Lily Hoang
https://literature.ucsd.edu/people/faculty/lhoang.html
Lily Hoang has published some books and won some awards. She is Director of the MFA in Writing at UC San Diego.
Don’t write about this please…
Holidays are fun. By fun, I mean unpleasant.
I always find it funny that especially during the holidays, people remind (ask) me not to recount what’s happened in a book. Sure, I get it: my first two books (the only ones in print) have autobiographical elements, so of course, people would be “worried” I may write about them.
But when it comes down to it, isn’t this more than a little egotistical? People are worried that by virtue of me being around them, I’ll naturally find them or their lives so compelling that I’d want to chronicle it in a future book.
I recently had this conversation with Shane Jones about all this. We talked about how everyone (by which we both meant family) thinks they can find themselves in our characters. So I ask you this:
- How often do you really steal from real life?
- Do you worry about other writers putting you in their stories? (I’ve heard horror stories about this!)
- Where is the line drawn between fiction & fiction?
It’s funny because I had this quasi-embarrassing situation arise between myself & another writer a while back & my first response was: “Please don’t write about this!” Why is this the most natural reaction? I’m totally guilty of my own criticism…
Interview with Jeremy M. Davies
I met Jeremy M. Davies in a hotel room. It was late—or early, depending. He came in with a whirl, holding a huge manuscript, wearing a lot of black, or charcoal, depending. As soon as Davies walked in, someone handed him some whiskey, then the whole group left.
The next time I saw Davies, he walked into a Mexican restaurant, late—not late in the evening, per se, but simply late. About an hour late. Whereas he did not walk in with a huge manuscript, he was wearing a lot of black, or charcoal, depending.
But enough about that. Jeremy Davies’s Rose Alley is dense with wit, charm, and dirty, dirty smut, disguised in lush, meandering metaphor. Although the story—if one can honestly call it a story—is set during the 1968 Paris student riots, the chapters jump to follow different characters all involved in a film. As I was reading this book, I emailed Jeremy & told him I forgot he was the author. To me, that’s one of the ultimate compliments. I mean: I read his book, knowing him, and I was so blown away I forgot he wrote it. But don’t take my word for it: Josh Cohen said this book was his favorite of 2009 from someone he knows; powerhouse demi-god Harry Mathews says, “You have no excuse for not reading this book;” the ever brilliant Steve Katz says, “He is an impeccable stylist who creates a richness full of Nabokovean Pynchonistics, totally original, dressed in wacky erudition.”
And so, without further ado, the interview:
Lily Hoang—
when do you drink coffee & how do you take it? do either of these things actually mean anything to you?
Oh! Canada!
Hello, HTML Giant, from sub-zero Canada! I’m happy to be on board.
So yesterday, I packed all my stuff in a car and drove up here. And now, here I am, in Canada. What’s with this place? What’s going on here? Free health care? Clean cities? Really, it can’t be trusted. I mean, can people who choose to live in a place this cold be trusted? (Obviously, I’ve chosen to live here & I know I’m untrustworthy. Logic then tells me that anyone else who makes this decision also can’t be trusted.)
And what’s with the writing scene here? I mean, sure, Christian Bok & Jeff Parker, among a handful of unknown writers like Michael Ondaatje, are here, but who else? What else?!? Give me hope, HTML Giant!