The Lantern Festival and Writing Freely
Tips from Toni Morrison on writing and life!
Greetings folks, and happy full moon! Also, happy impending Valentine’s Day to all who observe. Today at the library story and song time, babies of all ages were decked out in their best Valentine’s Day duds, including my son Jonah, who was wearing his adorable pink hat made by one of his grandmothers! Babies at Valentine’s Day are making me see a ridiculous holiday with new warmth.
This full moon is also the first full moon of the Year of the Snake, and the first full moon after the Lunar New Year is occasion for the Lantern Festival in Taiwan and China. It’s a beautiful tradition, where flaming paper lanterns adorned with wishes for the year (or well wishes or other sentiments) are released up into the sky. Here’s a little footage of it from this year (12 hrs ago):
I remember when I was living in Taiwan, I didn’t attend the lantern festival that year but my friend Nina and I hung out and offered some wishes for a friend to put on a lantern on our behalf. I think my wish was to finish and publish the book…. so it was a long delayed manifestation, but a manifestation of my wish nonetheless!
I’m doing some more book events this spring, so I’ll put the new schedule below. Towards the end of the month, I’ll be doing two virtual events for Taiwanese American 2/28 Memorial Remembrances, so those can be freely joined by anyone with internet, and I’ll put the details on my website.
ANYWAY, I’ll keep it quick because it’s already night time, and the moon is up and out (though ours is shaded from view by clouds).
I’m trying to find my way into some momentum on a new writing project, and so I’m taking a lot of writerly advice these days from the greats. Also, I’m teaching Toni Morrison’s only short story, “Recitatif” in one of my classes, which my students loved and have had fascinating responses to. (We also read Zadie Smith’s excellent essay about it: https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/toni-morrison-recitatif-short-story-zadie-smith)
So I shared a bit of the documentary about Morrison (Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am) with them last week:
The moment I love in this clip is when she talks about knocking the little white man off her shoulder, because “then you’re free.” She says, “Now I own the world. I can write about anything… to anyone, for anyone.”
I love that moment so much. Now you’re free.
How much of what we construe as “good writing” or “acceptable writing” is guided by these little (often white, often men) figures we keep on our shoulders or in our minds, judging us?
I appreciate that this question can be unpacked at much more length depending on the identity and background of the writer, but it’s a marvelous statement: “Now I own the world.”
May we all unshackle ourselves from fears, doubts, judgments, constraints, and the other things that hold us back from writing, and go forth into creative work with courage.
In the early minutes of the documentary, Morrison also talks about her decision to write very early in the morning, saying that she’s very smart, and very motivated to write before the sun rises. But not after lunch. As someone trying to now find a new normal for writing as a mom, I may take a page from Morrison’s playbook. Will keep you posted!
Hope to see some of you at events in the coming months, and may spring find us all soon!
Registration link here: https://tafnc.webex.com/webappng/sites/tafnc/meeting/register/5a4bf0f01c444bde912d1bdb8e560183?ticket=4832534b000000079133a18a44c57450e8c2ed01ca36d74dbb92480a2d2ee4d657b47ac617e89e81×tamp=1739413355073&RGID=ra497cc267624ab69b292939ed913e607&isAutoPopRegisterForm=false
“Now I own the world.” Yes! Thanks, Kim.