The MFA Student Community at Whidbey Writers’ Workshop

LENSEY NAMIOKA:
Yang the Youngest and his Terrible Ear selected for the Seattle Public Library’s 2010 Global Reading Challenge

Interview by Claire Gebben

I first met Lensey Namioka through Seattle Freelances (SFL). She has bragging rights to an impressive list of published titles for children and young adults. Barnes and Noble selected her book Ties That Bind, Ties That Break as one of twelve titles in their Book Quest program, and Seattle Public Library (SPL) selected Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear (Paperback Plus) for their 2010 Global Reading Challenge. Her book Half and Half was featured in the SPL Global Reading Challenge for 2008. In addition, Mismatch, about family disapproval when a Chinese-American girl and a Japanese-American boy fall in love, was listed on the 2008 International Reading Association Young Adults’ Choices. Yet, this Chinese-born author hangs back with customary modesty. Her voice is soft and, though she moved to the U.S. at the age of nine, a Chinese accent lingers in her speech. I was intrigued enough by this quiet but mighty presence in our SFL midst, that I called her for an interview. She graciously accepted, and we set up a time of 9 a.m. Thursday to talk by phone. Since we’d only met briefly, Lensey was understandably tentative. To warm us up, I emailed her a few questions in advance. Then, on Thursday morning as I was still reading the last few pages of Ties that Bind, Ties that Break, the phone rang. I had lost track of the time: it was 9:01. It seemed I had opened the flood gates. Before I could even get the file open on my computer, answers to my questions were spilling from Lensey in a rush. For the next half hour, my fingers pounded the keyboard like I was working up an allegro section of a piano concerto. Lensey left me breathless, but more importantly, inspired.

February 4, 2010 Interview with Lensey Namioka:

I see from your biography you studied mathematics at Radcliffe and UC Berkeley. What helped you make the final decision to switch from mathematics to writing?

I finally made the unfortunate discovery that math requires creativity. I can solve problems that someone has given me. I used to get good grades in that. When I first entered school I didn’t speak English, which is what made math easier for me. But then I realized just solving problems that other people gave me wasn’t enough. To do well in math you have to have the creativity to think up your own problems, so I gave that up.

Did you also study writing, or is the writing craft something you’ve learned on your own?

I took freshman English in college, but that was all the writing that I studied. Most of it, I learned on my own. I got my start when I decided to write articles for “East Is East,” a newspaper that came out once a month. I happened to know one of the editors. Then I wrote articles on traveling in Asia, that kind of thing.

I also meet with a critique group – we call ourselves “The Rejects” – we’ve been meeting together for about thirty years. We cry on each others’ shoulders, and read our latest stuff. They really keep me going. Several of us belong to Seattle Freelances.

You’ve had many adventures worthy of writing about as non-fiction, for example your move from China to the U.S. as a young girl.

Some of the things that appear in my books actually happened to me. I don’t know if you’re familiar with the books about the Yang family. Even though it’s set in the modern age, some of that is me. My family is pretty musical, but I’m not one of the better ones. I’ve played piano and I’ve sung a lot. When I was in college, I sang in a lot of madrigal groups. I’m very good at counting time, I never miss my entrances, although some people wish I would [laughs]. I also enjoy going to concerts.

It seems you have a great ear for language.

Well, I’m not that great on languages. I speak Chinese, English and some Japanese. But I wouldn’t say that I have an exceptional ear.

I’ve also noticed how well you understand the psychology of your characters.

Thank you [laughs]. I wish some reviewers would say that.

I’ve just been reading your book Ties that Bind, Ties that Break. Is that based on real-life experiences?

Actually, it was my grandmother who tried to force my mother to have her feet bound, but my mother refused. She resisted and said, “No, absolutely not!” But she did have support from her father. She’s sort of the heroine in “Ties that Bind.” Of course, there are many other heroines, but she is the one that inspired me. The peasant women didn’t have their feet bound, but my mother was one of the first of her generation in the middle and upper classes to not have that done.

