Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Anna van Valkenburg : Capturing Joy Kogawa House : An interview with Jude Neale

 

 

 

Inside the Pearl is Jude Neale’s account of her stay at the Joy Kogawa House through haiku-inspired poems and accompanying photographs, taken by Paul Hooson. This unique and intimate collection gives us a glimpse into the childhood home of Canadian author Joy Kogawa, now a literary landmark and venue for the Writer-in-Residence program; and a sweeping portrait of the difficult Japanese Canadian history that still resonates today. In this interview, we discuss poetry’s role in shaping history, life at the Joy Kogawa House, a typical writing day, and new projects.

Anna van Valkenburg: Inside the Pearl is a beautiful tribute to the Joy Kogawa House, and to Canadian history. How did you get the idea for this project? 

Jude Neale: A good question. I had done a couple of launches there and loved the intimate atmosphere. It was a place where time had stopped. At my last reading there, Kevin Spenst was writer in residence and I got very curious about staying in this living, breathing house. During the Pandemic I too was given the chance to live there. Months before I went I knew what I wanted to do—document the house and its contents with poems and take pictures of everything. I had even named it Inside the Pearl. The house had a presence, a light I wanted to capture. And I so wanted to do it for Joy Kogawa.

AV: The poems in this book are of course descriptive, but theres much more there. Each poem has a deeper historical and/or emotional connection. Why did you choose a haiku-inspired form for this book?

JN: Looking back I know it was plain ignorance. I thought haiku was a Japanese form that would suit the project. I found out after my first draft that the nearly sixty poems were not haiku. 5/7/5 wasnt going to get me anywhere, so within six months of research nationally and internationally, I think I finally had an inkling about what a haiku might be. That is why I call them haiku inspired—a gesture, a glimpse.

AV: What is the role of poetry in shaping history (does it have one)?

Poetry has shaped history from Homer to Ferlinghetti. I believe as poets, history makes up our poems both quiet and loud. In my book, the Canadian Japanese internment during and after the Second World War is subtly woven throughout. 

AV: In the preface you mention that Joy Kogawa creates a bridge to truth for all peoplesthrough her writing. Can you elaborate? How does this connect to your mission for writing this book? 

JN: Joy Kogawa took on the establishment and quietly determined to seek justice for all Japanese Canadians interned in the Second World War. In her 1981 book, Obasan, she writes of her experience of being in the Slocan, through a childs eyes. This single book was a revelation to many like myself. It was so lovingly written, it impacted me greatly. Gentleness, love and light shone in that book. Joy  was not embittered but empowered to demand justice despite the huge Canadian complacency. This is what I hope to bring to the world too. Light and beauty and truth.

AV: Since this is truly a book about the Joy Kogawa House: 1) what was your favourite part about (or of) the house? 2) Which poem from the book is your favourite? 3) Which photograph?

JN: I slept in little Joys bedroom on a small bed just so I could see the sun move across the room like when she was little. To look up at the ceiling and realize she had gazed there too or listen to the even breathing of my husband in the other room just as she had listened to her parents. It was magical!

My favourite poem is:

swoops of laughter

pour over quiet voices

bell song fills corners

And my favourite photograph is of a pitcher and a washbasin. Paul Hooson gave it an Old Masterlook, with the hue of wood and the white gleam of the pitcher.

AV: What did a typical writing day at Joy Kogawa House look like?

JN: Thats funny to think of now. It was the week after the first pandemic lock down was over. We were jubilant! So I got out of bed and drank four cups of tea before I started to scrutinize a room for objects to write about. Every two hours Id have another pot of tea. Then write, look at photos until about 8 pm. Then we would go to all the empty restaurants for dinner. A very fine life indeed!

AV: What are you currently working on?

JN: I completed my eleventh book, The Flaw, this spring and am almost finished my twelfth, an art and poetry collaboration as yet untitled.

 

 

 

 

Jude Neale is a Canadian poet of national and international acclaim. She has penned ten books, and several libretti that have also been published and performed. One of her poems was chosen to ride the Channel Island buses by the Poet Laureate of Britain. Jude has extensive expertise in multi-disciplinary collaboration.

Anna van Valkenburg is the author of Queen and Carcass (Anvil Press, A Feed Dog Book... 2020) and the associate publisher at Guernica Editions. Her poetry and reviews have been featured in The Puritan, Prism International, december magazine, The Rusty Toque, and elsewhere. She was born in Konin, Poland, and currently lives in Mississauga.