Who can....?

Who can write whom? Who can't write whom? When you write about a different culture or your own, are there certain things you should write about or shouldn't write about? 

Obviously everything we write comes from some form of our own experience and perspective, whether it be observations, travel or research. Almost no story is entirely our own as our lives are intertwined with those of the people around us. Events we may write about often include other people and characters we create are either consciously or subconsciously drawn from individuals we've interacted with. However, some stories belong more to us than others. Although there is no concrete rule, we need to know when we do not have the right to tell a story based in fact. We should not bare the trauma of those who have confided in us on the page. We must recognise that our perspective is only one of many. Your loved ones do not necessarily consent to being your muse. The people passing you on the street are people, not props in your play. Famous people are people on the other side of the screen. Memory is not fact. Not everyone is ready to tell their story when you are. Respect that. Listen to the people who share in your story. You are not always the main character. You do not always have to be the writer. Remember you are a supporting role in someone else's story. Do not be greedy. Words cannot be given back. Stories can be stolen from individuals or communities. Do not write about something just because you can, just because you have pretty words and like the exotic flavor on your tongue. Remember you know nothing other than being yourself. You will never know. Seek to understand. Explore, investigate, educate yourself. Know your privileges and know your limitations. Encourage quiet voices. Seek them out and let them ring. Share them. Echo them. Be quiet and still for a moment and see what you learn. 

Lucky: response to class prompt with guest lecturer

Intention does not always equate to reception 

and sometimes you have to take responsibility for the fact that 

although you did not mean to 

you did 

and the onus is on you to change, 

not on them to stop being hurt

because so much of this goes 

unapologised for and although 

it may dirty your armour 

you must take a knee and beg for forgiveness 

because finally your privilege has caught up to you 

and you are so lucky that you weren't the one 

who felt violated 

by a wrong turn of the head,

you are so lucky 

that you just felt awkward 

and an apology caught in your throat

before you said nothing and forgot it even happened and 

you are so lucky 

that you didn't feel ashamed

and sick and remember the time 

that guy grabbed your arse 

or followed you in his low-slung commodore

or forced his hand up your shirt and under your favourite bra 

or when your friend came home crying and collapsed on your floor 

and you held her together for days 

and she is still holding herself together to this day 

but she does not have the privilege of forgetting

so no, 

I do not feel sorry for you

That your luck has run out just this one time,

A book deal is nothing, 

a job is nothing, 

a reputation is nothing

compared to the lives we have lost 

compared to the shatterings, 

the tearings, the mending we have endured

so please, 

just tell me you are sorry. 

Interview response

1. 
   

Fiction's first lie 

is telling you it isn't real,

not rooted in the eyes 

of the writer

2. 
   

We cannot escape 

our hard skulls, 

cannot scrawl with any fingers

but our own

3. 
   

I am soft and I am gentle 

and love everything violently 

-but am I writing myself 

in knots? 

4. 
   

Crystallise,  

purify and desalinate

the words like sea water 

lapping in your mind

5. 
   

Fool me 

with your pretty words 

and I will believe 

every soft vowel you speak

Habitus

1. What is your definition of 'habitus' as a writer?

From what I have read, habitus is a concept that is deeply intertwined with culture and history. It is the collection of social norms, customs, communication and body language that shape an individual's experience of the world. It contends that many of these things we take for granted and see as inherent in the human experience are actually learned and constructed, either deliberately or subconsciously. Habitus groups sets of people with common experience, but also recognises the unique nature of a person's life. The individual cannot be removed from the context in which it exists. The individual is a variation/ version of the possibilities presented by the collective. Furthermore, smaller and larger habitus interact and act as subsections of one another. As a writer, I seek to interrogate and be aware of these constructions and systems that impact my sense of reality, and consider how other people's may be different. 

2. What is your writer habitus - i.e., your aesthetic (different from genre)? What constitutes 'good' writing as a social value to you, and how did you get there?

As a writer, my habitus as a young female is often reflected in my work. Although no one's experience is identical, I often write about elements of metropolitan, western womanhood that may be common to other individuals who belong to this habitus. I sometimes struggle with the fact that I have learned to define 'good writing' as complex, 'intellectual' and sophisticated both in concepts and vocabulary. However, I am becoming more aware that 'good writing' can be simple, light and in accessible language. This is largely due to wide reading and listening to spoken word poetry. 

3. How do you think your habitus could be transformed for re-structuring - both in this course and in your writing career in general?

Whilst there are some elements of my habitus that have remained fairly constant, such as my nationality, my gender, where I live and the social community I belong to, other elements are constantly changing. A lot of this is due to becoming more aware of other people's habitus and therefore more aware of the impact of my own habitus on my thinking. In this way, although the concrete elements of my habitus tend not to change, my understanding and therefore my interaction with them is developing. I think this course will give further opportunity to this kind of development as we delve particularly into the elements of habitus relating to place and culture. 

