An Interview with Vicky Pinpin-Feinstein

Vicky Pinpin-Feinstein is a writer, former college lecturer, communications technology and society professional, and author of A Thousand Little Deaths, an account of her experience growing up under the Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines. With graduate degrees in the Social Sciences, her career focused on media and society at various institutions. Working with refugees inspired her to write Beyond Fear and Suspicion. She received an Individual Artist and Scholar Award from the Montgomery Arts and Humanities Council. Vicky lives by her motto that life is a curious mix of a love for organization and randomness.

---

---

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

I actually had a different working title when I was writing Beyond Fear and Suspicion. I used it to help me in navigating the nuances and angles when people asked, “where are you from?”—a question I am often asked because of who I am and what I look like. I wonder how Ethiopians felt about this question. I know it isn’t a question typically asked of those born in the US, but, more specifically, of those who are white. But people often ask those who look physically different, such as Asians or people of color. I used it as a guide to becoming aware of the different issues immigrants face. I wanted to turn that question around so that I could understand better their stories and what themes and lessons within these stories I can impart to the reader. When I began seriously thinking about whether this is a title I wanted to put on the cover, the working title was not what I wanted. I felt as though people may find it confrontational and not wanting to strike that tone, I had several discussions with writer friends and we played around with several different titles, playing with different words, and after some time, gravitated towards these words: fear, suspicion, identity, new Americans, etc. In the end, I chose this one because I believe it captures all that I had been grappling with in the process of researching, talking and interacting with these immigrants, and more importantly, reacting with what was already percolating in my head.

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

To see the cover in print was different from seeing it digitally. There is, first and foremost, the tactile sense of it—me holding the book in my hand, my eyes laser-focused on the cover, scanning everything. It felt good, but, me being me, I was also wondering if I had done all there is to do with the book, shepherding it to this stage. The bold colors struck me, and I wished it would do the same for those who would see it in bookstores. I chose the colors of the Ethiopian flag because I wanted to pay tribute to these immigrants who came here against all odds.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

There was not one incident that made me write. Before writing books, my writing was confined to writing technical reports based on research and policy analysis I have done as a social scientist. Sometime in 2006 or 2007, I was reading something I had written in my journal, and realized then that I had been journaling since the early 1980s. I was away from home, I used the writing to soothe my loneliness, missing my family, etc., but then it became a habit, and a good one at that. It was then I realized I had dozens of journals and when I read them, something clicked. I showed some of my writing to a friend. She said I should push it further. The second incident was when I was asked to write about a difficult experience and write it in the form of a letter but it was intended not to be sent, but to be burned. This was at an art workshop. I ended up writing several pages. the facilitator asked if anyone wanted to read what they wrote. I volunteered and glad I did because the group also told me to keep the writing moving, exploring, experimenting, and encouraging me to sign up for writing classes. It’s a jump—from writing in an academic style, neutral, objective, unbiased, research-based, to writing that is creative, using your senses, describing things as if I was pointing a camera and deciding which angle to take the object in question, or where I, as a photographer should be. It was a new method of looking at perspective for me and I enjoyed it. So I kept going.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I spent a career working on the intersection of communications technology and its applications to various sectors in society. For the international development community, I worked or consulted on how these technologies are deployed in education, health, agriculture, and the environment in developing countries. For research and academic communities, I taught undergraduate courses in Communication Research Methodologies, Technology and Society and Politics. I was a member of the research team that worked on the history of the Information Age at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. I consulted for UNESCO and AusAid travelling to developing countries during these engagements. I like meeting and learning about people from different cultures, sample their cuisine and listening to their music. I like to discover writers and authors from different parts of the world.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

It is working closely with the different teams at Atmosphere Press. At each stage, the process was streamlined, making it easy for me to interact with the responsible staff (editing, proofreading, interior book design, book cover, publicity, etc.).

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

I am a big fan of Afro pop music. If my book had a soundtrack, it would be the South African band, Johnny Clegg and the Savuka singing “Scatterlings of Africa,” “Third World Child,” or “The Crossing.” African rhythms are perfect for a book about immigrants for a part of Africa.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

That immigrants are just like you and me even if they come from all corners of the globe. That we all want the love, the satisfaction, courage and determination to forge our paths no matter what challenges we face. A perfect reader for this book is one who is open to ideas, open to the different interpretations of ‘difference’ and ‘otherness.’ As I wrote in the concluding chapter in the book, “their stories are not who they are.” It is important to remember that one’s identity is not limited to the stories that people know about you. You, me, they, them are more than what is at that surface. I would like the reader to know that what she/he/they had read in this book is a small part of what it means to be YOU.

What creative projects are you currently working on?

I am researching a historical narrative about my Spanish great-grandfather, who was sent to the Philippines when the islands were a Spanish colony. I am looking into linking his story to the larger story of colonization, its impact and long-lasting influence on a country that has seen three colonial masters.

How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?

I was pleasantly surprised how thorough and pleasant it has been. I am humbled by the commitment, dedication, and hard work every staff member had brought at every stage of the process. If I had an issue or a problem, it was dealt with promptly, and there was always a sense that Atmosphere Press is committed to working in the best interest of the author.

---

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.