Islands Linked by Ocean ... interview with Lisa Linn Kanae (part 2)
I couldn't end an interview with Lisa Linn Kanae without asking her about romance in her new short story collection, Islands Linked by Ocean (Bamboo Ridge Press, 2009).
Okay, I guess I could have left out this question ... but hey, it's a crucial part of some of the stories, and besides I'm always looking for a little romance. I mean ... yikes, time for a rewrite! Anyway, on with part two of the interview.
Q. The element of romance in a story always seems to be a good way to reveal character. Could you talk about the romance in some of these stories? I'm thinking in particular of "Sassy" and the married couple Sheldon and Manu in "Born-Again Hawaiian."
Lisa: Romance? That's an interesting question. When it came to writing about the relationship between Manu and Sheldon, I wanted to start with a fight. When a friend of mine read a draft of "Born-Again Hawaiian," he was struck by how the dialogue revealed how well Manu and Sheldon knew each other—and did not know each other. This comment really helped me develop the characters.
I like writing dialogue that involves one person who for whatever reason cannot hear what the other person is trying to say. The lack of communication alone reveals what is important to both characters. We say what we have to say, but we also, often times, hear only what we think is important to hear.
Same goes for the Claire character in "Sassy." What motivates Claire is wanting to be loved, but to Claire love means "saving" someone, which she learns through an experience during the birth of her younger sister.
People love and search for love for all kinds of reasons. In developing these characters, I had to consider what their reactions to love would be. Their reaction reveals who they are as well as the larger question of what their lives mean.
Q. What are you reading?
Lisa: Over the summer, I read Junot Diaz's The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and all I wanted to do after I read that was read it again.
Anthony Bourdain—yes that guy on the Travel Channel. I don't have television service, so I didn't know who he was until I happened to be watching a clip of his show at a friend's house. He was describing the streets of Vietnam and the writing was just sharp and lovely. I said, this guy is a writer. Who is this guy? Sure enough, I did a Google search and found his book, bought it and I've been a huge fan every since.
Lois-Ann Yamanaka—what can I say. She gives so much of herself, as if she doesn't protect herself from what she dares to write. I can almost sense her vulnerability when I read her work. She just opens her heart and gives. She's so good, she scares me.
David Sedaris. ZZ Packer. Jhumpa Lahiri. Sherman Alexi. Like I said, too many. Ultimately, I read their work because I love to read, but in the end, when I write, there is no way I can be like them. They just make me want to write—and I eventually end up being me.
Thank you, Lisa!
==============================================
Coming Saturday: With the launch of Bamboo Ridge's new 2009 collection on Monday, November 23, at the University of Hawaii, we feature two poems by Ghislaine Chock from the book, with Ghislaine's comments.
Ten writers will be reading at the event on Monday. I will be reading an excerpt from my short story "Pickles and Shawnilynn and Me at the Mall," a story that was thoroughly and painfully researched at Kahala Mall (just to warn you ... with all the pink at the Hello Kitty store you should consider donning sunglasses before entering).
Tags: Islands Linked by Ocean, Lisa Linn Kanae, short stories
