I'm also developing my own narrative, because I'm the son of a widow. And so, while working with women and gathering their oral histories, I'm taking a step back to do my own art book and visual work.

I started to paint in the year 2000. I never thought of going to an art school, even though I loved art.

You get closer to your own humanity by understanding the stories of other people and the struggles they have.

When I was in the sixth grade my friend and I always won writing contests, and we read a lot of books. We were always the ones that read the most books in class. I thought about writing but visual arts weren't part of my vocabulary.

I thought of the pillowcases as a symbol of love and loss, of retaining the memory of your loved one.

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.

I'd like to do more collaborations because collaboration creates different viewpoints.