10 Questions for Vivian Li
- By Edward Clifford
紫薯, a mother’s boiling incense, herbal ginger tea
山峰, summit of skies, an unwrapped shin almost fire-scalded red
tobacco, whistling grey pipe of meshed 廣州 air and 1970s pollution
my father dodging into villages with naked children,
small mounds of dirt baked with stolen potatoes,
red snakes threading my mother’s inky bath
—from "Red," Volume 63, Issue 4 (Winter 2022)
Tell us about one of the first pieces you wrote.
One of the first pieces I vaguely remember writing was a story with fantasy elements, written in a flimsy yellow notebook. But I never quite managed to finish the story. One of the first narratives I remember more clearly writing was one about a woman who was a calligraphy master and could create living animals from her drawings. The first poem I remember writing was one about standing strong and looking to your dreams for help and sustenance.
What writer(s) or works have influenced the way you write now?
Madeleine Thien, the first writer I ever fell in love with in terms of musicality and voice. She was also the first BIPOC fiction writer I remember reading, and her writing really inspired me because I saw myself represented in her work. I also really admire Yiyun Li, as I love the exploration of the modern condition of loss in a way that gives voice to the emotions we all experience, as well as the humanity of people’s stories. I also love the mystical musicality of Kazuo Ishiguro’s writing. I think music influences me a lot in how I write—I hear words and their tone/timbre, as well as their emotions, before I see the images they evoke. For instance, when searching for a word in a poem, I try to maintain or develop a certain emotion which is then reflected in my writing.
What other professions have you worked in?
Other than as a teacher’s assistant, editor, and freelance private tutor—as well as some other odd arts jobs here and there—I’ve been a student for most of my life. I was inspired by physics when I was younger, and I imagined pursuing different professions. But then I realized that I didn’t follow the processes of math thinking enough to pursue theoretical physics, and I didn’t enjoy experimental physics. (Though part of me still wants to explore engineering/inventing.)
After this realization (as well as one or two others), I switched my major from English and Physics to English and Philosophy. I later wanted to explore in more detail what I had been taking workshops for in my undergraduate degree, and applied for a MFA in Creative Writing.
What inspired you to write this piece?
In a poetry class at the MFA program with Billy-Ray Belcourt, we were asked to write a list poem about a historical event relevant to my family. I immediately saw “Red” as a landscape piece; visually, the words almost spilled across the page. Further, the family and cultural history mentioned in the poem were elements I’d been researching with George Elliott Clarke in an undergraduate creative independent research course about ancestral history and fracture. So I think I just started exploring what the poetry prompt meant to me in the context of what I had found out doing this research.
Is there a city or place, real or imagined, that influences your writing?
I’m not sure if there’s one that substantially influences my writing, but I’ve always fallen back to nature to establish connection and grounding. I’m in awe of the rising and setting of the sun, and I love going to the beach. Nature also provides clarity and insights I would’ve never discovered before. Recently, on a slightly frozen and wintry afternoon while walking down an endless path with minimal hills, I realized I should focus more on experience and finding my community, and less on doing things. It was a realization that I've always known in my head, but never felt in my heart.
Is there any specific music that aids you through the writing or editing process?
I think it depends on my mood and what I need to accomplish. If I need to concentrate in a chill manner, I enjoy listening to Persona 5 jazz café music. If I’m trying to set a particular scene (for example, an underwater dance), I enjoy looking for music that fits the vibes I hope to evoke in my writing. Sometimes, I just need that extra push in editing/writing, and I put on my epic instrumental music soundtrack. I don’t ever listen to music that I can understand the words of as I’m editing/writing, however. I find that I concentrate a little too much on the words I’m hearing rather than what I feel within.
Do you have any rituals or traditions that you do in order to write?
I usually like to listen to my favourite jazz café music track in the library. Or I find a café with minimal distractions, put on my track, and go from there. Also some tea, or a chai latte, usually helps me concentrate too (plus a muffin!)! I also like looking at nature on my way to the café or library—it helps me clear my head and find peace before delving into my projects.
If you could work in another art form what would it be?
I love working across different disciplines, as I feel strongly that they influence and provide more insights into each other. I’ve invested time/tried my hand at singing, composing, directing, playing the piano and guitar, ceramics, visual art, film, acting, and photography, among others. I’ve also experimented with screenwriting, TV writing, comics, playwriting, podcasting, and children’s fiction. I think it would be cool to learn more about multimedia and the ways of sharing art, such as through sound, lighting, and VR. At the moment, however, I’m trying to get more involved in film and dance! I think it would be awesome to choregraph dances one day! But I feel my first love(s) are writing and music.
What are you working on currently?
I’m currently working on a few projects, one of them my thesis novel about a woman who travels to the past to change her sister’s untimely death by challenging the Chinese Philosophical principles governing the world. The themes in the novel include memory, mental health, and climate change. As well, I’m working on a full-length Chinese-folklore inspired epic play of matrilineal lineage as three women of different generations undergo the Underworld’s trials, struggling to heal from their repressed secrets and wounds. I’m also finishing up a video poetry project for the Vancouver City Poems Contest (Stage Two), in preproduction for a short documentary, and engaging in a few other artistic explorations. Feel free to follow my journey at vivianlicreates.com or on Twitter/Instagram
What are you reading right now?
I’m rereading some speculative works, including N. K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy, as well, I’m looking forward to diving into Yiyun Li’s The Book of Goose! I’m also going through Chinese Theories of Fiction by Ming Dong Gu for my novel and reading sections of They Rise Like a Wave: An Anthology of Asian American Women Poets. Also I found some lovely poetry at AWP—Burying the Mountain by Shangyang Fang that I’m really enjoying!
What if stars were snow, and the snow, stars?
VIVAN (XIAO WEN) LI is a queer writer, editor, musician, director, and interdisciplinary artist. Her poetry, fiction, and/or creative nonfiction can be found in League of Canadian Poets Anthology: In the Storm/Struggle, The Fiddlehead, filling station, CV2, and Vallum, among others. She was longlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize, received honorable mentions from Muriel’s Journey Poetry Prize, and was shortlisted for the Vancouver City Poems Contest. She is an editor for PRISM international. Her creative works engage with themes of Chinese-Canadian identity, mental health, and social justice.
