12 or 20 (second series) questions with Christine Estima

Christine Estima is an Arab womanof mixed ethnicity (Lebanese, Syrian, and Portuguese) and the author of theshort story collection The Syrian Ladies Benevolent Society , which the CBCcalled one of the Best Fiction Books of 2023. She has written for The New YorkTimes, The Walrus, VICE, The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Maisonneuve, theToronto Star, and the CBC. Her story “Your Hands Are Blessed” was included inBest Canadian Stories 2023. She was a finalist for the 2023 Lee Smith NovelPrize and was shortlisted for the 2018 Allan Slaight Prize for Journalism.Christine has a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from YorkUniversity and lives in Toronto.

1- How did your first book change your life? How does your most recent workcompare to your previous? How does it feel different?

Wellthe obvious answer is that after 24 years of writing manuscripts and trying toget a book deal, my first book THE SYRIAN LADIES BENEVOLENT SOCIETY was myentryway into achieving my dreams. I had sold short stories and essays toalmost every single newspaper and magazine in Canada, and several notableoutlets in the US, like the New York Times, New York Daily News, VICE, theObserver, and more. So it was baffling when I just couldn’t break into the bookworld. Now, having one book under my belt, and LETTERS TO KAFKA being mysecond, I feel like I have not only achieved my lifelong dream, but I also feelmore comfortable in this world. I’ve started referring to my occupation now as“an author” rather than “a freelance writer.” That feels good. 

2- How did you come to fiction first, as opposed to, say, poetry or non-fiction? 

Ihave never been a poet, so that was never on my radar. To be honest, it’salways been fiction. I remember in grade 4, all the students had to write ashort story for English class. Most kids turned in 3 or 4 pages. I turned in40. I even attended the Young Authors Conference held at McGill universitycirca 1991 or 1992. I couldn’t have been more than 10 or 11 years old. This wasalways what I wanted to do. Writing non-fiction pieces was simply a way to paythe bills until I got my all-hallowed book deal. 

3- How long does it take to start any particular writing project? Does yourwriting initially come quickly, or is it a slow process? Do first drafts appearlooking close to their final shape, or does your work come out of copiousnotes?

Honestlyit depends on the project. I have to say, after I finished 4 years of researchfor LETTERS TO KAFKA, the manuscript flowed out of me so quickly because I hadbeen living with Milena for so many years by that point. But THE SYRIAN LADIESBENEVOLENT SOCIETY was a bit different in that some stories flowed out of mequickly and were barely edited, while others needed some shaping from firstdraft to final. There’s no rhyme or reason to this thing, I’ve found. 

4- Where does a work of prose usually begin for you? Are you an author of shortpieces that end up combining into a larger project, or are you working on a"book" from the very beginning?

Hmmm,I guess I don’t look at it from that point of view. I write the story and thestory dictates whether it is appropriate as a short story or a larger piece ofwork.  

5- Are public readings part of or counter to your creative process? Are you thesort of writer who enjoys doing readings?

Idefinitely enjoy them. I know most of us authors can be an introverted bunchand find them a slog, but I am an extroverted-introvert. I look forward topublic events because my work is so solitary and I essentially have nocoworkers. So I look forward to being amongst others. However, after a publicevent, I usually need to retreat to my bathtub and soak for a few hours insolitude. That’s the introvert in me needing to recharge after being so “on”all the time. 

6- Do you have any theoretical concerns behind your writing? What kinds ofquestions are you trying to answer with your work? What do you even think thecurrent questions are?

Mybody of work has always been concerned with the voices and narratives of women.If you look at my published short stories, my non-fiction essays and op-eds,THE SYRIAN LADIES BENEVOLENT SOCIETY, and now LETTERS TO KAFKA, you’ll see thatethos permeating everything within the narrative. I’m interested in women’sagency, women’s volition, women’s sexuality, and how we can be robbed of thosethings.

7– What do you see the current role of the writer being in larger culture? Dothey even have one? What do you think the role of the writer should be?

James Baldwin once said that artists are here to disturb the peace. I live by that.My art is here to push people’s buttons, ask questions, provoke thought, andtake the reader on an emotional journey. I am here to share stories that makereaders question their biases, beliefs, and staunch viewpoints on how the worldworks. I am here to make readers look beyond their tiny little keyhole. 

8- Do you find the process of working with an outside editor difficult oressential (or both)? 

It’sfunny because I always joke, “When I’m editing authors, I find them to be suchcrybabies. Then when I’m being edited, I’m like HOW VERY DARE YOU!” Workingwith outside editors is definitely essential and I have had some fantasticeditors over the years, whether they be at literary magazines, newspapers, ormy books. I’ve only had small issues with editors where they can bedisrespectful either to me or to the work with their notes and comments. Thatrarely happens, but I am infamous for never being a shrinking violet orwallflower, and I tend to give back as well as I take it.

9- What is the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to youdirectly)?

