Priya Guns' Electrifying Debut

Priya Guns: Your Driver Is Waiting w/ Kristen Arnett

Estimated read time: 1:20

Summary

Books Are Magic hosted an engaging dialogue between Priya Guns and Kristen Arnett to celebrate Guns' debut novel, "Your Driver Is Waiting." A tale rich in themes of love, loneliness, class division, and performative allyship, the book follows Domani, a queer Tamil woman navigating life as a Rideshare driver. Using humor and acute observation, the novel dives deep into the socio-political landscapes, offering a thrilling yet intimate exploration of modern struggles. The conversation also highlighted the creative processes behind building such a powerful story, touching on topics such as cultural identity, community activism, and the influence of cinema.

Highlights

Priya Guns' novel blends humor and socio-political themes, creating a timely narrative 🚀
The book draws inspiration from classic cinema, specifically 'Taxi Driver', reimagined through a modern lens 🎥
Domani, the protagonist, offers a fresh narrative as a queer Tamil woman in the gig economy 🌈
The dialogue uncovered influences from personal experiences and challenges in immigrant communities 🗣️
Discussion about the novel's themes of body image, self-discovery, and empowerment added depth to the dialogue 💪

Key Takeaways

Priya Guns' debut novel is a thrilling ride through love, loneliness, and social issues 🚗
"Your Driver Is Waiting" offers a darkly humorous perspective on class and performative allyship 😂
The conversation revealed the deep research and personal connections behind the novel's creation 📚
Priya's experience as an actor significantly influenced her character development process 🎭
Community and activism are central themes, offering a mirror to our societal roles and actions 🌍

Overview

In a vibrant conversation with Kristen Arnett, Priya Guns dove into the depths of her debut novel 'Your Driver Is Waiting'. The book encapsulates the chaotic yet captivating life of Domani, a queer Tamil woman who juggles her role as a Rideshare driver against a backdrop of socio-political tensions. This modern story is layered with humor and acute social observations, making it not just a novel, but a statement on today's societal dynamics.

Priya Guns discussed her creative journey, revealing how her acting background and personal experiences influenced the development of her characters. Her approach to crafting Domani's world was both methodical and inspired, drawing from cinema like 'Taxi Driver' and real-life interactions with Rideshare drivers. The conversation highlighted Guns' commitment to showcasing authentic voices and experiences within marginalized communities.

The discussion also covered themes like identity, community, and resistance, which are interwoven throughout the novel. Guns emphasized the importance of creating narratives that reflect real-world issues while remaining accessible and engaging. The talk was not only enlightening but served as a powerful reminder of the role of literature in fostering understanding and sparking dialogue around pressing societal concerns.

Chapters

00:00 - 03:00: Introduction by Amali The chapter titled 'Introduction by Amali' is an opening segment of an event being hosted on Zoom. Amali, who is the events director for a bookstore named Magic, greets the attendees and mentions the availability of closed captions for the event. She acknowledges that more participants will join as the session progresses and expresses her gratitude to everyone for attending.
03:00 - 06:00: Introduction to Priya Guns and Kristen Arnett The chapter introduces Priya Guns and Kristen Arnett, focusing on the launch of Priya Guns' debut novel 'Your Driver is Waiting'. The novel features Domani, a queer Tamil woman navigating her life and struggles.
06:00 - 09:00: Brief Reading from Chapter One The chapter introduces the protagonist, a rideshare driver, who becomes entangled with one of her passengers, a wealthy woman named Jolene. The narrative unfolds into a darkly comedic tale exploring themes of love, loneliness, class divisions, and performative allyship. The chapter is noted for its sharp critique and emotional depth, delivering a blend of humor and poignant societal commentary.
09:00 - 13:00: Brief Reading from Chapter Forty Four This chapter provides a background on Kristen Arnett, a queer author known for her works 'With Teeth' and 'Mostly Dead Things.' These novels were finalists for the Lambda Literary Award in Fiction. Her writing has been featured in publications such as The New York Times. Arnett, a creative writing graduate from Kingston University, has also contributed to short story anthologies and magazines, including Galdem Spring Magazine and The Guardian. The text may be part of a discussion or interview with Arnett, highlighting her literary accomplishments.
13:00 - 17:00: Kristen Arnett Praises Priya's Reading Skills The chapter highlights Kristen Arnett's praise for Priya's reading skills.
17:00 - 22:00: The Origin of Priya Guns' Novel The chapter transcript does not provide detailed content regarding Priya Guns' novel's origin itself. It starts with the moderator expressing gratitude and encouraging purchases of the authors' books, followed by a brief instruction to congratulate Priya in the chat as she begins her reading of the first chapter. It sets the stage for Priya to read from her novel but does not contain much information on the novel's origin.
22:00 - 28:00: Discussion on Acting and Writing The chapter explores themes of self-protection and personal safety, particularly for women, with a focus on the context of Ridesharing. The narrator discusses the necessity of keeping a weapon in her vehicle for safety reasons. There's also a reflection on societal perceptions and personal identity, as the narrator candidly talks about gender-related expectations and experiences while driving a car borrowed from someone named 'upper.' The tone mixes self-awareness with an examination of gender dynamics in everyday situations.
28:00 - 35:00: Research and Insights on Rideshare Driving The chapter titled 'Research and Insights on Rideshare Driving' delves into the preparations and safety measures a rideshare driver takes to ensure their security while working. The driver discusses carrying a variety of items for personal protection and cleanliness, including a tire iron, pepper spray, and scissors. Additional supplies in the trunk, such as water, cleaning materials, and hygiene products, highlight the unpredictable nature of the job and the need to be prepared for any situation. This chapter underscores the reality and challenges faced by rideshare drivers in maintaining personal safety and addressing the diverse needs of passengers.
35:00 - 43:00: Protest and Community Spaces In this chapter, various items in a bucket are described, highlighting their practicality. The items include a roll of duct tape, dish cloths, a towel, a crowbar, cleaning products, a toothbrush, baking soda, vinegar, a squeegee, and a pair of black rubber gloves. These items, suggested as tools for cleaning and organizing, metaphorically reflect themes of protest and community through their utility and accessibility.
43:00 - 50:00: Bodily Empowerment and Writing about Bodies The chapter title "Bodily Empowerment and Writing about Bodies" suggests a focus on the relationship between physical embodiment and the articulation or expression of that experience through writing. The transcript begins with a somewhat unrelated statement about personal safety, indicating a possible thematic juxtaposition between vulnerability and empowerment. The narrator then mentions preparing a hearty breakfast before leaving home, which includes culturally specific elements like Bombay toast, a fried egg, and strawberries with sugar and chili pepper, hinting at a blend of comfort and unique personal style that may be reflective of cultural identity or personal empowerment through daily routines.
50:00 - 56:00: Family and Community Themes In this chapter, themes of family and community are explored through a series of everyday interactions and observations. The narrator begins by recalling preparing fresh orange juice with care, showing a familial attempt to nurture. Meanwhile, an episode unfolds involving a young woman's tense exchange with a bus driver over fare, highlighting social dynamics and community interactions in public spaces. This snapshot of life demonstrates the interconnectedness of personal and shared community experiences.
56:00 - 65:00: Humor in the Novel The chapter titled 'Humor in the Novel' presents a scene where the narrator is running late for school or work and does not have enough money for the bus fare. The bus driver is strict about the rules, but someone helps out by giving the narrator $20, which allows her to pretend that it was already given to her earlier. She then pays the actual fare discreetly. This moment, although tense, is laced with humor as rules are bent and kindness is shared. The narrator reflects on the safety and comfort of her own car compared to public transportation.
65:00 - 70:00: Considering the Novel as Satire In the chapter titled 'Considering the Novel as Satire', the narrator shares an experience on a bus journey. Despite earlier difficulties, the narrator feels optimistic, reflecting on a hug from a young woman and their intimate memory with someone named Jolene. Their interactions on the bus are marked by confrontational humor, as seen when the driver demands the narrator to get off the bus and they respond with a smirk and a humorous comment about self-pleasure before exiting. This exemplifies the novel's satirical tone, critiquing societal norms and personal interactions.
70:00 - 93:00: Audience Questions & Answers In this chapter, the speaker shares their enthusiasm for reading and storytelling, particularly in the context of book events or educational settings. The speaker reflects on their past experiences as a teacher and supply teacher, specifically highlighting the joy of reading to children in primary school classes. They describe storytelling as a performative act, even recounting an instance where they got a scar on their hand while acting out a story, pretending to be a bear. This chapter underscores the pleasure and dynamic quality of reading aloud, connecting with audiences through narrative performance.
93:00 - 97:30: Closing Remarks The chapter focuses on the challenges of engaging children as an audience, particularly in the context of public libraries. The speaker emphasizes that children can easily discern when there is a lack of genuine enthusiasm or feeling from the reader. The discussion implies that capturing the interest of children requires authenticity and energy, and this is exemplified by the particular feel and vibe of the book being discussed, which carries a driven narrative.

Priya Guns: Your Driver Is Waiting w/ Kristen Arnett Transcription

00:00 - 00:30 all right so I think we can go ahead and get into this as more folks start rolling in um yeah thank you all so much for tuning in tonight I hope you're all doing well out there in the zoom void um my name is Amali and I'm the events director for bookstore Magic so before we head into tonight's event I would just like to let everyone know that closed captions are available for
00:30 - 01:00 this evening's conversation they might be on automatically but in case they're not you should see a cc button on your Zoom controls either at the bottom control bar or by clicking more if you're on mobile or tablet to turn them on all right so tonight I'm very excited to introduce Priya guns and Kristen Arnett who join us tonight to celebrate the launch of priyo's Debut novel your driver is waiting your driver is waiting follows Domani a queer Tamil woman trying to make ends
01:00 - 01:30 meet as a driver for Rideshare a service similar to Uber she falls for one of her passengers a wealthy white woman named Jolene and in the inevitable chaos that follows lies a fantastic Darkly humorous story of love and loneliness class divisions and performative allyship and so much more as Kristen brilliantly puts it this is a quote perfect gut punch of a novel Priya guns is an actor and writer
01:30 - 02:00 previously published in short story anthologies galdem spring magazine and anonymously in the guardian she is a creative writing graduate from Kingston University and of course as I mentioned earlier Kristen Arnett joins us in conversation tonight Kristen is the queer author of with teeth and the New York Times best-selling debut novel mostly dead things which were both finalists for the Lambda literary award in fiction her work has appeared in the New York Times
02:00 - 02:30 the cut Oprah Magazine Guernica mcsweeney's the guardian and elsewhere now just a few more quick housekeeping notes before you get started first there will be time for Priya to take a few of your questions at the end of tonight's event so if you have questions at any point during the conversation please use the Q a button on your Zoom controls to submit them if you post anything on social media for tonight's event please feel free to tag us we are at Bookstar magicbk and we'd love to stay in touch finally if you enjoyed tonight's event
02:30 - 03:00 we'd love if you could support these wonderful authors by purchasing their books my colleague Asia I believe will be putting a link where you can buy books in the chat and just know we very much appreciate your purchase if you choose to make one all right that's it from from me please join me in the chat congratulate Priya while she starts us off with a quick reading thank you everyone for being here I'm going to start by reading uh chapter one
03:00 - 03:30 if you're going to be a driver you'd better hide at least one weapon in your car especially if you're a driver that looks like me not because I'm dashing or handsome but because I am a woman of course I think it has something to do with tits even though not all of us have them I sort of do but that's beside the point I've been driving for Rideshare using upper's old car whose make I Will Not disclose I had a switchblade in the glove compartment which I normally kept
03:30 - 04:00 in my back pocket a tire iron under my seat pepper spray by my door and a pair of scissors under the mat by the petals taped down to avoid any sliding in the trunk there were six bottles of water a bucket a bottle of bleached some rope a baseball bat a few rolls of paper towels a can of antiperspirant and another spray paint some condoms tampons pads and diapers as humans we have an assortment of bodily fluids and by then
04:00 - 04:30 I tasted about eight of them in the bucket and I didn't like keeping much in it there was a roll of duct tape because duct tape will do just about anything you wanted to I also had some dish cloths a towel a crowbar cleaning product a toothbrush baking soda vinegar and the squeegee buried under some rags in the corner of the trunk because things got messy oh and there was a pair of black rubber gloves too these were difficult to find but I wanted black all the drivers I've ever met say it's
04:30 - 05:00 crucial to drive prepared go ahead and ask one if they tell you there's not even one weapon in their car they're lying as a driver you have to protect yourself out there in the city or on our own I am now going to read a chapter it's chapter 44. I'm not going to give you any contacts uh I had made almost full breakfast before I left home Bombay toast a fried egg and some frozen strawberries I cut and mixed with sugar and chili pepper I
05:00 - 05:30 Screech fresh orange juice for her with my bare hands she didn't have a bite or a sip of anything so I knew come lunchtime she might have more of an attitude I was standing outside my car with a cup of coffee I got for two dollars at doo-wop giving myself a little break before what I hoped would be a ping after ping sort of day what do you mean I can't get on I have an exam this morning you think I care you need to pay the right fare like everyone else a young woman stood on the steps of the bus while other passengers walked in I
05:30 - 06:00 had been her before late for school late for work with not enough money to get on the bus the driver was only doing his job but he clearly cared too much about the wrong rules I walked towards the bus here I handed the girl 20 bucks sorry I thought I gave this all to you already sis what are you sure thank you I put the actual bus fare in the driver's collection box looking into a world I once knew so well I was reminded that in my car I am safe
06:00 - 06:30 I was doing better than I had been even if I wasn't the young woman gave me a hug then gave the driver the finger get off my bus he said to me I leaned towards him smirking it was a sunny morning and I could still taste jolene's lips sometimes it helps to masturbate I said to him before jumping off the Transport company doesn't give a [ __ ] about you
06:30 - 07:00 that's so great um I I love uh first of all I always loved starting with a reading at like a book event but yours you're a delightful Dynamic reader so it's like a genuine pleasure to hear you I used to teach and then I did Supply teaching so I was in a lot of primary school classes and I just love reading to kids yeah and it would be this whole performance I have a scar on my hand from pretending to be a bear seriously that to me I I say all the time because I used to do story time at
07:00 - 07:30 public libraries the hardest audience is absolutely kids like absolutely like they're the hardest to do so you're a beautiful reader that was thank you they know if you're not feeling it they really do um um I think this is like a perfect way to start off too because this is like uh you really get like such a slice of like how this book feels like the the vibe and the energy of this book it's such a very specific like very I mean pun intended like driven kind of narrative
07:30 - 08:00 um I'd love if we could I think a nice way to start off would maybe be um if you wouldn't wouldn't mind talking about um how this originated like how this project started for you what you saw it as like your your immediate process for getting into like what this book would become and what that looked like okay so there's like a really long story that starts like when I was seven I was shorting it down for the sake of I mean from the amount of time we have um so in 2020 I had written by that
08:00 - 08:30 point I had written two manuscripts um two novels and I would I mean I had an agent at the time it just wasn't going anywhere I'd written a novella in like two weeks during the pandemic when you know everything was um everything was starting and we didn't know what was going on um and I guess I was really angry and really hurt that after so many diff so many years of writing I had done a masters in creative writing I felt so desperate like what do I do now
08:30 - 09:00 um there was that I guess it was rage but on top of that I have been upset and angry from being poor from growing up in the circumstances I grew up in um and like so many of us have um so that all kind of was inside of me and then in 2020 of course we're dealing with the pandemic we were dealing with the murder of George Floyd and and more people talking about issues of race and issues of class yeah
09:00 - 09:30 um so I was at a particular Point wondering like what can I do what can we do um and what does that mean for me as an artist as a writer what is my responsibility what is my role I'm pissed off I'm trying to write for me what I had written before when the first manuscript was about Tamil women the second was about migrant workers in Lebanon I felt like I'm trying to do something and nothing's coming of it so part of me was like I want to this is taking a while um I love it yeah I wanted to have fun and
09:30 - 10:00 I'm like maybe I should write a thriller thinking about the Beats of a thriller I wanted to write about Obsession I wanted to write about two women I wanted it to be funny because I wanted to sit on my laptop and instead of just like crying laugh a little yeah um but at the same time I was thinking about how can this be political how can what I have in my mind speak to a moment um and I was thinking particularly about Franz vanons black skin white mask she
10:00 - 10:30 has two chapters one about the woman of color and the white man the another about the man of color and the white woman and I thought okay what would this what would another chapter be from a queer perspective or what would he have written if it was about a woman of color and a white a woman of color and a white woman yeah and thinking about all of this I was like okay how would that look translated through fiction anyways I started querying one of my manuscripts again and I was contacted by my now UK publisher and they were like hey let's have a conversation let's chat
10:30 - 11:00 and we workshopped um we were in a workshop and bouncing ideas off of each other and I had shared um yeah some of my interest in film and my favorite films and whatnot and we got to talking about Taxi Driver yeah and then it was like whoa this makes so much sense right now um and so I thought about Travis Bickel and who Travis Bickel would be today so Travis Bickle is the protagonist of the film taxi driver who would Travis Bickle be today and of course he would not be
11:00 - 11:30 I mean if I were to create a character there's no way that they would be the same there would be parallels but of course there's going to be huge differences yeah so yeah that's how it started yeah I mean I think that that uh isn't it always it's like such a it makes a lot of sense that like so this book came from so many places for you and like different feelings and different like yeah things like Rage or things like um frustration but also like an idea of
11:30 - 12:00 like um I want to make something but what do I want it to look like and what do I want it to cold inside of it like that's always like a book's a big thing that book holds like so much I mean this is a book too um I think I mean you bring up taxi driver I think is like a great kind of segue into like I mean you're also an actor um you're a person trying yeah um but I think that that's like uh right because that's its own creative process too and I think it'd be especially because this ties in with Taxi Driver um and like how they touch each other
12:00 - 12:30 it'd be great to hear like how you feel like acting and that kind of creative process touches this writing creative process because they are really different and disparate but they they touch each other I think also in these like very specific creative ways and it'd be fascinating to hear like how you how you feel like these things have touched each other so before I started actually writing um I was thinking about the character you know like you said there's so many different components that you have to consider before you sit down and write
12:30 - 13:00 um and I took something from my acting training and we were taught Meisner we were taught method and I did not realize I was doing this but I was I looked in the mirror and I started playing with mannerisms I started playing with um you know different styles of behavior I was moving in different ways like I was talking to myself and I realized I mean I was doing the things that domini would do I was dressing more like her I was lifting
13:00 - 13:30 like her I was talking to people like her I was writing emails like her and it wasn't until I finished the book where one of my um editors Bobby they were like yeah so that was some intense method writing going on and I was like oh you think so um but yeah so I mean the parallels and how these two forms of art kind of touch I think when you're writing you're I mean if you're acting as well you're thinking about what a cancer feels what it you might sometimes even give them a
13:30 - 14:00 backstory you know and the writer of a screenplay or even the director might not know these things but you're thinking about their intentions you're thinking about their backstory whereas I mean you're doing the same as a writer but you are writing that down and you know every single detail inside and out I mean I think um they both work from this experience I found that they both work for me in a very beautiful way where I feel like I almost have to pretend to be when dealing with first-person narration
14:00 - 14:30 to be somebody I'm acting like them in order to write like them I don't know if that acts um answers your question no I think that's a great question and it was something I was going to ask you about also because I mean this is such a right because there's first person narrative and then there's like really close first-person narration and this is I think um even when I read um The Arc like the early version of this book I'm like this is such a voiceey book right you really hear this person's voice and they're there and they're so present with you
14:30 - 15:00 and that was like something I wanted to ask you about which was this idea of like you know like writing this in like a very specific like close close third where it's almost like because the dialogue is so great in this book like right like interactions between people there's like giant chunks of dialogue where it's like boom boom boom boom boom and it feels exactly like how people are talking or like what it would be like especially like the these interactions between domini and like her friends like how these kind of like sit together
15:00 - 15:30 um I was like this is like so voicy and it has such and so it's very fascinating to hear that like right like the idea of like if you know coming from like an acting background and like taking it into this like I need to develop a character in this kind of way that I would do that so like having a very voicey first person makes a ton of sense and I love the idea that I like the crossover idea too of being like I make art this way I make art this way how do these Arts kind of like how do these Minds kind of touch each other so I mean have you did you ever consider at all
15:30 - 16:00 like doing any kind of other thing like that's like a weird craft question I guess right like did you consider doing third person or something but you saw it as this all the time huh I did think about third person okay but I feel like when it comes to first person for me um so I am first generation immigrant eldest daughter and you kind of have to put on different faces for different people yeah and so in me and I have a yeah I don't know how to say this I was diagnosed with a personality disorder and I don't know which came first the
16:00 - 16:30 personality disorder or pretending to be different people all at once to please people you know um I'm all fine now but um I feel like for me there are there is a voice there is like this there is I like to think sometimes there are different people inside of me and depending on who I'm with they come out but now through fiction it comes out through a character that I can name but of course it's domini and myself are very separate in that in this in talking
16:30 - 17:00 about voice I I go to a place very deep down of the within the unfiltered cell and then finding out more about the character comes through all these other um ways but did you ask me something else no I think I've seen in the morning I'm struggling no I know bless you because that is like it is uh it is a it is a point of love to be like it's a book launch and so you're like book launch who's book launch
17:00 - 17:30 what's happening um I think a good question asked too because this is maybe another kind of point of practice because some so much of like writing and making work is like part of practice and it is like it's a it's a book about ride share like like uber kind of situational driving um like what was like the process of of research for you I mean maybe that part of that is like I am like a librarian also so I'm also fascinated in the ways that like people and research can be any number of things right like research can
17:30 - 18:00 be like sitting down and doing like a lot of like deep dives into things but it costs to be like practical knowledge like right like what is his actual experience of like being in a car with like a kind of Rideshare driver or something like that um and it is a book that incorporates like this is this is the job that sits inside of this this is like the day-to-day activity of domini like we are watching them like be inside of this profession and so I I was really interested in like if there was some kind of practical purpose research for how you did this or or what how you went
18:00 - 18:30 about like thinking about like this person's like particular like date day job or like um interesting question the research for this novel in that sense um I was doing without realizing I was doing it for a novel so my partner was a cab driver um like more than 10 years ago and he comes from a family of caddies um so every time we're over with the family they're talking about issues of you know what it's like being a cab
18:30 - 19:00 driver um since apps starting coming in how that changes because it's very different um and so every time we get in a car and every time I got into a car the first thing I want to know is what what's it like yeah you know if it was a if it's a yellow cab or yeah if it's a Yellow Cab you know how has Uber changed your circumstances just naturally being interested in that so that's like it was about seven years of doing that actively wow and so that's why you know being in
19:00 - 19:30 the workshop um with my UK publishers um when we were talking about Taxi Driver it was like oh my God yes like I understand parts of this character that I didn't even like I didn't realize that would I would ever use all of that information in this way and also knowing the different issues that drivers go through it just made it like it made sense to me yes like I have something else to add to this conversation um in terms of the very real situations
19:30 - 20:00 that drivers are going through dealing or working for these giant corporations and then how it's like for a yellow cab driver because of a b and c yeah I mean that is that is fascinating too it's like I guess it's like when we're when like making art like so much of it is like we're not like maybe sometimes doing research in this place where we're thinking about doing research it's like uh like the things that interest us um and then after that actually I was all over Reddit like as a little spy yeah and all these different driver
20:00 - 20:30 groups um and then you know when I was in cars while I was writing it was that much more like oh tell me everything I love that because I also think too right because there's a private language that's spoken inside of like whatever kind of community that is so like between like Rideshare drivers or taxi drivers there's like right there's like shared language that's like not something that like people who don't do those things would have access to so kind of like creeping inside of a space like that I think is that I mean right
20:30 - 21:00 because like a shared language is always like really fascinating I love them I like the I like the idea of like how how you would like right like slip into a Reddit forum and see like how or like we should talk about what's going on yeah like bad like uh people that they've driven around or something like yeah after I finish writing the novel I decided um to volunteer for a driver's Union um and that was an interesting
21:00 - 21:30 experience in that you know I had done the research I did my whole Reddit thing I finished the novel and then I'm actually you know working with drivers and then hearing what they have to say hearing all these things it was just like oh my God tick tick tick tick tick this is this all feels really good um yeah yeah I love that I love it I mean I think that's like the most like exciting way to think about like how we make work that's like touching on different stuff that we're interested in or that we want
21:30 - 22:00 to know more about is like different ways to ask questions first of all because I think asking questions is how we learn anything exactly yeah it's it's very cool um I another thing I would ask about too I mean this is a book that's also talking about right like protesting and also like group and Community organization and I think it's a book that is very interesting and shows very intensely how like different organizational spaces are actually
22:00 - 22:30 um tackling things that are happening in the world um like right like there's like the way that like like that domini shows up to like jolene's like event that is like obviously the Sperry specifically like very white CIS like uh privileged like strange event where it's like things where it's like we have a water and like 10 cents of this goes to like like school lunches or something versus like what what kind of like Community organization stuff happens at doo-wop which is like a shared community space
22:30 - 23:00 that's like you know not not white um and I'd love I'd love to hear you talk about like your thought processes for writing these kind of spaces because I was like reading it I was like oh my God yeah like there's like so many spaces that are like exactly like this um that we encounter like all the time in spaces all the time all the time um and what it was like writing about those but also like how you your thought process isn't going on to crafting those kinds of things okay so like it even starts in grade school and we're told yes you gotta recycle yeah okay are we
23:00 - 23:30 not talking about the system like systems of capitalism and what has caused the climate crisis um okay let me try to remember your question so I was thinking like I mean like I said I was planning the novel in 2020 and for myself I have gone to protest I have gone to demonstrations and I think it's fair to say that a lot of people who have done so or who have not have thought about why it is they would go or why it is they wouldn't go right and I
23:30 - 24:00 think going to protest and going to demonstrations and whatnot I think there can you can deal you'll be dealing with a flux of emotions in the sense of um does my body matter right now here does my sign matter um you feel hopeful you feel maybe a bit drained and tired and whatnot especially if you're you're from a group or you're feeling the oppression and the marginalization of that particular cause or group that is fighting for something
24:00 - 24:30 yeah for asking for some change um and then of course there are community I mean I I'm in favor of communities coming together Community activism and organization um and I like the idea of reimagining possibilities reimagining what our society could look like and I think in order for us to have the space to do that freely we have to come together within our communities and this is
24:30 - 25:00 outside of just our identity um but people just you know who live around us and whatnot um so I it was important to me to one show the protest what was going on in the city I think it would have been impossible to write about the city and not include the protests I think I mean where there are people there are people who are angry there are people who are upset and there are people who are trying to make a difference um and of course what that means for the
25:00 - 25:30 people who are trying is very different amongst each other um so yeah it was important to include doo-wop because I wanted to show a possibility I wanted to show um what could be what exists right now but I wanted this to look like on a grand scheme if I were to design like the perfect a little little um I don't know a little crumb of society that could look so [ __ ] beautiful what would that look like how would who would be there
25:30 - 26:00 um and so doo-wop had to exist in that sense and I I feel like I like to think that there is a there is a contrast but in these places I hope that people while reading would wonder you know where where am I am I here in this fundraiser am I on the streets and if I'm on the streets what am I asking for what am I doing am I being disruptive am I being [ __ ] annoying or am I just taking loads of selfies selfies and posting it on
26:00 - 26:30 Instagram and feeling like I'm great about myself um if I see a place like doo-wop and do I drive by and say oh my God what are these I don't know hippies and anarchists doing or am I like hey what's going on there that looks great yeah um I really wanted like certain parts of the novel and even certain characters I hoped it would it would be or act as a mirror for people to really think about what it is that they do in their own lives because it's
26:30 - 27:00 really easy to say oh yeah jolene's terrible she's terrible but it's like hey are you telling me you haven't [ __ ] up before you haven't like said the wrong thing or done the wrong thing and it's perfectly fine um but thinking about our own role in our own actions is something I really hope readers um consider yeah I mean you're absolutely right I mean I I mean it is one of those things where it's like uh it was fascinating to read I mean this
27:00 - 27:30 is a book that I will say this too I I know it's like something like people say about books on time like this book was compulsively readable this book is like you feel like you're in a car going fast like I was like there's it I finished it in a day I was like it's like a book that you just consume and you want to consume but it feels like you're in this rapid course and you there's like a lot happening and I was like this feels like a lived experience but it also feels like just like right like how like life functions this like romantic relationship that happens between Jolene
27:30 - 28:00 and domini is like such a I'd love for you to talk about this too because I love the idea of like uh all right because we talk about like queer romance or like how things happen like sometimes very rapidly but like this kind of like flush of like first like eroticism and a in a you know like a meeting of two different people right like when you meet somebody and you know you're gonna [ __ ] you know like that kind of thing that happens but you know it yeah right um that's like it's like a fascinating thing so there's like Jolene is this
28:00 - 28:30 character where yeah like what you're saying it's like I think a reader could come in and like possibly be like well it's really easy to hate Jolene but it's like there's also these moments that sit inside of there where it's like it's also easy to see like the eroticism that sits between these two characters or how they like found each other and immediately had like a heat or magnetism um which I guess leads me into like a question I'm always interested in about which not just sex but also bodies and this is a book that's so physically bodied like not even just the sex portions which are Super wonderful like
28:30 - 29:00 you're such a great sex writer it's like very good of this book um like such good I'm a virgin [Laughter] it makes it even more like amazing I think it's been gifted this Talent of writing but uh it's also of these like transformation of the body right like this is a book about power and like how to like take power for the self um and some of I think the most kind of erotic stuff but also like empowering
29:00 - 29:30 stuff or like having to do with power is domini being like bulking up like right like a uh the idea of like I'm going to like transform myself into this kind of person where it's like I can't be [ __ ] with or you it will be harder for you to [ __ ] with me um and I'd love if you would to talk about like the body stuff that's inside of this book because it's very Boise first person but it's also extremely bodied like it sits there like you like this like the like working out or like what I'm gonna do or like how I'm gonna
29:30 - 30:00 transform myself and also like the sex I was like so fascinated by it it's like so well done thank you okay so thinking about the body um this kind of goes back to what I was saying previously about you know considering protests and wondering if you should go what can my one body like what is the impact of my oneself um for domini she's at a point of her life where I mean [ __ ] has happened she's near Rock Bottom and in order for
30:00 - 30:30 her to gain some kind of control or feel um like she has some power it was through weightlifting because of something and I don't want to give spoilers away but something that happened and in order for her to feel like she doesn't need to call somebody to her house to help her in a situation but she could deal with it herself um was kind of what got her into it but I think this idea of strength and strength training well so I started lifting weights about I don't know five years ago and feeling that for myself
30:30 - 31:00 and what that did for my mental health yeah I'm dealing with depression and anxiety um it was I don't like the word empowering but it was and also being a woman or being honestly being a person and walking down the street sometimes it's for me personally at least it feels good to feel strong and I don't mean that just in the physical yeah for Dominique to appear to
31:00 - 31:30 be strong really matter to her because people were coming into her car and so I thought about this you're you're a woman you're driving you're driving late at night you want to look intimidating yeah you know you want I mean this is I mean for me I grew up in a place called Scarborough and Scarborough is a great place but in other places I've lived not to do down Scarborough because it's wonderful um you know you're it's late at night you're done work you're walking and it's I don't know how late it is but it's dark and you stand straight
31:30 - 32:00 you know you make well for me I'm making there sometimes you have a walk like you know you're trying to give off something and you can only do this with your your body um and then there's also the idea for me of sexual agency um domini Feeling Again going back to feeling control um being in control of her sexuality yeah um and she's bisexual so for her it's very different how she expresses this when she's with men I don't show it so
32:00 - 32:30 much but there's one instance in particular that I'm thinking about and then how she is with Jolene so instead of getting into like deep emotional conversations you're just like hey what are you wearing like yeah and on going back to the body again yeah no I think that that's so fascinating and it is this is a character who's a bisexual character and that it that does play into like it's stuff it's again like I I think it's smart to be like judicious about you like like I don't want to spoil it for people but it is
32:30 - 33:00 like a a thing where it's like it's very I mean I think about that in in terms a lot of times if like if queerness of like right like moments of being um in a space where it's like I need to present more Butch right now I want to present in a space of of power and and how you do that is so often like how how the body presents right or how your voice is like right like how I'm speaking right now how am I walking like are my shoulders back do I feel tall right now do I feel like I'm in like a space especially like who's with us
33:00 - 33:30 right like are we with other people that like we feel like maybe we need to protect um and I think that that's um maybe a good segue to talk because this is a book that deals a lot with family also um and and many different kinds of ways because it's it's family um inside of this like uh Community right like instead of doo-wop and friendships like years-long friendships of people that are like that are family but also family right like uh like family inside of domini's household also
