Woman. Warrior. Writer. 12-22

Devi S. Laskar Vol. 3 No. 15 December 5 2022

Aloha,

Meet Woman. Warrior. Writer. Devi S. Laskar!

How did you come to author your life?

I credit my stubborn streak. I’ve been writing for a very long time. In 2010, through no fault of my own, I lost the bulk of my work. I had to start over. Although many people discouraged me from pursuing a writing life (in light of the real world problems that plagued my family and me) a few encouraged me to keep going — including my family. I have built back my writing life word by word, determined that no one was going to make decisions for me ever again.

Devi S. Laskar is a poet, novelist, essayist, photographer, artist, former newspaper reporter and TarHeel basketball fan. She is the author of award-winning The Atlas of Reds and Blues. Her second novel, Circa was published by Mariner Books and selected as the June 2022 Goop Book Club pick (founded by Gwyneth Paltrow). Her third novel, Midnight, At The War will be published by Mariner in  2024. She holds degrees from Columbia University, University of Illinois and UNC-CH. A native of Chapel Hill, N.C., she now lives in California with her family. You can learn more at devislaskar.com and follow her on IG and Twitter: @devislaskar

Devi S. Laskar visited class and inspired my students. Also, I had Devi edit my poetry manuscript. She’s refreshingly honest and a fantastic teacher, writer, and editor.

REGISTER FOR 2023 CLASSES

Intersectionality: Manuscript Workshop THURSDAYS JANUARY 12-MARCH 16 5-7AM (HST) A workshop for those working to complete a manuscript. Contact writer@drstephaniehan.com. Limited enrollment: 2 spots left!

Master Narratives: A Deep Dive SATURDAY JANUARY 28 7-9AM (HST). This is a creative process class. Master Narratives guide our approach to our subject matter and our identities as writers. Similar class taught at 2022 SOMOS Workshop.

BREAK: Write Your Divorce Story Workshop SATURDAY FEBRUARY 18 7-9AM (HST). Learn the Divorce Story Structure suitable for your legal/personal file.

Women’s Creative Writing Workshop Saturdays March 4-March 25 7-9AM (HST) This mixed-level class emphasizes voice and narrative and comes with the opportunity to have a one-on-one session. Limited enrollment.

Asian/Asian American Women’s Creative Writing Workshop Saturdays June 3-July 22 7-9AM (HST) The ONLY known class specifically designed for Asian/Asian American women writers. Limited enrollment. Contact writer@drstephaniehan.com as class is filling up. Limited enrollment.

10% discount for previous students and kama’aina. Please enter the code LOCAL.

Open gender WRITING COACHING private sessions for manuscripts, applications, teaching strategies/syllabi, divorce stories, and more. Contact writer@drstephaniehan.com

Woman. Warrior. Writer. Apparel

Dark and Light Apparel. Support scholarships for creative writing classes and give a gift to yourself or the writer in your life!

HOLIDAY GIFTS

Check out this year’s Woman. Warrior. Writers. as well as the authors who appeared on my syllabi and who visited my classes for holiday book giving ideas. Writers are listed under each class description. I appreciate all books, but reading narratives by women who challenge ideas of who and what we can be changes our perspective on the world. We navigate in a world that does not center women’s experiences. We need stories to help us understand ourselves.

WRITING AS REBELLION

Art and writing are acts of rebellion and revolution. Writing is a radical act. Word by word we make new stories and in doing so, become different people and enter the dream of what is possible. Women have often been prohibited from writing and have had limited participation in the field of literary arts. Many of you who write may find yourself uncertain at times, wondering if you have the right to write, an even fearful about what you are writing. Do not let the status quo that says women should be silent shut you down. Never let anyone diminish the courage it takes for you to write. Never let anyone deny your right to create stories on the page. It takes guts to write and if you are writing—give yourself a pat on the back, for indeed it is true, that you are in the minority. You are that rare woman who has declared herself someone worth reading. You are a rebel.

DREAMS and INTUITION

Listen to your intuition. Allow yourself to dream.

I had an interesting dream a month ago. In the first part of the dream, I’m holding a small infant in my arms—a dead baby. I’m in a miserable apartment. I look out, and there are rusty pipes and bars. It’s cold. Rundown. I’m surrounded by everything breaking down and gray and there is nothing colorful or light. I’m crying as my newborn baby has died (this is not my real life baby, by the way, who is plenty fine at 165 pounds and 6’ now…). My mom and sister are around. My ex is around somewhere. I’m just upset. The baby is dead.

Then all of a sudden I’m in a beautiful house. It’s full of laughter and people of all ages some I know and are from my past, some I do not know. I look out through a big window at a large hill, I against the back of a valley. It’s big open sky. Not so many trees. There is a cedar fence flush against the mountain. Am I on the Big Island? I have no idea. Is it Palolo where I now live, but decades prior? I don’t know. But I’m holding a second baby in my arms. I know this baby won’t die. I’m happy. I say to my mom, I’m sad, the baby (first one) died. She says, oh no, if you would have told me, I would have gotten you a christening gown to bury your baby in (my own kid wasn’t baptized, not my belief system, but I was as a child). Anyway, I’m tearful and then I say, oh no! I lost my dead baby. I couldn’t find it! Then I say, oh well. It’s gone. And that was that. Now—I only had the new baby. Life was so much better.

The dream? So easy to interpret.

Old life and dreams in the form of hope and belief—gone, that was the first dead baby. I was impoverished. Sad. And the second? Happy, knowing the baby is going to live and life is beautiful and I feel happy about what is in store.

I tell you this dream to remind you that dreams remind us of who we are, what we are feeling, why we are feeling. To create, we must move into our subconscious. To understand who we are, we must allow ourselves to reflect and be comfortable with whatever weirdness that appears. Events and objects and people stand in for ideas and beliefs. Truths.

I also write to tell you that I sincerely thank everyone who reads this. Because yes, you Dear Reader, are part of the life that I now live that has been filled with hope, cheer, and dreams. You are the second part of my dream, the second baby in the new house. My old life had died, but it wasn’t a life I was happy in anyway. My new life—it’s good.

Mahalo. Sending you all the best for a wonderful December—hope to see you online or in person in the 2023 year. Life is short. We are here to learn and to let go when we have moved on.  Aloha. Peace. Believe in your story.

Cheers,

Stephanie