First class musings

Talking about travel and culture gets me thinking about so many different things. Whilst going on holiday or visiting another place is something many of us do for fun, it is a complex and multi-faceted experience which can reveal a lot about ourselves and the people around us. Going on exchange and spending an extended time in France made me realise that what is considered 'polite' is actually very subjective and culturally dependent. What we may consider to be impolite here might actually be a sign of appreciation and courtesy in another country. Another interesting element of travel is the importance of language and the common occurrence of mistranslation. Many words can be given an equivalent in another language however they are very rarely exactly the same in their meaning and use. Additionally, some words don't exist in other languages, for example, there is no word for "siblings" in French, you just have to say "brothers and sisters."
Something else that comes up a lot for me is the privilege and ethics of travel. I love traveling and I am constantly reminded of how lucky I am to have these opportunities and to be in a position that I can work and save money to go overseas. Despite always doing my best to be considerate and respectful, I sometimes feel uncomfortable in my role as a visitor, tourist or voyeur, especially in places struggling with poverty or over-tourism. I think it is important to see the people in the places you visit as actual individuals, not just a part of the landscape. Each person you pass has a life and a family and dreams and desires just like you.

Cha review: Su-Li Zhen Descends on Earth in her Flowered Qipao -By Artemis Lin 

The first thing you notice about this poem is its layout, beginning with a traditional three line left-aligned stanza. Lin then breaks free from the norm with a roughly right-aligned stanza. The layout controls the rhythm, as it moves from slower paced to faster and rambling where the lines drift away from stanza structure, to slower again with a final five line stanza which concludes in a single word. It also provides visual interest and draws the reader's eye across the page, making it easier to read. With varying levels of enthusiasm for poetry, we both felt that the layout was really interesting and added a lot to our experience of the poem.

A lot of the understanding of the poem relies on cultural knowledge such as Qipao (a traditional Chinese dress with many Asian variations), xi-fan (a rice dish) and names of the movie characters. As Western readers we initially could not draw much concrete meaning from the poem, however after some research we gained greater understanding of the underlying cultural references and the social setting of the poem.

Deeper meaning can be found in the poem through investigating the specifics of the movie to which it repeatedly refers. In The Mood For Love (2000) is a Honk Kong film set over the course of four years in 1960's, it’s a part of a trilogy, Days of Being Wild (1990), and 2046 (2004), with Su-Li Zhen (played by Maggie Cheung in all three films, who is also the poem’s title). Chao Mo-Wan, mentioned in the poem, is the man whose wife has an affair with Su-Li Zhen's husband in the film.  The film investigates sexual tension, romance and forbidden love, all of which are mirrored in the poem.

Lin quickly drew us in with heady and sensual summer motifs and atmosphere. These images and feelings of heat and mugginess were certainly the element that stayed with us the most after we had finished reading the poem. The repeated motif of cicadas evokes both an image and sound, representative of the hot, suffocative summer. Whether or not you have experienced the Asian tropics, Lin takes you there and accurately captures many of the sensations.

On a more thematic level, Lin explores family, complex relationships and reality vs dreams. Its themes of family is throughout, “...my mother tongued her petaled baby teeth… where Chow Mo-Wan is my father … This is the best any father will do for me, … and your brother still rides a bicycle to the market … You look so much like my own mother that I think of you as her ghost.” (Lin, 2018). The narrative is deeply rooted in place and nature, focusing on growth and regeneration. We really felt entranced by the foggy and dream-like state of the poem, emphasised by the repetition of "tell me the dream where..."  (Lin, 2018)

Overall, we were really intrigued by the film and its significance the more we looked into it, however without knowledge of the movie the poem is far less accessible. A lot of the ideas presented are deeply enriched by knowledge of the film and there are probably a lot more references we would only be able to understand by watching it. The language is dreamy and soft, much like the subject matter being discussed. Despite this, we really felt a sense of tension throughout.

(By Melissa and Sidney)

Response to Kwame Anthony Appiah Cosmopolitan quote

My soles do not 

hit the pavement 

the same as yours but they hit it nonetheless-
worn rubber on stone and gravel
and cigarette butts
lining each journey
to and from
and in between.

We do not know each other
but through these rhythmic
marches we share
each morning
and evening,
tapping impatiently
and unknowingly
side by side.

I cannot see you
in this cosmopolitan haze
but maybe we are the same
or maybe our souls lie
on opposite sides of a vast ocean,
just feigning similarity
in infinite versions of the same grey suit
and black heels
with scuff marks on each side.