This is the second of a series of Q&As on the featured keynoters for “Pivot. Publish. Prosper.” ASJA’s 46th annual writers’ conference next May 5 and 6.
Vanessa Hua is an award-winning journalist and fiction writer. Her short story collection, Deceit and Other Possibilities, received an Asian/Pacific American Award in Literature and O, The Oprah Magazine called it a “searing debut.” Her novels are forthcoming (Ballantine). She received a 2015 Rona Jaffe Writers’ Award and is a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. For nearly two decades, she has been writing about Asia and the diaspora, filing stories from China, Burma, Panama, South Korea, Abu Dhabi and Ecuador. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, New Yorker online, San Francisco, Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Newsweek, among other publications. A Bay Area native, she received the San Francisco Foundation’s James D. Phelan literary award and a Steinbeck Fellowship in Creative Writing at San Jose State University. A graduate of Stanford University and UC Riverside’s MFA program, she works and teaches at the Writers’ Grotto in San Francisco.
As the keynoter for Member’s Day, you will be providing yet another incentive for writers to join ASJA. What insider information will you be sharing?
Techniques in fiction as they pertain to setting when writing narrative journalism, such as inclusion of sensory details to enrich a sense of character. Characters, whether fiction or nonfiction, are the product of place, culture and history. I will also be discussing examples from my own writing path – how my fiction builds upon journalism, and in turn, strengthens my nonfiction.
And how are literary publications faring in this brave new world of online journalism, click-throughs and self-publication?
Like any successful entity, they are adapting to a changed environment. For example, the New Yorker has transformed itself, adding fresh, relevant stories to its website, newyorker.com. While taking cues from readers and the community, they also remain true to their legacy.
How about your own writing path? You snagged a two-book deal from a major publisher, no mean feat in today’s book publishing environment.
Like most writers, I got rejected a lot but figured, whether either pitching an idea to a magazine or submitting a story, a slim chance was better than none at all. And while I always wrote short stories and majored in creative writing, I also worked in journalism. So for a few years there, I was a reporter who oh, by the way, wrote fiction. But then I decided to re-open the fiction door, by attending conferences, taking community writing classes and submitting to literary journals.
In 2007, I went back to grad school to get my MFA. I was working on a novel, teaching and freelancing. In the spring of 2016, I became a regular columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, writing about everything from Syrian refugees to my love of rainboots. Around that time, I landed a two-book deal at Ballantine. My debut novel, A River of Stars, to be published next year, is about a Chinese factory clerk sent by her lover to give birth in US so the child can have US citizenship. The book deal was the result of the efforts of my excellent agents, Emma Sweeney and Margaret Sutherland Brown. Last fall, I published my short story collection, Deceit and Other Possibilities.
The whole process took nearly two decades.
What advice do you have in dealing with today’s challenging journalistic environment?
It’s more important than ever to get untold stories, those about people affected by policies and government orders. Do all you can to get the information, from obtaining public records to expanding your source list. Visit neighborhoods and communities new to you. With regards to your career path, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of community building, whether attending or organizing readings or passing along and sharing writing opportunities. The more you put yourself out there, the more you will receive, whether it’s being considered for a panel or nominated for an award. Finally, no one will care as much about your work as you do, whether it’s your editor, agent, dog or spouse. You are the person responsible for shepherding it through. While you can ask others for advice and help, bottom line, it has your name on it.