Musings in the Dark: Crossing the Pacific

11/21/2010

Crossing the Pacific

I’ve been writing for 32 years. I’ve published a book, a poem and a short story. When I was old enough to understand the difference between the television, the books I read, and my reality, I shifted my writing perspective to account for that epiphany. Thankfully, that shift happened around13 years old. I just recently experienced another shift, coincidentally not too long after my recent birthday, and this one I did not expect.


I’ve been writing about black people for years because I’m black. Black women have been my protagonists because I’m a black woman. Black men have also been protagonists, antagonists and all areas in between. It’s said that you write what you know, and in my case that’s true. The only variables in my storytelling are the concept and the plot. Problem is that it does get boring always writing about what you know. But that was my world, and it still is.


This year, I met a marvelous, funny woman named Ankhesen_Mie. We didn’t know when we met that we would come together the way we did with the intent to start a literary revolution. Grandiose, you may think, but we believe in ourselves (and if you don’t believe in yourself, who will), and we put our money (literally) where our mouth is.


In this dynamic relationship, I was introduced to the Blasian world. I didn’t realize how extensive it was, and how loud the clamor is for quality Blasian fiction. I’ve always acknowledged the attractiveness of Asian men, but that was it. I never thought about including them in my novels because hey, they weren’t in my world. But understanding the theoretical perspective and the methodology behind the Blasian movement has enlightened me. My senses are wide open, and now I look at Asian men for more than just their looks. I look at them for who they are and what they represent. I see them as being marginalized by white America just like us. I see them as descendants of powerful, rich and beautiful Eastern cultures, ones I would like to study.


Why? Because I want to know them. I want to have a new perspective in my writing. I want to reach a broader audience. I refuse to have my work potentially pigeon-holed just because I’m a black woman who just happens to have grown up in ‘da hood.’ Nothing I write is anything close to the bullshit of ‘hood lit,’ because even though I grew up in the hood, the hood didn’t grow up in me. I’ve always been a visionary and my vision has grown (quickly) to include Blasian methods. Ankh is surprised and pleased at my rapid conversion. So am I. It was like a punch in the face.


So, like any true author, I’m studying now. I’m learning as much as I can about the Blasian culture because I intend to write about it. I’m absorbing as much as I can to expand my perspective, because this culture, too, will be something I know, and thus, can write about.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for commenting. Please be sure to leave a name; I like to know who I am talking to.