Your father’s role in developing a Chinese alphabet is fascinating – is that something you have written about?

No I did not, because so many people had written about him that it would have been redundant. In the field of linguistics he’s pretty well known. In fact, at the University of Washington in the Far East Department they know of him. Many, better people have written about my father’s role in linguistics.

I wonder if it is a struggle to “sell” books about Asian Americans. Have you been categorized or limited in any way by the publishing industry?

Not now. At first, when I wrote the book about two Japanese Samurai – that’s when I first started writing books, in the 1970’s – I was told you couldn’t sell a book where the main characters were Japanese. So I had to introduce a European character, a soldier of fortune. The title is The Samurai and the Long Nose Devils – “long nose” referring to the Europeans, of course [laughs]. But then books about people from other countries began to be published in this country, so it became easier.

Now books about Asia are welcome. In fact, when I wrote a short story entitled “Lafff” the editor said, “Look, the main character is just a plain old American girl. Why don’t you make it Asian? It’s what they expect you to write.” So I ended up making the main character an Asian American.

I’ve had various editors. My earliest were with Vanguard Press. Since Random House bought them, my editors are mostly with Random House. The Yang books were edited by somebody at Little Brown.

What led you to the fiction genre?

I enjoy reading fiction. I did write two non-fiction books about traveling in Japan and China. They were published in the 1970’s, so some of the things I’ve said in them have changed or are out of date.

But the reason I started writing the samurai stories: Even as a little kid in China, I loved reading adventure stories. If you’ve ever gone to a book store in Chinatown, you’ll see shelves and shelves of fiction that involve warriors—women warriors in fact. Women warriors are very prominent in Chinese fiction. Have you heard of Mulan? She is typical of the kind of character you find in Chinese pulp fiction, especially a woman warrior who can do feats of swordsmanship. That’s what I grew up on. That’s what I enjoy writing.

My books on the samurai – six books altogether – are adventure stories. I think a lot of them are available in the local libraries and bookstores.

You may wonder why I write about Japanese instead of Chinese warriors? At the time I started in the 1970’s, the United States had no relationship at all with mainland China, only with Taiwan. In those days, the Cultural Revolution was going on. I had relatives and friends in China, so decided it would be safest for them if I wrote about Japan. Also, my husband’s home town in Japan has a stunningly beautiful castle. We visited it and I got lost. I had a great time there. In Japanese castles they have a maze-like approach so the enemy can’t attack straight on. It made a big impression on me. The first book I wrote, called White Serpent Castle about sixteenth-century Japan, didn’t get published first. It came out after Samurai And the Long-nosed Devil. But it’s come out in a couple of different editions since then, the latest one by Tuttle Company.

I did eventually write one book about a Chinese outlaw band, called Phantom of Tiger Mountain. The main characters are outlaws, and you’ll find this story is very similar to what you read in Chinese pulp fiction.

What is your next writing project?

I’m currently writing a non-fiction biography for adults about mathematics. My editor for that book at Springer Press keeps changing. So at the moment I’m stuck until I get a new editor. Meanwhile, Ties that Bind, Ties that Break has a sequel, and now I’m writing the third book of that series.


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In honor of one of the best writers of middle grade fiction, here are three rapid reviews of Barbara O’Connor’s most recent works.

The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis
by Barbara O’Connor
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Ages 9-12
Hardcover: $16.99
Fall, 2009

Review by Grier Jewell

Barbara O’Connor has a knack for creating offbeat characters living a few degrees north of normal (but never with cartoonish effect). The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis is no exception.

Recipe for this irresistible middle grade novel:

Mix Together
1 very bored boy with a bad eye
1 no good, no account uncle
1 grandmother with an obsessive fear of cracking up

Add
A pack of wild children stuck in a stranded RV
Several mysterious Yoo-hoo boats floating down a creek
1 eccentric girl with wings

Pour into a pan of mad talent and READ!

