back, if only to give thanks to those who came before you and paved the way. So, working on a non-profit community newspaper like the International Examiner is my way of contributing to that dialogue. Plus, I feel it's important to make sure that people realize the importance of the arts in society. And working in the community, in an Asian produce market, keeps you grounded and keeps you real. Plus, it's a great way to interact with and meet people as they go about one of their most important functions, shopping for food to eat.

Q: Any upcoming exhibits or readings?

A: Current and upcoming projects include the following: I have new work in a group show currently at Francine Seders gallery (which represents me locally) that celebrates the owner's birthday until February 14. I had a recent one-person show there in the fall of 2009. I’m writing poems in response to the work of sculptor Marc Wenet. I have also been asked by American poet Cralan Keldar, who lives in Amsterdam, to do the artwork for his first book of poetry due out later this year. And, my work is being considered for a group show on the theme of artists who live and work in the International District for the fall at Wing Luke Asian Museum. Finally, I have been invited to participate in a group project for Richard Hugo House next year where writers will be commissioned to write and read totally new work around the theme of "Born in the U.S.A."

Q: Every year, you hand paint Lunar New Year cards and send them to all your friends. What’s your inspiration?

A: I got that idea from living in Japan and just thought it was a nice way of keeping in touch with friends whom you may never see again or who live far away or that you don't get to see that often. It's my way of staying in touch and saying, "Hello, my friend! I am still thinking of you and wish you the best for the new year." I do around 300 and each card is hand-painted and it's labor intensive. Every year I say I gotta quit doing it, but I haven't yet. What am I going to do--send everyone a generic email card listing all the things I did in the past year? Plus, there are so many religious holidays that separate us or make us different, but "happy new year!" is a sentiment that has a universal commonality and I like that idea.

We like that idea, too, Alan. So, HAPA New Year Hip Hapa Homeez!

Here’s the usual spiel: Please join our Hip Hapa Homeez group page on Facebook where we keep you posted about the latest news affecting blendies, mixies, transracial adoptees and interested parties. While you’re there, check out our Watermelon Sushi Fan page and sign up. This is where we keep you updated about our film’s progress. We also post dialogue from the Watermelon Sushi script on Twitter. If you’d like to participate, check out our Hapa*Teez t-shirts and earn a rear crawl credit on the film with your purchase.

In closing, here’s what Alan replied to our inquiry about his prediction for the Year of the Metal Tiger:

“Living in the moment is always a challenge. I do feel we can influence part of what happens by our actions, and other things we just have no control over.”

Gambatte!

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Teaching And Keeping Cultural History Alive

My dear literature lovin’ Hip Hapa Homeez,

Two of our fellow Homeez have books being released this year. How exciting! Stay tuned for upcoming reviews and interviews with Teri LaFlesh (Curly Like Me) and Heidi Durrow (The Little Girl Who Fell from the Sky). It’s incredible how much literature is in circulation right now that chronicles our blendie and mixie lives. Congratulations to all of you amazing authors who keep us, and others, informed about our world.

Speaking of authors and bloggers, this week’s Hip Hapa Homee does her fair share of both. Emily Moberg Robinson attended Wellesley College where she majored in history and minored in music (“classic Asian American Suzuki violinist”, she says, adding that “95% of my Asian American friends growing up were violinists”). Emily then went to UC Santa Cruz for grad school and earned a PhD in early American religious history (Presbyterian political theology in Scotland and America), and an MA in Asian American history (Japanese American internees during WWII). After graduating in 2004, Emily’s been adjuncting occasionally, and is a full-time mom to, she says, “two very energetic boys, neither of whom are sleeping through the night with any regularity.”

Here is Emily’s link:

www.xanga.com/emilymr

The photo above is of her (on right) next to her mother, her grandmother (seated) and sisters. Below, Emily (in kimono) poses with her sisters and cousin.

Q: What's a nice Japanese Caucasian girl like you doing blogging about your multi-culti family?

