.WRITERS.ON.WRITING..Writers.on.Writing.
Get to know our authors, the foundation and heart of Yellow Arrow Journal, and what writing means to them through our monthly series.
W.o.W. #64
Gargi Mehra
How did you first publish your writing and what was it?
The first piece of writing that I had published was a nonfiction humor piece in a major Indian women’s magazine called Femina. I queried the editor and got an instant response asking for the article. It was published in the next issue itself, and I am very proud of it.
What is your writing Kryptonite? Your most interesting writing quirk?
I think words such as ‘just,’ ‘only,’ and ‘somewhat’ are my writing Kryptonite as they indicate a lack of confidence. My most interesting writing quirk, based on feedback I have received, is probably my tendency to inject humor into even the most poignant of pieces.
If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be and why?
Jane Austen, just to ask her what she thinks of the fact that her books are beloved so intensely even after two hundred years and could she ever have predicted it.
What does your inner writing voice tell you?
It sometimes tells me I’m awful at writing and I should give it up but when I don’t it tells me I’m brilliant and I should persist so I do.
Gargi Mehra works as a project manager in the IT arm of an international bank. Her work has appeared in numerous literary magazines online and in print, including The Writer, Litro, On the Premises, and others. She lives in Pune, India, with her husband and two children.
Yellow Arrow published Gargi’s piece “Striking the Right Notes” in RENASCENCE (Vol. VI, No. 1, spring 2021). She blogs at gargimehra.com and recently switched her focus from novels and longer stories to flash fiction and poetry. You can also find Gargi on Instagram @gargi_mehra, Facebook @gargi.mehra.7, and Twitter @gargimehra.
.Writers.on.Writing.
Get to know our authors, the foundation and heart of Yellow Arrow Journal, and what writing means to them through our monthly series.
W.o.W. #47
Kaili Y. Turner
What is the first book that made you cry?
The Autobiography of Assatta Shakur definitely. I had so many different feelings reading that book. She was a woman with a mission to help better her people like so many and was put through so much, even today, She’s a freedom fighter and I look up to her.
What period of your life do you find you write about most often?
I probably write about my upbringing most because its so full of cultures and conflict. As a Black Indian who grew up in Mashpee, Massachusetts, there was Native American tradition everywhere but I was also Black and have that background and upbringing and knowledge of the deep south, Florida, collard greens, etc., from my grandmother on my dad’s side. When I look back, it was a euphoric time riddled with chaos inner and external.
What word do you find yourself using most often in your writing?
I don’t know that I often use a specific word, maybe I should ask that in my Instagram stories. A major theme though that is in my work is it’s edgy, topical, and often a reflection of what is going on in my communities.
What does your inner writing voice tell you?
To always be true to myself, my feelings, and my goals. To take every challenge and success as they come and to celebrate the effort of both. Never be afraid to ruffle a few feathers when your speaking your truth and continue to pay it forward.
Kaili Y. Turner is a Black Indian (Nipmuc) comedian, actress, writer, producer, and puppeteer who received her MFA from the Actors Studio Drama School. Kaili’s pilot “Fk’d Up & Fabulous” is streaming on the Tenoir TV app and her play “Indian Country” was a semifinalist for the Eugene O’Neill playwrights conference. She’s also the creator of Rock the Bells Comedy, a variety show that is a platform for BIPOC comics and musicians. She was a participant of the Walt Disney/ABC Pilot Prep Program for Native Americans and a recipient of the SNL/Second City Scholarship.
Her fiery poem, “Amerikkka the Beautiful,” was included in RENASCENCE, Vol. VI, No. 1. Kaili sat with the guest editor of RENASCENCE, Taína, for a chat before its release and was kind enough to participate in Renascence: A Reading in 2021, now available on the Yellow Arrow YouTube channel.
You can find Kaili on Instagram @mdamstarlight, Facebook @kailiturner, and Twitter @kailiyturner and learn about her current projects at kailiyturner.com.
.Writers.on.Writing.
Get to know our authors, the foundation and heart of Yellow Arrow Journal, and what writing means to them through our monthly series.
.W.o.W. #36
Christine C. Hsu
What does your inner writing voice tell you?
Keep going.
What is a book you wish someone would write?
Just more Taiwanese American stories. I [was] reading Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu and Bestiary by K-Ming Chang.