Though the world of Popeye is far from average, it’s normal as far as he’s concerned. All he needs is a little adventure to break up the boredom of every day tick tick ticking away. As the title states, this is a small adventure. Small, as in: a spark of genius wrapped up in a tiny childhood treasure. Any world O’Connor creates is one I want to inhabit. Popeye’s is no exception. Get The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis. I command you.

Greetings from Nowhere (Frances Foster Books)
by Barbara O’Connor
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Ages 9-12
Hardcover: $16.00
Spring, 2008

Review by Grier Jewell

Greetings from Nowhere is like a warm chocolate chip cookie you remember from long ago and keep trying to re-create for the rest of your life because it’s that good. Once again, O’Connor has created a unique ensemble of unforgettable characters: a truculent boy on his way to reform school, an infectious optimist in search of her “other” mother, a deserted father and daughter in search of a new life, and a grieving widow in search of a solution—all of whom find their way to the Sleepy Time Motel, the vanishing remains of a time before freeways and strip malls. It’s here that life rests long enough for each of these vibrant characters to form new bonds and better days ahead. O’Connor crafts each subplot with quiet, gentle simplicity that will make you savor every word. The ending creates a lingering satisfaction that does not disappoint.

Whether you want to write for middle graders or you are one yourself, stop reading this and instead, pick up a copy of Greetings from Nowhere.

How to Steal a Dog
by Barbara O’Connor
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Ages 9-12
Hardcover: $16.00
Spring, 2007

Review by Grier Jewell

How to Steal a Dog lobs a bold shot across the bow with the mother of all first-lines: “The day I decided to steal a dog was the same day my best friend, Luanne Godfrey, found out I lived in a car.” Who’s going to walk away after a first line like that?

The main character, Georgina Hayes, is living in a car with her mother and little brother after her father walked out and left them homeless. She’s hungry, tired, ashamed, and angry—all the things you’d expect from a child in unbearable circumstances. Georgina concocts a scheme to steal a dog from someone she feels will put up a hefty reward so that her mother can afford a real home.

Of all the books by Barbara O’Connor I’ve read, this one caused me the most conflict. Even though Georgina is desperate, I found it difficult to watch her plot the theft of a beloved dog. I’m a fanatical dog lover, so even if there’s some benign dog-stealing going on, I couldn’t rest until I learned the fate of the furry little kidnap victim, Willy. There’s a lot here to ponder about the justification of a wrong action, but the ending felt a little thin. There’s a lesson here that doesn’t need to be overtly didactic, but it seemed slightly unfinished. I have to hand it to O’Connor, however, for taking on such a difficult topic without becoming mired in sappy melodrama.

Despite my quibbles, How to Steal a Dog is a must read, especially when it’s followed up with some discussion. As for her writing, it’s classic O’Connor quality.

For more Barbara O’Connor, visit her blog. This site is worthy of a bookmark on your browser.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
HarperTeen 2008
2009 winner of the Michael L. Printz Award
(see article below for details on this prestigious award)

Review by Cynthia Waldman

Seventeen-year-old Taylor Markham has a war to run and it would help if she knew where her mother was and why she’d abandoned Taylor on Jellicoe Road six years earlier. In this coming of age novel set in a state-run boarding school deep in the Australian Bush, writer Melina Marchetta lays out clues to Taylor’s traumatic past like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. As Taylor and the reader fit the clues together, the mysteries are gradually solved making JELLICOE ROAD a compelling novel that’s every bit worthy of the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature.

In what may be confusing to some readers, JELLICOE ROAD is told in both past and present time, weaving together seemingly unrelated tales. The past is presented via a manuscript that begins with a horrific car accident that unites the young survivors in a bond born of tragedy. The present day story concerns Taylor’s struggles to find her mother and her own identity. These past and present tales are interwoven like the thistle placemats that a man known only as the “Hermit” was teaching Taylor to make. “Take care of my little girl,” the Hermit whispers to Taylor just before he lifts a gun to his head and shoots himself. The reason for the Hermit’s suicide and the identity of his little girl are just two of the many mysteries Taylor must solve in order to complete the puzzle of her life.

