Being a Character in a Novel

Today was a nice day. I found out I was waitlisted at NYU for an MFA in fiction! What made me so happy about this news is that this was one of my first times to use the opening pages of my novel manuscript in my application, so it felt like a wonderful validation!

I then found out a few hours later that I got a residency at the Vermont Studio Center! (I used my short story “Bare Bones,” which is what I most frequently use for applications).

As I wrote last summer in these pages, I had an overwhelmingly positive ten-week residency experience at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos. Of all the wonderful things that happened, for me, what topped the list (besides being incredibly productive while I was there) was being amongst other artists. Painters, composers, poets…. I was reminded about why I write—not to be successful but because I want to live my life like an artist. Taos is such a perfect place to think that too, since it has a long history as an artists’ colony.

Returning to Pasadena in September, I felt really committed to not just writing but living like an artist—And so I have been enjoying working on poetry and also even more my ikebana lessons. Even in my Mandarin lessons, I am trying to keep it focused on the more playful aspects of language learning—not achievement but just enjoying the path.

By the way, do people still say “Mandarin Chinese”? I noticed in my lessons we never say Putongua but always say Zhongwen. My Laoshi said that Chinese language has been rebranded and no one really says Putongua anymore and I started wondering if people say Mandarin Chinese much anymore? I listen to Chinese radio and so they definitely differentiate by Mandarin radio versus Cantonese.

My Japanese name (from my calligraphy-studying days in Tokyo) is Ri-An 里杏. I always loved this name… like a hometown filled with apricot trees. So I am using it in my Chinese classes, where the same characters are pronounced Li-Xin. My ex, who also studied Chinese, used to call me Li-Xin… so it feels very nostalgic and natsukashii. When my Laoshi came last week, she was trying to find me and asked the concierge of our building, where is Li-Xin’s house? Of course, he had no idea!

Anyway, I applied for maybe 12 residencies this year, and Vermont was the only success. I also applied to five MFA programs and have only heard from NYU. I am not expecting to be accepted to the others since they were even more competitive than NYU. It takes a thick skin for all this.

Anyway, I was going to write a post about being a character in a novel but this is getting too long so I will save that for next time. 加油！