Multicultural women reading

Young Chang

Twenty years ago, Sarie Sachie Hylkema watched poet Mitsuye Yamada

read one of her works at UC Irvine and cry.

The poem was about Yamada’s mother-in-law, a picture bride who had

been rejected by the man it was arranged she marry upon her arrival from

Japan because he thought she was too ugly.

Hylkema, inspired by the poem, told Yamada after the reading, “I want

to be just like you.”

Their emotional connection started the Multicultural Women Writers

group, who will read from their works at the Newport Beach Central

Library this week.

The group consists of seven women of varying ethnicities who critique

each other’s creative works and share events in their lives.

They understand the hardships of writing and getting published as

minority women. They debate whether it’s important for themselves and for

loved ones to reveal private family ways, discuss how writing can

sometimes be healing, and support each other emotionally rather than

compete to get published.

Victoria Sanchez, 32, said the time they spend together is more

intensive than a writing workshop with 12 to 25 people.

“Some people have never been exposed to a great deal of ethnic

writing,” she said. “But the group is a chance for us to gain confidence

and commiserate about issues that we face in writing or in real life.”

A few of the members compiled an anthology titled “Sowing Ti Leaves,”

published in 1988. The title refers to the leaves used by Pacific Asian

women to wrap food.

Sanchez, who joined the group about two years ago, more recently wrote

a short story titled “Albondigas,” which means “Mexican meatball soup.”

It’s a story that takes place in one Hispanic family’s kitchen. The

family discusses the education and marriages of two young girls. Tensions

rise and the albondigas boils.

Sanchez will read this story Thursday at the Multicultural Women

Writers reading.

She’s one of the younger members of the group, who range in age from

20 to 77. But generation gaps don’t hinder conversation. The women share

too much in common.

“I think we’ve all at some point or another dealt with people who

haven’t understood what we’re trying to say,” Sanchez said. “We’ve all

had experience with people who want to tune some of the ethnic language

out.”

At the reading, Yamada, 77, will share her poems about political

prisoners, one of which is titled “Playing Cards with the Jailers.” When

asked what the piece is about, she declines a straight answer.

“It would be kind of weird for a poet to interpret her own poem,”

Yamada said.

Hylkema, 62, will read a short story about an Asian custom she

remembers trying to accept as a child. Like Yamada, Hylkema is reluctant

to spell out her story. But she said people’s reactions have been

interesting.

“Sometimes the silence is deafening when I finish reading this story,”

she said. “But you write about things that stick with you ... and in the

process of writing it, you really can have some understanding and closure

with it.”

Whether or not listeners understand the stories, they want to hear

them, said Dax Kiger, adult program coordinator for the library.

“You get such a diverse group together, and they tell stories so

well,” he said. “It’s important not only for their stories to be heard,

but also because I don’t think many organizations have a platform to do

it in.”

FYI

* WHAT: The Multicultural Women Writers will read original works. The

readings will launch the library’s 2000-2001 adult lecture series.

* WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday

* WHERE: Newport Beach Central Library’s Friends Meeting Room, 1000

Avocado Ave.

* COST: Free.

* CALL: (949) 717-3801.