It's hard to choose the right word, the right line. This Body Mystery is a small book, but it took me over ten years.

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 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.

You have to experiment with different mediums and things around you [making art].

I've been coming to Cambodia off and on, six months of the year usually.

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.

Mary's [Hamill] working from an outsider perspective and I'm working from an insider-outside perspective. In this case, it will bring an added dimension to the visual aspects of the work. Also the processes and approaches that I'm thinking are about learning. I'm playing it by ear to experiment and see what happens.