Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor –

“I have been writing my whole life and I believe that writing is larger than the writer. It should be a journey of discovery for the writer,” says Andre Dubus III, the author of “The House of Sand and Fog” and six other books.

The award-winning novelist and memoirist will be in San Antonio this weekend to take part in the 2019 Gemini Ink Writers Conference that will be held July 19-21 at the El Tropicano Riverwalk Hotel downtown. The overall theme is Negotiating Place.

 Dubus will share his insights and experiences with conference participants in one of the workshops, “Penetrating the Mystery of Story,” and he will also take part in the Saturday night event, “Wide Open Spaces: Location of the Individual Within Many Places,” a reading and discussion scheduled for Saturday night at the Studio at Ruby City, 111 Camp St.

If writing is a journey of discovery, where is the starting point? We asked the very approachable and easy-to-talk-to novelist.

A number of things can plant a seed in his mind, he said. “It could be an image that won’t go away, or a certain kind of character that is in some type of trouble. “But here’s the big thing: a very helpful fuel for any writer is curiosity. It’s the most valuable tool. Just as you can’t make yourself fall in love, you can’t choose what you are going to be curious about. If it happens, follow it.”

One example from his experience involved a man whom he wanted to interview for a screenplay about prison life. They had had a good conversation before Dubus asked him why he was in prison. “Because I killed my wife,” the man said.

 “I hate violence against women and I hate cruelty. I got angry when he told me that,” said Dubus. “But I couldn’t deny that I still liked him, that I was curious about him.” So, the “seed” was planted, eventually leading him to write “Gone So Long,” a book that ended up on many “Best Books” lists for 2018, including the Boston Globe’s “Twenty Best Books of 2018.”

Dubus is no big fan of tight plotting when you first approach your writing project. “First “grow the baby,” explore where the characters and their story take you. You can always rearrange the sequence of events later during revisions. Writing is a bit like dreaming, he notes.

The son of the highly-respected writer with the same name, Andre Dubus, Dubus III grew up in challenging circumstances after his father left the family, and money became scarce. His young mother had to take care of four children in a succession of dilapidated houses located in rough neighborhoods.  He wrote about his growing-up years with heartbreaking honestly in his 2011 memoir “Townie.” Though he always liked language and books, as a teen he was hiding that part of himself from the crowd he was hanging out with. Oddly, as a young writer, Dubus did not benefit from his father’s fame. As much as it is hard to believe, like so many other writers, he received lots of rejections. His first book was sent to 36 publishers before one chose to publish it.

So, what advice does he have for aspiring writers?   

“Trust your imagination. If you are busy, start writing 15 minutes a day before you do anything else. And just write for at least three months without thinking too much about it. Something will start happening.  The writing process is mysterious.”

 ABOUT THE CONFERENCE –

Each year, Gemini Ink’s staff comes up with a new theme for the conference. This year’s theme, Negotiating Place, emerged out of conversations about healing, representation and identity, restorative justice, and similar issues, said Gemini Ink’s literary programs director Patrick Stockwell. “The landscape for writers is changing fast and we have to be adaptable. The ‘place’ reference may mean knowing your place as a writer, where your voice fits. But you can apply the concept to a physical place that you tend to return to in your writing, or an emotional place, or a virtual place. For me, it was important that everyone feel like they have a place in this conversation.”

There will be five workshops, 37 panel discussions and three free and open-to-the-public events, including the Friday night opening one, “(Un)Definition: Challenging the Ideas We’ve Inherited.” The keynote address will be delivered by Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson, a spoken-word artist, poet and vocalist who serves as a Writers in the Community faculty member at Gemini Ink. Joining her Friday are Pablo Miguel Martinez, Ira Sukrungruang, and moderator Norma Cantu. (Brick at Blue Star, 108 Blue Star; Cash bar)

Dubus will be featured Saturday night in “Wide Open Spaces: Location of the Individual Within Many Places” which takes place just south of downtown at the Studio at Ruby City, which is inside Chris Park (111 Camp St.) Other invited speakers are Analicia Sotelo, Camille Acker and moderator Patricia Portales.

The variety of panels may be the biggest attraction, however. From Literary Magazines to Haunted Environments & Hidden Stories – and even one panel called Dark Parking Lot – there’s something to satisfy everyone’s curiosity. In addition, a new Maker Space will be made available for those who would like to escape the activities and engage in some peaceful writing. And Gemini Ink’s offices will host a series of short readings throughout the afternoon on Saturday.

The closing party Sunday night is free and open to the public.

For more information go to geminiink.org/writers-conference