Noone really told me this advice, but I figured it out on my own after years inthis industry: you cannot let rejection hold you back. You have to let itpropel you forward.

10- How easy has it been for you to move between genres (short stories toacademic essays to op-eds/editorials to the novel)? What do you see as theappeal?

Hmmm,I’ve never thought of it in those terms. It’s all creative to me. Any creativework, I am drawn to. So whether it’s an op-ed or a short story or an essay or anovel, it’s all creative. I don’t demarcate between genres in that sense. Ilove any excuse to write!

11- What kind of writing routine do you tend to keep, or do you even have one?How does a typical day (for you) begin?

Anyauthor will tell you that no two days are the same. There have been some dayswhere I jump out of bed and plop myself in front of my laptop and bang away atthe keys for hours. There are other days where I need to take long walks togather my thoughts and have some distance from the material. The creativeprocess is rarely tidy. 

Theonly process that I live by is writing all of my drafts by hand first. I onlytype them out on my laptop after I’ve written everything by hand first. I don’tknow why, I think it’s because I feel like typing can be too fast (I type 90wpm), so when I’m working on a sentence or a paragraph, I need to slow it downquite often, and physically scratching the ideas out into the page tends tohelp slow it down and work the idea through. 

12- When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack ofa better word) inspiration?

Ithink this is related to question 14 here, but I tend to turn to other forms ofart. I love instrumental music, I love theatre, I love dance and opera, and Idefinitely love reading the books of my peers. For example, in order to help meanswer these questions right now, I am listening to an overture by Alexandre Desplat.

13- What fragrance reminds you of home? 

Coffeebecause my mum drinks a bajillion cups of it a day and so her hugs smell likecoffee :) 

14- David W. McFadden once said that books come from books, but are there anyother forms that influence your work, whether nature, music, science or visualart?

Soas I mentioned above with question 12, definitely. I love instrumental music tohelp get my brain moving in different directions. I love the works of Nils Frahm, Olafur Arnalds, Canadian composer Chilly Gonzales (who is also afriend!), and more. I love arthouse independent movies because of how visualand non-linear they can be, which helps me to visualize some of the images ofmy stories. Many readers have called my descriptions vivid, and I think that’sbecause I can picture them clearly after using motion pictures to inspire mycreative mind. For example, just yesterday I attended a TIFF screening of theCanadian indie movie SHOOK which takes place in Scarborough, Ontario. It wasbeautifully shot and as I walked home from the cinema, I felt incredibly intouch with the sounds and sights around me. That always helps the creativemind. 

15- What other writers or writings are important for your work, or simply yourlife outside of your work?

Honestly,I’ve always said that the only way to know what is good writing is to read alot of bad writing. To do so, you have to read. You have to read everything youcan get your hands on. While this might not be very specific, I have honed mystyle, my talent, and my voice over 30 years simply by reading everything andtaking my style where it needed to go. If you read something I published 20years ago, it is markedly different to what I’m publishing today.

16- What would you like to do that you haven't yet done? 

Becomea bestseller. 

17- If you could pick any other occupation to attempt, what would it be? Or,alternately, what do you think you would have ended up doing had you not been awriter?

I’vealways loved dancing and to move my body. I took ballet and gymnastics andswimming as a little girl. So a part of me thinks that I would have loved to bea modern and contemporary dancer. As an adult, I’ve also taken ballroom dancinglessons (Viennese waltz, east coast swing, the rumba etc) so I like to think inanother life I danced the chorus in Vaudeville or with Bob Fosse. 

18- What made you write, as opposed to doing something else?

Idon’t think I had a choice in the matter. I’ve always been a storyteller andhad this innate need to tell stories, even as a little girl. There never was aplan B. It was writing or bust.

19- What was the last great book you read? What was the last great film?

Iread so much, so this is difficult to narrow it down to one! I just finishedreading LIARS by Sarah Manguso which was a revelation.  Before that I readGOOD GIRL by Aria Aber which was beautifully written. THE VEGETARIAN byHan Kang was so haunting. THE CAFE WITH NO NAME by Robert Seethaler wasgorgeous and a continuation of his body of work that explores the small momentsin a person’s life. I also surprisingly loved a kinda pulp fiction book calledTHE ALICE NETWORK by Kate Quinn which was set during the First and Second WorldWars, of which I am an aficionado, so I eat that shit up.  When it comesto films, as mentioned earlier, I just saw the Canadian film SHOOK at Tiff,which is set in Scarborough, Ontario, and it was beautiful. So funny, so poignant,so inspired. Two enthusiastic thumbs up. 

20- What are you currently working on?

I’mworking on a new manuscript that I’m superstitiously unwilling to talk about indepth (it will jinx it!) but I will say it’s a continuation of my body ofwork’s ethos, which has to deal with women’s stories, women of the globalmajority, and 20th century history. I’m about 160 pages in, and I’m aiming for350, or just under 100,000 words, so wish me luck!

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