As head of her House and the student in charge of territory wars fought against rivals of Jellicoe School – Townies and Cadets – Taylor must negotiate the booby traps and captured trails of her school life while trying to decipher the mysteries of her past. On her own (her guardian has disappeared), and fighting off depression and debilitating asthma attacks, Taylor must deal with her responsibilities as head of Lachlan House, and run the territory wars as well. A game that is taken very seriously, the territory wars bring the community together. New friendships forged in battle allow Taylor to discover yet more pieces of the puzzle of her past.

Told in the first person, Taylor’s voice is strong, intelligent, and understandably angry. Each of Taylor’s friends is equally well drawn, and an integral part of the story. These characters, along with the mysterious manuscript that turns out to be all too real, aid Taylor in her quest for the truth.

The manuscript, which is presented a few pages at a time throughout the novel, turns out to be a big piece of the puzzle. Characters from the manuscript exist in the present under different names, while elements of their lives mirror Taylor’s. The enigmatic cadet Jonah Griggs, for example, is in many ways the mirror image of Jude, the cadet in the manuscript. The territory wars? They were first created by those tragic teens from the manuscript as a way to alleviate the boredom of the bush. And the Hermit and his little girl? You’ll have to read the book to find out. All these complications and convolutions of time, name, and story make for a challenging yet satisfying read.

A complex literary achievement, Marchetta’s novel can be confusing at times, but with a protagonist most teen girls would find compelling, and a mystery that keeps the reader guessing, it’s well worth the ride down JELLICOE ROAD.

Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature

Janet Buttenwieser is a first-year student at the Northwest Institute for Literary Arts, and served on the Young Adult Library Association’s Michael L. Printz Committee from 2006-2007, and the Popular Paperbacks Committee from 2004-2006. Cynthia Waldman interviewed Janet regarding her experience on the Committee.

What is the Michael L. Printz Award?
The Printz award is an award given to the best Young Adult book (fiction, non-fiction, poetry or anthology) published in the year preceding the award announcement. “Young Adult” is defined as being published for 12-18 Year-olds. “Best” is defined in the committee’s charge as “solely in terms of literary merit.”

What are the criteria used to select the winner?
For the criteria, I refer you to the Printz Policies and Procedures.

Could you describe the process by which books are nominated and judged?
First, a brief explanation of the committee itself. Each of the nine committee members are members of YALSA, (Young Adult Library Services Association), which is the YA division of the American Library Association (ALA). ALA committees also choose several other book awards each year, including the Newbery and the Caldecott.

Publishers mail the Committee copies of their young adult titles for the year, and committee members are required to read hundreds of titles during the year.

Nominations are accepted throughout the year, until Dec 1 of the given year. Publishers, authors, or editors may not nominate their own titles. Otherwise, nominations from the field must be seconded by a committee member. Nominators fill out an online form on the Printz Award website. Typically, there are 40-50 nominations in a given year.

Nominations are discussed by the committee over email throughout the year, and at two in-person committee meetings in June of the year preceding the award and the January that the award is announced (the ALA Annual Meeting and ALA Mid-Winter meeting, respectively). Committee members read each nomination several times, and come to the meetings armed with notes ready to defend their choices. There is a lengthy and lively discussion about each of the nominated titles. Voting for the winner (and honor books, if applicable) happens at the January meeting. The committee contacts the authors and then the award-winners are announced on the final morning of the January conference. The following June, the winners give speeches at a reception in their honor.

In addition to being an MFA student, Janet Buttenwieser has two children, Caleb, age two, and Helen, age 3 months. She writes between diaper changes at her home in Seattle, Washington.

Running for My Life
Ann Gonzalez
WestSide Books, Ages 14+
Hardcover: 238 pp;  $16.95
Spring, 2009

Running for My Life available at Amazon.

