In This Body Mystery, even though it was written in the voice of people with HIV/AIDS, it's about how people come to accept their fate and their sickness. It's about accepting the way your life is.

I don't approach my writing or my work from an academic or analytical point of view. I do it for myself.

I read a lot when I was in school in the United States, and even though writing in English is very difficult for me, I wrote in journals.

How am I placing myself in the world of other people around me? For me, I feel that I am not really alone, that others can feel it too. I see art in this way.

For me, the more I understand the story of others, the greater I am able to learn and help other people.

I have a great advantage: I write from the perspective of my own voice. I'm not copying anyone's voice. It's my voice. I have the advantage of being a writer of English as a second language.

Often when people tell their story, they talk about their strengths and resiliency. It's really about their determination and their aspiration to survive and live.