![]() ![]() There was a purity and flexibility to an unnamed character. When we encounter people with particular names, like the first Susan we ever know, then every Susan we meet after that will always compare to that first. Some characters are so brilliant I’m afraid to name them because it would take something away. In some cases, the main character isn’t named at all. I spoke with Souvankham Thammavongsa on the phone to discuss upending expectations with humor, the power of lonely love, and what it means to succeed as a refugee. Henry Award winner Souvankham Thammavongsa focuses on characters struggling to make a living, illuminating their hopes, disappointments, love. A mother teaching her daughter the art of worm harvesting. A housewife learning English from daytime soap operas. A woman plucking feathers at a chicken processing plant. I know that firsthandas the daughter of refugees, I’m able to finally see myself in stories. A failed boxer painting nails at the local salon. There seemed to be a distance between your characters and the narrator. The power of How to Pronounce Knife lies in seeing the unseen. With Chick-A-Chee!, I really wanted the children, when someone tries to correct their pronunciation of “trick-or-treating,” to say, “No, Missus Furman, we went chick-a-chee!” ![]() I also like stories about children who fight back. And I just wondered, “What is making someone laugh at this hour of the night in this way?” and I built a story around that. Were there other places where you drew inspiration?įor Edge of the World, I had heard a laughter in the air vent one night. ![]()
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