What I Wish I Had Said in my Essay About Abortion: an addendum
When “Waterbabies” was accepted for publication by Memoir Magazine last year, I was elated. It was my first “yes” from a literary magazine. The editor asked only for a slight reorganization to emphasize my focus on healing, to not end on the word “blood.” I made the...
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Hong Kong vs. China–Holding the Thin Red Line
The question we have been asked most by American and European friends since we moved to Hong Kong in 2018 is whether we’ve seen changes since Hong Kong officially became part of China. I used to shrug and say not really. Some small ripples under the surface, some...
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Fear and Loathing in Memoir Writing
Sometimes my memoir writing seems like a chain of encounters with ditched selves who keep showing up. Of course it is me who sent out the invitations. Me who set the table and prepared the food. Why then do I find myself wanting to hide in the broom closet or under...
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Memoir Writing: Finding my Way Back Out of the Dark Places
To explore my past, I have to provide my own guideline. With it, I must tie myself to the pillar of the present before I start traipsing around twists and turns in the dark. At the end of the writing day, I have to hand over hand reel myself back to my present self.
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Fake Cake and Real Love at a Chinese Wedding
I attended my third Lau family wedding a couple of weeks ago and once again I was startled by how different Hong Kong weddings are from typical American weddings. I realize many people have unconventional weddings and not everyone who gets married has one at all. I’ve...
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What Memoir Writing has Taught me about Memory Potholes and Relative Truth
In the process of writing my memoir, I have discovered that my memory is a funhouse full of trap-doors, hidden passageways, wavy mirrors, and locked doors. For example, last night I went out to dinner with three women I met during my husband’s sabbatical year in Hong...
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