Woman. Warrior. Writer. 05-24
Jane Wong Vol. 5 No. 5 05-05-24
Woman. Warrior. Writer. Jane Wong
How did you come to author your life?
I grew up in a Chinese American restaurant on the Jersey shore, which means I was surrounded by sensory imagination. I overheard customer conversations, felt the stinging cold of the meat freezer, smelled the fryer heating up. In many ways, I became a writer because of the restaurant's synesthesia. Also, the public library was across the street and my mom would drop me off there for hours (it was the '80s... free babysitting?) and I read voraciously. I started writing because I was a reader. If I wanted a story to end differently, I'd write a new ending and slip it into a library book. I'm the first in my family to go to college, so it was a risk for me to pursue creative writing -- but I had to do it. It felt like a calling. I began as a fiction writer in college, then did a poetry MFA, and then (after two books of poems and a critical PhD), I wrote a memoir. Clearly, I love a challenge and to blur genre lines! When I write, I'm always trying to get back to my twelve-year-old self and her risk-taking imagination. I'm always trying to get into the muddy pond with her.
Jane Wong is the author of the memoir Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City (Tin House, 2023) and two poetry collections: How to Not Be Afraid of Everything (Alice James,2021) and Overpour (Action Books, 2016). She grew up in a Chinese American take-out restaurant and is an Associate Professor at Western Washington University.
IG: @paradeofcats
Website: https://janewongwriter.com/
UPDATES
Classes
BREAK: Write Your Divorce Story Workshop May 17 Fri. 2-4PM (HST), I will teach Divorce Story Structure. Do you remember the 5 paragraph essay? Let’s not all get excited here…but yeah, it worked. When I was tasked with writing my divorce story for my legal file I was at an utter loss. How could I encapsulate 20 years of my life on the page? How to write about the truths that I could barely face myself because they violated the idea of what I perceived to be the rules of a relationship and selfhood? Writing this was like trying to make a snow angel in an avalanche. Or surf in a bathtub. But when I finally came up with a structural framework: boom, I was off. You marry and divorce under LAW designed to uphold patriarchal values. The story that stands is rooted in systemic inequities. The only way you can control this narrative at all for your personal/legal file is to write it down in your words.
Write and stand in your truth. We all die. You have nothing to lose, you must write your story. Disclaimer: ask your lawyer about putting it in your file. See Scarlet Society: HOW TO WRITE YOUR DIVORCE STORY or Youtube for more info.
Women’s Creative Writing Workshop (4 weeks) June 6-27 Thursdays 12-2PM (HST), a mixed level cross-genre generative writing workshop: voice, creative process, community. I have published authors and new writers in workshop—I emphasize voice, narrative, and writing craft. I use texts by women to teach women. Note that this workshop also includes a one-on-one consultation at the end of class! Contact writer@drstephaniehan.com
SUMMER 2024 TEXTS: Behind You is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj, Willow Weep for Me by Nana-Ama Danquah, Dream Elevator by Marisa Lin
Note: Marisa Lin attended WCWW! You can count on me to support you on your journey as a writer!
Master Narratives: A Deep Dive (Live at da Shop) June 22 Sat. 9-11AM (HST), a live workshop —my first since COVID!—where writers explore how and why Master Narratives are foundational to our framework of belief, community, and the self. This is an OPEN GENDER class.
News
I was in conversation with Jasmin Iolani Hakes, author of Hula at daShop! Video will be posted on YouTube later this month.
Dr. Stephanie Han (left) holding Hula by Jasmin Iolani Hakes (right)
Honolulu Magazine Book awards Author Under 35 Award to Megan Kamalei Kakimoto (WWW 2023) for Every Drop is a Man’s Nightmare
Honolulu Magazine awards Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes (WWW 2023) Book of the Year (About Hawai’i) for Hula
Caroline Kim author of The Prince of Mournful Thoughts and Other Stories won the 2024 O. Henry Prize for Short Fiction recognizing “Hiding Spot” for the New England Review
Mimi Lee (left) and Celestine Woo (right) from Intersectionality: Manuscript workshop
Events and Opportunities
the big ask session for FB WCWW members/WWW substack subscribers is May 2 Thursday from 9-10AM HST. This is a FREE ask me anything session:) passcode: ask
Join me in conversation with Elise Hu author of Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital on Saturday, May 4th at da Shop!
Micro prose expert Darien Gee offers quarterly office hours via Zoom for writing/publishing questions. Go to Writer-ish.com for her newsletter. Join office hours May 5, 1PM PST -- she’ll also talk about juggling genres.
MAUI and PALESTINE
Donate to Maui Strong. Visitors-- please support local businesses—and for those who can--help us expand our economy beyond tourism.
#Ceasefire now. Do your government representatives receive money from AIPAC?
Above are examples of the fallout of the nation-state and capitalism. Rewrite the story. Our gestures matter; story is beauty; humanity is possible.
MERCH
Jennifer Ho (Master Narratives) in the WWW long-sleeve shirt! :) Woman. Warrior. Writer. T-shirts and hoodies for writing student financial aid
The Wheel of Power and Control
In the run-up to my divorce a friend sent me this image of the wheel of power and control developed by women in 1980s Duluth, Minnesota. It shocked me because I could see the dynamics of my relationship in different terms. I learned from Angelina Mercado (WCWW) head of the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence that there are many updated versions of this wheel to include the nuance of how we interact and that there’s also a healthy relationship wheel.
Send this to a friend in need. I bet you have one.
Aloha,
Stephanie