Katherine Vaz is a true inspiration. She’s been surrounded by death and war from a very young age and instead of turning away from her pain, she has utilized her experiences to write some magnificent pieces. Vaz’s works brim with dark emotion, intriguing plots and most importantly, authenticity. She is the embodiment of the idea that through tragedy, one can create art. In fact, Vaz believes that most of her stories show the different ways in which people find happiness despite the pain they may endure.
In her writing, Katherine Vaz does not merely report on her experiences but uses them as a base or as I thought of it, “a springboard” for fiction that goes beyond her reality. This is a skill I would like to improve on myself, as I often find it challenging to detach myself from the truth when drawing upon my own experiences to write fiction. Vaz explains that it is not about what she shares about herself, or what happened to her specifically, but more about the idea that she wants to share with the world, the emotion that has built up inside of her that she wants to release for others to connect with. In her story “Taking a Stitch in a Dead Man’s Arm,” it is clear that Vaz drew from some of her own experiences with death, fear and religion when creating the Isabel character, and yet I didn’t dwell on this fact while reading it. What caught my attention more was the idea, the process of overcoming fear, which is essentially what Vaz wants the reader to focus on.
Hearing Vaz speak about how she came to be a writer also inspired me very much. I feel a writing persona within me as well. It is part of me in the same way 12-year-old Vaz realized it was a part of her. Once she had this realization, Vaz began practicing. She gave herself prompts, played around with ideas, and even took other people’s writing and began to deconstruct it in an effort to further her understanding of the structure and how she could improve her own. Considering the persistence and determination Vaz exhibited in honing her craft, it is no surprise that she is an acclaimed writer. I, myself, have only recently begun to truly exercise my writing muscles. I have always had a facility with language and writing which has caused me to rest upon that skill and regard it as my comfort zone. After hearing how Vaz pushed herself to improve her writing however, I feel motivated to do the same.
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Our Lady of the Artichokes by Sarah Moi-Thuk-Shung
Katherine Vaz made a brave leap by including her religion in her writing, since many people are skeptical about discussing any religion. However, Vaz went about writing these short stories with such grace and life that it is hard to focus on anything other than her realness as well as her great imagination. The use of imagery and constant strings of emotions captures readers from the beginning of this collection of short stories until the very end.
While reading through the first short story, “Taking a Stitch in a Dead Man’s Arm,” I found myself relating to a lot of what Vaz wrote. From dealing with loss to being afraid of the dark. The part about removing the stitch from a dead man’s arm to get rid of fear of darkness was interesting to me because I have heard many superstitions, but I have never heard about that one. The phrase, “Do not wait. Fear nothing.” really stuck with me because fear in itself can be enough to hold one back from pursuing what they need to accomplish in life. It is a powerful statement and a reminder that no one should ever let fear rule their life.
I noticed that much of Vaz’s writing has to do with death and tragedy and I am very much interested to find out the reason why. I am eager to question her when she comes to talk to the class on Thursday. After seeing Katherine at the reading today I see that she looks like a happy and lively person. The mood of her short stories does not seem to match her personality or appearance and that is why I believe she has a great imagination.
Katherine Vaz
By: Teresa Roca
Katherine Vaz’s “Our Lady of the Artichokes” is a collection of intriguing and complex short stories. In each story, Vaz is able to capture the emotions of each main character, allowing readers to understand and learn all aspects of each character’s life throughout the years.
I found it interesting how most of the characters experience tragedy, such as death, poverty or divorce. Each character carries with them the pain many of us go through in our lives. This aspect is my favorite part of the collection, the fact that we all suffer through hardships in life, allowing each and every one of us to relate to these strong characters. What is remarkable is how many of them still believe in their religion, using this belief as a way to get through their struggles. In a world where religion is becoming less and less practiced, it is nice to see this collection of people continue to believe in faith despite their hardships.
I enjoyed “My Bones Here Are Waiting for Yours” the most. I thought Vaz did a good job of incorporating mystery into this story. Towards the end of the novel, I became so attached to both Delilah and Mary that I kept hoping we would finally discover why Delilah was found dead, and if Mary moved on. I found the symbols of the charms a beautiful touch. This evokes the mother’s emotions even more, as she hopes to find the final pieces of her daughter. I enjoyed the flashbacks, and how Vaz turned this story into one where we learn about both characters and their relationship, as opposed to just hearing of the mother’s thoughts 17 years after her daughter’s death.
Another story I enjoyed was “All Riptides Roar with Sand from Opposing Shores.” I enjoyed reading Lara’s letters and watching her mature through each one. In these letters, we learn of her childhood, the death of her father, the abandonment of her mother, her divorce and more. Through all of this, she continues to write to Lucia, even though she never receives a letter back. I thought having the story written in the form of letters was a successful way for the reader to learn about this character’s life, while seeing her belief in faith.
All in all, I enjoyed this collection of short stories. The writing allowed me to feel the emotions of each character throughout the story and after. I have not went through the hardships many of these characters faced. However, I am able to understand the experiences and emotions of each character through Vaz’s impactful and memorable writing.