Do you have a nickname?
Not really, I just go by Amanda! But I publish under the name "Ama Kirchner," mostly to separate my creative work from my other work. Also, there are so many people out there with the name "Amanda Weiss." There were almost 30 Amanda Weisses on Facebook last time I checked, and I think I saw it as the default name on an iPhone commercial once...
What do you like to read?
I love to read whimsical/slipstream speculative fiction. I'm a big fan of Ken Liu, Ray Bradbury, Ted Chiang, N.K. Jemisin, Naomi Novik, Neil Gaiman, Kelly Link, and Octavia Butler. I also really like literary nonfiction essays and the work of Gretel Ehrlich, Margaret Atwood, Maya Angelou, Annie Dillard, and Alison Bechdel.
What kind of stories do you write?
I write a lot of fantasy/slipstream about gender and Asia (my home for a decade). I'm intrigued by Ken Liu's idea of silkpunk and want to experiment with it more this summer. (There is a lot of speculative fiction that uses Asia to signify "Other/Alien/Future" and I want to invert that a bit by drawing on silkpunk and my personal experience of living in Beijing and Tokyo throughout my twenties).
How would you describe your personality?
Hmm. Talkative, loyal, quirky. Introvert. Perhaps too interested in/passionate about too many things at once. Shy in some social situations, outgoing in others.
What would you do this summer if you hadn't been accepted to Clarion?
I'd probably be in Japan collecting materials for research. (I'm a researcher).
Who will miss you most while you're in San Diego (cats, kids, partner, boss, coworkers)?
My boyfriend. I just completed a year-long visiting position and it was a long time to be apart.
Have you participated in an intensive writing workshop before?
Nope! Though I did film school and we would workshop our films.
What scares you most about Clarion?
I'm fairly inexperienced as a creative writer. I've never just focused on that one thing--it was always a hobby alongside my "real job." So I am curious to see how I react to writing nonstop/putting in my all.
What do you do to relax or for recreation?
Reading, watching movies, walking, jogging.
What 1-2 essential things will you bring to Clarion besides your laptop, watergun, and espresso maker?
A stack of lined Moleskin notebooks and Preppy Pens with refillable ink cartridges.
What is your ideal career?
I'd like to be a professor of East Asian Studies/media studies and short story/creative nonfiction writer. For now, I'm just an academic ronin. (Masterless samurai...).
What else do you want us to know about you?
I can juggle. I like to doodle little cartoons. I have a problem of buying too many notebooks (As I typed that I was already contradicting myself--What! there is no such thing as too many notebooks!).
Where in Tokyo are (were?) you based? I'd be interested to see if we share any favorite spots in the city!
ReplyDeleteHi Christian! I was based in Hongo for school and lived in Nakameguro for a while. How about you?
DeleteGotcha! I really liked Nakameguro, it was surprisingly beautiful for the middle of Tokyo. My apartment for most of my stay was in Araki-cho in Shinjuku, but I spent a little bit of time living in Nakaitabashi as well. Work was right downtown, in Marunouchi.
DeleteYou can't compare, but Wa Dining OKAN in San Diego has really traditional izakaya happy hour stuff we can go (I went when I was in college there!... and happy to find friends to go with!)
ReplyDeleteSilkpunk sounds fantastic! -- I'm definitely going to start looking this up right now. And I know what you mean about names and the difficulty in picking out a distinctive pen name. I publish under K.C. instead of Katherine because there are a bajillion Katherines/Kates/Katies running around and my last name is already so long... *sigh*
ReplyDeleteOh boy, the film school workshop! I went to film school a million years ago, it was the best/worst. What was your experience like?
ReplyDelete