A: I started a mommy blog when my oldest son, Micah, (now 5) was a baby. Back then, I didn't have enough energy to think about much besides surviving his horrible colic and even more horrible sleeping habits. However, the first time I brought Micah to Hawai’i to meet my mom's side of the family, I plunked him down on my grandma's lap and she exclaimed, "He's ALL HAOLE!!!" It was a very funny moment (which of course I had to blog about), but it also further personalized my interest in race and ethnic identity. And the older Micah gets, the crazier his questions get. He recently asked me if he was “a person of color”, which threw me for a loop given his bright red hair and practically translucent white skin.

Q: How did your folks meet?

A: My mom is Japanese American; my grandmother emigrated from Okinawa when she was young, and my grandfather was a Nisei from Kauai. Mom grew up on Kauai, went to the mainland for college, and met my father in grad school at Syracuse University. Dad's side of the family is 100% Swedish American.

Q: So, how did you identify growing up?

A: I grew up in upstate New York. We lived in the inner city, in a mixed white-black neighborhood. My siblings and I went to a small Christian school, almost entirely white; and then transferred out of district to a suburban high school, again almost entirely white except for the few racial minorities from the city who were part of our desegregation program. We really grew up as an all-American family. We ate American food (although we had a rice cooker! and once or twice a year, the magic box from Hawai-i would appear, stuffed with arare, furikake, li hing mui, ramen, and Japanese curry), and our Japanese heritage was rarely discussed. We did take trips to Kauai to see Grandma, and if it was the right season we'd go to Bon dances at the Lihue Buddhist temple. But overall, I don't think I really felt like I was Japanese American until I got to college, and then even more in grad school when I started studying Asian American history.

Q: How did you meet your Caucasian husband, and was race a factor in your relationship?

A: We met in grad school, following in my parents' footsteps. (Wink!) Race has never been a factor between us. In fact, he went to Japan several times before I did, and he speaks way more Japanese than I do.

Q: How do you envision your sons’ futures as multiracial children in America?

A: Micah is 5, and Shiloh is 2 (we called him "Doosey" when he was in utero, poor child). I talk to both of them about their Japanese heritage, about Japanese American history. I always put up a picture of Micah when I'm lecturing on Asian American identity politics and ask my students if he "counts" as Asian American. I personally believe that perceptions of ethnicity are changing so quickly these days--both from within and from without ethnic communities--and individuals can and should decide for themselves how they want to define themselves. I'll be very happy if my boys decide to identify as Japanese Americans, and learn about what that's meant in the past.

Q: What’s the best part of your job?

A: I teach Asian American history at UC Santa Cruz. I'm an adjunct, and I teach one class a year. I love it! I have some great students who are passionate about the subject, and they always bring up things that I hadn't thought of myself.

Q: Tell us about the book you’re editing.

A: I'm working on an anthology of primary sources written by Asian Americans. My co-editor and I are collecting documents spanning Asian American history--from the mid-1800’s to today, editing them down to two pages, and writing short introductions to each of them. I'm really excited about the project--we're getting some great pieces, addressing contemporary issues as well as the classic historic ones. I've “met” some fascinating people who have been so helpful and gracious about letting us use their writing--that's been the most enjoyable part of the process for me, so far. ABC-CLIO is publishing it, and it should be out next year.

*********

Emily-san, arrigato gozaimasu and mahalo nui loa. You’re definitely about keeping culture alive.

Before Your Hip Hapa signs off, she’d like to thank AllPeople Gifts for sending the following links about celebrating American Heritage History months. As you know, February is Black History Month.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/4054 
 


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MGM-Mixed/message/957 



http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FGM-Mixed/message/347

And word up to Janet Murray who sent us this link below to her piece titled “50 Sushi Tips for Beginners”.

http://www.mritechnicianschools.org/50-sushi-tips-for-beginners/

As always, here’s a word from our sponsors: Join the Hip Hapa Homeez group page on Facebook to be in the mix (ha ha) with news about multiracial communities. Sign up for the Facebook Watermelon Sushi fan page for film updates. Follow Watermelon Sushi on Twitter where we periodically post passages from the film script. And, finally, buy a Hapa*Teez t-shirt to support the film. You’ll earn a rear crawl credit if you do.

Until we meet again, here’s to HAPA reading from…

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi