Thank you so much to Sarah Okenyo of Derwent Valley Arts who interviewed me on the 8th of December. I’ve copied the write-up of the interview here. To read the full version of the newsletter, please go to:
https://mailchi.mp/bdd93c50501a/spring-newsletter-6252321?e=f52bb80176
I also like to thank Sophie Reid for taking photographs on the day. Please visit her website to see more of her photos http://www.concretecloudphotography.com.au/
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Local Artist Profile
Susanna Ho
Susanna Ho reigns from Hong Kong via Canada back to Hong Kong and now Australia. An author with an incredible story of her own. Although always aspiring to be a writer, she was discouraged as a child and told she would end up poor and dead from tuberculosis… a successful deterrent…! However, after studying English Literature in Canada, earning a Masters in ESL in Hong Kong, then a PhD in Applied Linguistics from Macquarie Uni Sydney, and teaching for years… Susanna finally combined her skills and passion and penned several novels.
Susanna is the author of: Mother’s Tongue: A Story of Forgiving and Forgetting, Who’s That Ant? Whose Dead End? and a third soon to be released.
However, there is an uneasiness to her profession – things are not as simple in Hong Kong. And she fears ending up on the watch list for her thoughts always tend to be political.
When describing her writing process of a book, Susanna says she always knows where the story will begin and end, but for the development, she lets her characters take charge. Writing as a form of expression is appealing to Susanna because by reading back what she wrote, she can pause and reflect on her thoughts, and refine them. Sometimes she even disagrees with herself in hindsight!
In 2017, while attending a conference in Tasmania and travelling around with her partner, Ricky, they fell in love with the small boutique shops and cafes in New Norfolk. With the ever increasing unrest in Hong Kong, they decided to move back to Australia.
They have immersed themselves in the Derwent Valley Arts community, regularly attending film nights and exhibitions. Susanna says that she longs to connect with other writers – being such an isolating activity – and so she’s incredibly excited for the inaugural Derwent Valley Writer’s Festival in May 2022 – where she hopes to also launch her third book. Boy do we recommend connecting with Susanna!
You can buy Susanna Ho’s books at http://sbprabooks.com/susannaho/ and stay up-to-date with her work here: susannaho.asia
Thank you for all you’re bringing to our community, Susanna!