I'm very connected to the story, the history, and the trauma people experience.

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.

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.

If I were really fluent and born into the English language, I would probably become a greater writer.

I think that through the narratives of other people you get closer to your own.

I am a community social psychologist and a lot of my work deals with social work and helping people overcoming addiction and trauma.