Describe an early experience where you learned that language has power.
I was waiting for the BART [Bay Area Rapid Transit] to go home. An elderly man asked me for directions in Chinese and luckily I could speak a little Chinese to help him out. Because I was nice to this guy, another man came up to me asking for help in Spanish, and I was able to help him, too. I remember that when I went to Taiwan, I felt bad because I couldn’t speak Chinese well and needed my parents to help me get around and was happy to help these folks.
Christine C. Hsu is a writer, playwright, and poet based in Oakland, California. Her creative nonfiction piece “Mother Tongues of Confusion, Shame, and Love” was included in RENASCENCE, Vol. VI, No. 1; Christine read an excerpt from it for Renascence: A Reading in 2021. And like Kim Berrios Lin, Christine sat with Taína for a chat before the release of RENASCENCE.
She recently had a poem, “Korean Pirate,” published in the Nonbinary Review, Issue #26: Person of Interest. And very exciting, her first commissioned play, Baijui, for the Fresh Baked Pears Festival began streaming on April 23 and will be available through May 8. It is an all Asian American female cast, director, and playwright so show your support and love before it stops streaming!
Learn more about Christine at medium.com/@hsu.christine and follow her on Twitter @HsuChristineC.
.Writers.on.Writing.
Get to know our authors, the foundation and heart of Yellow Arrow Journal, and what writing means to them through our monthly series.
.W.o.W. #35
Kim Berrios Lin
Describe an early experience where you learned that language has power.
Watching my Grandmother recite her poetry as a child. Without understanding every word she spoke in Spanish, the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck would raise, as my eyes teared, every single time. There was a sense of knowing; a momentary portal that I was very aware of.
How did you first publish your writing and what was it?
This will be my first published writing! “I Am We” came to me the morning I was to participate in a #standwithasians 12-hour live stream. I felt the poem work through me instead of come from me. The editor of Yellow Arrow Journal’s RENASCENCE issue, Taína, whose writing I have admired my entire life, watched my portion of the live stream and asked if I’d consider submitting. Up until that day, I had never considered my poetry worthy of public consumption; it had always been more of a private catharsis. I am so grateful to Yellow Arrow, for allowing this leap of vulnerability, to culminate as my very first published piece.
What does your inner writing voice tell you?
That they are visiting and to stay open to what enters.
Kim is an actor, writer, producer, and stargazer, who proudly draws from her Puerto Rican (with indigenous Taíno lineage) and Taiwanese heritage. “I Am We,” was included in RENASCENCE, Vol. VI, No. 1, which Kim read for Renascence: A Reading in 2021. She also sat with Taína for an insightful chat before the release of RENASCENCE. Kim has a recurring role in HBO Max’s “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin” coming out soon as well as a supporting role in Disney’s “Better Nate Than Never,” released this month!
Updates on all her projects can be found at KimBerriosLin.com. You can also follow Kim on Facebook, Instagram @KimRiosLin, and Twitter @kimrioslin.
.Writers.on.Writing.
Get to know our authors, the foundation and heart of Yellow Arrow Journal, and what writing means to them through our monthly series.
.W.o.W. #33
Jordan Nishkian
If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be and why?
I’d love to sit at a long banquet table with all my female ancestors and learn about their lives. But if I had to choose just one, I would pick my great-grandma (I miss her). If I need to choose one living person, I’d pick The Rock. He looks so kind and family-oriented, plus the cheat day meals he posts are incredible!
What are you currently working on?
I recently published my first book, Kindred, I’m preparing for the next issue of Mythos literary magazine, and I’m currently trying to master my dad’s pilaf recipe.
What does your inner writing voice tell you?
More.
Jordan is a native Californian and a firm believer in the Oxford comma. She contributed “Papa’s Aftershave” to Yellow Arrow Journal, Vol. VI, No. 1 RENASCENCE. Currently, Jordan is the content strategist for a digital marketing agency in Orange County, the founder of Mythos magazine, and the co-founder of Ink and Quill Publications.
The pieces she enjoys working on the most are works of fiction, poetry, and short stories. When she's not working or wrapped up in her passion projects, you can find her curled up in a comfy chair with a book in her hand and a pen in her hair.
Find her at wordsbyjordan.com or on Instagram @wordsbyjordan.