An Interview with Ann Gonzalez by Grier Jewell

If anyone deserves to be an overnight success, it’s Ann Gonzalez. With her debut novel, Running for My Life (WestSide Books), to be released later this month, Gonzalez works hard to make the impossible look effortless. She wrote her book in thirty days, polished and sold it within a matter of months, began working on her second thirty-day novel, and is now gearing up for the next emotional twist in a writer’s life: marketing. So, has it been as easy as she makes it appear? Gonzalez would be the first to say, absolutely not. While she may have written a novel in less than a month, it took her forty years to pick up a pen.

Considering the prohibitions against writing and speaking Gonzalez experienced early in life, her reluctance is not surprising. Raised by a mother whose dreams of being a writer were shattered by schizophrenia, Gonzalez grew up being told she would ruin the English language if she ever tried to write.

“As nonsensical as it sounds,” she says, “I believed my mother when she told me things like that. As a child, I didn’t understand that I could know better than Mom.”

At age forty, when she entered therapy, Gonzalez finally found the courage to write through the pain of childhood trauma, eventually enrolling in the Whidbey Writers’ Workshop MFA Program to hone her craft. It was during her time at Whidbey that she wrote Running for My Life, which tells the story of a fourteen-year-old girl dealing with the devastating effects of being raised by a mother with schizophrenia. Although it’s something Gonzalez knows from personal experience, the story is not autobiographical.

“This is a work of fiction,” she says. “It’s informed by my background, but it’s not my story. I wanted to reach out to teens struggling with the same sort of pain. I truly hope the book will help teenagers, particularly ones who have experienced trouble or trauma in their lives. I want them to know they’re not alone.”

Gonzalez points out that this is an unfortunate, yet comforting truth. “When I was growing up, I had no idea there were other teenagers that had similar experiences. I want kids today to know there are supports out there in the community.”

Inspired by Stephanie Stuve Bodeen (The Compound), Gonzalez accepted the challenge to write 50,000 words in thirty days during National Novel Writing Month, known to most as Nanowrimo. Running for My Life was the result of that effort.

“I’m a Nano novelist,” she laughs, coining a new term. “The experience was really amazing. While writing, I had no idea where the story was going. I had the experience of being an interested and surprised reader of the story as it unfolded.”

Typical of Gonzalez, she does nothing half-heartedly. A passionate advocate of Nanowrimo, she encourages all writers to shed that harping internal editor. “There’s something about writing a novel in thirty days that keeps the energy going and keeps the characters alive. When I enter the life of a character, I don’t want to leave until she tells her story. If I take a year and a half or two years to write a novel, which I did after I wrote Running for My Life, I lose that energy.”

Gonzalez credits the Whidbey Writer’s Workshop for being able to write the book. “You need those other writers if you’re going to survive. Writing is really hard work, and this program has some of the most supportive writers I’ve ever met.”

At Whidbey, Gonzalez met and studied under Kirby Larson (Hattie Big Sky), at that time a faculty member of MFA program. Larson helped Gonzalez mine her past and polish Running for My Life for publication. “I am enormously indebted to Kirby, not only for inspiring me through her writing and teaching, but for her good heart and support of writers.”

After a few fits and starts and delays in publishing, Gonzalez proudly displayed her Advance Readers Copy (ARC) to an audience of current Whidbey students during thier January residency, where she read from a chapter of her novel.

“It gave me chills to hear that,” one of the students said. “I can’t wait to read the whole book.”

Gonzalez can’t wait either. “It’s been an interesting process. You’re getting such incredibly good news, but there’s nothing real until you’re holding that book.” Despite her well-deserved success, she knows there’s still more work to be done to put her novel into the hands of readers. “The challenges a writer faces never go away,” she sighs. “They just evolve.”

With characteristic humor and humility, Gonzalez attributes her accomplishments to “luck and grace.” True enough. Teen readers everywhere are incredibly lucky she had the grace to pick up that pen.

