Today we’d like to introduce you to Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito.
Hi Frances, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
The last couple years have been a whirlwind for writing and publishing. In my first interview, I spoke about an incident of Asian hate that prompted me to find meaning and purpose in everything that I set out to do.
https://boldjourney.com/meet-frances-lu-pai-ippolito/
As an update, I’ve been working steadfastly on setting up the 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Qilin Press, and finalizing the publication of our first book. This has been such an important project for me for so many reasons. The mission of the non-profit says it best. Qilin Press seeks to change the world, one story at a time. With a focus on the untold narratives of community voices, our books seek to improve the outcomes of all communities through storytelling and narrative plenitude. We are committed to supporting impactful storytelling and publishing stories of survival and resilience that would be lost or forgotten otherwise.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Doing anything new, especially in an unconventional way brings many challenges. For example, our first project is a children’s picture book featuring the resettlement experience of the Karen refugee community in Portland, Oregon. Portland is home to a vibrant Karen refugee community that unfortunately struggles to maintain its culture, language, and history due to displacement and war in Burma, now Myanmar. There are almost no books about the Karen people.
To our knowledge, “A Tree of My Own” will be the first children’s book that touches upon these experiences from the perspective of a child.
Being the first in anything is daunting, especially when working with a community that has already gone through so much. That being the case, I started by recruiting a storyteller who I knew was a trusted member of the community. My writer, Nui Wilson, has worked with the Karen community in Utah, Oregon, and Thailand for more than 20 years.
She has volunteered with several non-profits who help recent refugees settle in the US. She is also Thai-Karen.
It took some convincing, but she eventually agreed to write the book. From there, Nui and I searched for an illustrator who shared the heritage and experiences of the Karen refugee community. Kayor, our illustrator, is based in Thailand near the Burmese border. His artwork celebrates Karen culture and heritage. However, because he is based in Thailand and had limited experience with children’s picture books, we enlisted the help of Gigi Little as our Art Director for the project. Gigi is a true book whisperer who knew what we needed to bring the story to life through the book’s interior and exterior design.
After two and half years, several drafts, lots of blood and tears, we had a complete sketched draft. We went back to our communities, particularly Karen parents and children for beta readings and feedback.
The feedback from the children was invaluable, especially from Karen kids who had never seen a character like themselves or their families in the book. They wanted more stories and books. That feedback made the long journey to this point all worthwhile.
“A Tree of My Own” will be the first in a series that explores how communities preserve and adapt their language, culture, tradition, and heritage when faced with displacement and migration.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I wanted to create Qilin Press to establish a way for all communities to share stories and commonality through our lived experiences. I truly believe that understanding, compassion, and collaboration happens naturally through storytelling.
As for how we stand out, I think the short answer is that no one does it all well on their own. And I certainly have not made it this far without friends, family, and community to support the work. But when it comes to collective community storytelling, here are some of my guiding principles:
1) Be a worthy storykeeper. When a community, especially one that has suffered severe trauma, shares stories with you as a publisher. Be worthy of that trust. Be honest about what you can and can’t do for those who have shared with you.
2) Nurture the relationships. Publishing can feel very transactional and financially driven. But keeping the community and storytellers involved through the whole process is paramount to maintaining the authenticity of the stories, but also ensure that the stories are protected and respected as well as the communities who have shared them.
3) Teach and lift. No one person can tell all the stories. One of the goals for Qilin Press is to find storytellers who can tell their stories and inspire others.
Toni Morrison said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
For me, I can’t write all the stories I want to exist, nor should I write them all. But I can empower others to write their books and tell those stories.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I’m a book nerd. I make books, I take apart books.
I bind them back together again with recycled parts.
I love books, they were my first friends.
Pricing:
- “A Tree of My Own” is available for order at https://www.powells.com/book/a-tree-of-my-own-9798990803404/1-1
Contact Info:
- Website: www.qilinpress.com/about
- Instagram: @francespaippolito
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frances.pai/
- Other: https://www.powells.com/book/a-tree-of-my-own-9798990803404/1-1