An excerpt from A Reason For Being Fairbanks, Alaska 1994 In 1994, my youngest sister became ill with encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain that could’ve been deadly. She had a mosquito bite on her ankle that she did not pay attention to nor bothered to tell me. My parents had separated at this time, and … Continue reading Sunflowers (an excerpt from A Reason For Being)
Author's note: This is an excerpt from Chapter Three of "A Reason For Being" and this excerpt centers on my Great Aunt Esther (my grandmother's eldest sister). I remember when I first met Lola Esther (as how I called her), I was quite young. After I met her that first time, all I saw of … Continue reading The Great Aunt/Grandmother (excerpt from “A Reason For Being”): Lola Esther
Jackie is my check and balance, and she is also my Storytexter. What I mean by this centers on the idea of memory, and how such memories are different for each person. When we were growing up, the stories my Grandmother told us evolved throughout time. In fact, they evolved each night when my grandmother told us these stories. Jackie reminded me that when my grandmother wanted to imply a moral code, she would embed such morality into her storytelling.
There have been articles written throughout the years how the death of the oral tradition has been linked to the death of a cultural identity. In Alaska, there have been movements to preserve many of the Alaskan native languages. We have museums that archive and preserve recordings of our Alaskan elders--some have long ago … Continue reading The Evolution of Oral Tradition
For "A Reason For Being"... Let me begin by stating that thesis defenses for a Master in Fine Arts is no joke. I am still in a blank space attempting to comprehend all the little bits and pieces of the defense. There were questions left, and right by my committee members--and they were unbelievably amazing--because … Continue reading The Thesis Defense..
A note of remembrance: the last section of the memoir ends with me sitting in the boarding area eerily by myself. I have never returned to Kennewick, Washington after we buried my Aunt. I believe it's because the memories there are meant to be encapsulated within that time, and visiting would create a disruption. … Continue reading In the end.. (excerpt from “A Reason For Being”)
Ask every immigrant what ‘port of entry’ meant and they will have a story to tell. These stories could be an anthology of the adventures that happened when they left their home country for their new one in America. A feeling of leaving everything behind and coming face to face with being reborn. The chance to create a new life.
Fe I was once told of a story about my grandmother, Fe. She was spending the night at their field house. The field house was where her husband had the grove workers (all men) sleep overnight to keep an eye out for any intruders that may step into their land. Her husband Kiko fired the … Continue reading Fe (excerpt from A Reason For Being)
A note: I will be defending my thesis for my MFA this week. The thesis is a memoir titled "A Reason For Being" and it is about the four days that I spent in Kennewick, Washington to attend the funeral of one of my aunts who passed away from cancer. I was tasked to give … Continue reading Vicky (an excerpt from “A Reason For Being”)
As I prepare for my MFA thesis defense next month, I realize that I am exhausted from all the edits. I wrote a "Reason For Being" as an homage to the experience of loss, but also the experience of an awakening. The loss of a loved one or loved ones, the loss of cultural identity, the loss of autonomy.
The Echo Muse 