Ask the Author: Sequoia Nagamatsu
Answered Questions (4)
Sequoia Nagamatsu
Don't take rejection personally. Don't compare yourself/your trajectory to other people. Read everything for pleasure. Read everything again as a critic/writer.
Sequoia Nagamatsu
I've always been fascinated with folklore, so when I found myself living in Japan for two years, I eventually immersed myself in the myths and legends of the country. Where We Go When All We Were Is Gone is the product of such fascinations but is also, in a sense, a vehicle for exploring a heritage that I've been disconnected from as a fourth generation Japanese American.
Sequoia Nagamatsu
I get to marry my imagination with the complexities of reality in a way that I hope illuminates universal/cultural/individual tensions for myself and others. I have a background in anthropology, and writing has definitely fed this passion of trying to deconstruct identity, place, and community. Real talk: I get to surf YouTube and TVtropes.org and call it "research".
Sequoia Nagamatsu
Well, to some degree I don't really believe in writer's block. Writing will always be a journey of peaks and valleys. And those "low points" are often important periods for reflection, reading, and gaining perspective on what you've already done. When I'm in a valley, I read a lot. I watch films. And I work on other writing projects.
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