The family I grew up in had three generations of widows.

When you're reading from a different language that's different from your own, it's not the same as being fluent.

I think every writer has their waves of inspiration and their ways of doing things. But writing is very difficult for me. It's something I haven't practiced as diligently as my visual art. I've been doing visual art because I think it's easier for me to construct, whereas words are very difficult.

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

Even though I'm not privileged in the money world, I'm privileged in other ways: I had greater access to education, I can travel, etc. It's the same with writing: the freedom to move in and out of different places, of different realms of existence, of different life forms.

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.

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.