Ann Gonzalez currently teaches at North Seattle Community College and offers her own online creative writing class in writing for teens. To learn more, visit www.anngonzalez.com

Running for My Life
by Ann Gonzalez
WestSide Books, Ages 14+
Hardcover: 238 pp;  $16.95
Spring, 2009

Running for My Life available at Amazon.

Review by Sharon Mentyka

All parents know the primal urge to protect their children, and endure an equal amount of suffering when seeing them suffer. But what happens when the cause of the suffering is the parent themselves?

In her debut novel, Running for My Life, Ann Gonzalez presents a story of coping and eventual understanding within a family in crisis. The book is sure to resonate with teens that will identify with the book’s engaging protagonist and her friends, but the issues explored are important enough to matter to many more readers.

The story is narrated by Andrea McKane, a fourteen-year-old guilty of nothing more than being scared and bewildered when facing the reality of her mother’s recurring mental illness. How Andrea copes—or doesn’t—offers a glimpse into a world that is both moving and disturbing.

In our society, it is still unfortunately true that it’s okay to be sick in some ways but not in others. At least that’s what a lot of kids think. Andrea wants to love her mom—does love her—but is tired of carrying around the burden of her mother’s illness. She just wants life to be normal. To imagine her mother in her future becomes almost more than she can bear.

Gonzalez captures these intense emotions and feelings honestly. The unfolding of Andrea’s story—as she reveals her fear that she, too, will someday be “sick” like her mother—emerges slowly, through sessions with her therapist Samantha, frank talks with Margie, and a budding connection to her first crush, Sean.

Goaled by Margie into joining the track team on the pretext of impressing Sean, Andrea is surprised to find she loves to run, although the potential solace it offers is cut short when a bad fall results in her breaking her leg. Gonzalez’s use of running as both a literal and figurative metaphor to bracket Andrea’s stop-and-go journey as she confronts the reality of her mother’s illness and navigates her own healing, is brilliant. In an subtle way, the book offers a great model for teens of a way to alleviate stress by embracing the euphoric high that physical activity offers as an alternative to less positive ways of coping.

There is much to admire about Running for My Life, including the sensitive way Gonzalez presents the relationships between Andrea and her father— who remains supportive of his wife while being fully present for his daughter—and down-to-earth Margie, the kind of friend any parent would wish for their kid.

Within this support system, Andrea learns that life goes on, sometimes good, sometimes not so good, but it does go forward. As Andrea slowly defeats one demon after another, she learns that with each victory come consequences that affect not only herself but also everyone around her, giving her struggle an urgency that propels the reader forward.

In some of the book’s best passages, we experience along with Andrea—in real-time—her terror, as she navigates the physical symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“Tell me.”

Burying my face in the crook of my arm, on top of my knee, I feel squeezed into a tight dark spot. I don’t ever want to lift my head.

“She’s going to kill me,” I talk to the blackness.

“Is that what she said?”

Maybe they’re wrong about my leg. Maybe it’s okay, and if I take off this stupid boot, I’ll be able to walk, and run and run and run, without any problem.

“Andrea? Where are you?” Lifting my head I see Samantha’s face, my mother’s face, the face of a monster.

Considering the truthfulness of the subject matter, it could have easily fallen into the dark and depressing. Yet, Gonzalez, writing in the first person point of view, completely eludes a sense of hopelessness, while still grasping a young girl’s reality head on, and bringing the often untouchable subject matter of mental illness out in the open.

Weaving a story around a serious and important trauma takes courage. Gonzalez manages to make Andrea’s story speak to situations many teens are undoubtedly facing, and presents it in a way that is not only illuminating but entertaining—not something that is always easy to do when tackling tough topics. The arguments and information in Running for My Life are what make the book important, but it’s the story that will keep you reading.

For older reviews and interviews (including an interview with Kirby Larson, winner of the Newbery Medal) please visit our Archive