33:30 - 34:00 like you know like death inside of a family and grief and how they sit together um and family and Community like how this sit together feel like various special and important to this book um and so I'd love it if you could talk about like writing about these different different kinds of community and family um in in your driver is waiting okay um so I have moved around a lot in my life I have people who I'm very close with
34:00 - 34:30 and who I love and adore but when you move around a lot it's hard to there's the love is always there but I am not physically there right um so I thought a lot about you know what I kind of want more of what I have observed and seen that I see others have in terms of their friendships and I think sometimes we can even over romanticize the relationships the friendships we're in
34:30 - 35:00 um sometimes it might be oh yeah we just hang out and you know you only have fun with someone if you're at a pub or you're at a barbecue or party but then it's like what does it look like in terms of how do you care for each other yeah um so that was really important for me to show like how do people care for each other um so that's that and then in terms of going back to you know domini's and only child which is not just like the eldest daughter she's an only child and having
35:00 - 35:30 to care for her mother being first generation immigrant as she is as well the way you care for your parents um I mean you do end up caring for your parents in a lot of ways um because of the nature of the system the nature of you know how difficult it is for people to immigrate or migrate and have to um be in a society where you're learning neither the language or how things operate
35:30 - 36:00 um her parents I mean her mom worked at a cookie factory her dad worked back at the house in a fast food place so she had a lot of responsibility and naturally also I mean I don't get into this this is all just kind of in the subtext right um but yeah showing that I think it also came very naturally because I don't know I think if I were to write something
36:00 - 36:30 different in terms of a character who doesn't care about their family like that would I would have to think about that more yeah I think in a lot of ways this I care about my family that family is very important when yeah I didn't really think about it to be honest I think it just poured out of me yeah yeah well I think that's I think wonderful I mean right like it's like we write the
36:30 - 37:00 things that we know that we're supposed to write toward I mean and obviously that that's what's supposed to be inside of this book also and it because I think it's very I think all these different kinds of emotions obviously sit next to each other like grief sits next to rage sits next to like violence that's next to like humor and I think this book has a lot of humor in it too and I I want I think that there's like plenty of things inside of this book that made me laugh out loud you know like sometimes the humor is
37:00 - 37:30 dark but like how do we have like situations of Despair without having humor and like weird moments of lightness sit inside of that it's like trying to say like right like um like grief doesn't sit in a silo like right we're human beings so all of these messy emotions sit inside of us as a human being and domini is like right like a work in progress messy human being so this stuff sits in there but I the book is deeply funny oh I'm gonna interrupt myself um if anybody wants to ask a question to
37:30 - 38:00 you I have like I get to like keep Priya and hold her hostage for like five more minutes but then I have to ask audience questions so if anybody has a question there's that little q a button down at the bottom so like ask that or else I have a thousand more and I will just occupy her time but uh yeah so poke that little button and ask your question down in there but yes um humor um yeah you're very [ __ ] funny like this is very funny so I'd love you to talk about like how you thought about like humor inside of this because
38:00 - 38:30 there's moments where I was like God that's great like it's like a moments where it's just like laugh loud like right next to stuff that's like super dark um okay one I think when I sat down to write this book was very important to me that it was accessible it was it is important to me that in my work I write novels or whatever it is that I touch is made accessible to those who may not normally have one access or to be drawn or
38:30 - 39:00 engaged in these various forms of art um and I think humor is a wonderful way to bring people together to bring people into you know have a conversation about something that's the one part of my answer the second part is I think from growing up and having a an array of experiences throughout my life like humor is a coping mechanism it's it's sometimes also if you think about what's going on in the world right now like
39:00 - 39:30 it's it's it's so sad it's so unbelievable but and it's [ __ ] funny it's like how is this happening how is this our world right now how how are people taking how are they not taking things seriously and then how are they taking certain like I just don't get it and it's funny it's sad but it's funny and I I like finding that space and sometimes it makes for very awkward moments but I really like that space I
39:30 - 40:00 think the awkward stuff I mean I mean I'm I'm a person who's like how how many ways can we think about this in terms of like what could make it funny right like turning the dial I think about it kind of like uh it's like maybe a wheel and it's like this way is really serious and if you turn it like a little bit a little bit one way then it becomes like very funny if you turn it another way and then it becomes like really dark or horror or something like it sounded a bit more and Twitter's gonna hate you yeah exactly seriously um but I I do think it's thing I I know
40:00 - 40:30 I need to like ask audience questions but I do want to ask like one more question myself before I do audience stuff I have seen some things like um in reviews and interviews with you about this particular project where people ask you about like writing satire um and like how do you feel about caricature like right and I wanted to get like your take on it because I don't know I necessarily read this as a book that was satirical um and I wanted to know how you feel about that
40:30 - 41:00 so I had someone had asked me a question they asked me like you know how did you write a satire what did you think about um and it was funny because I remember the first time um my novel was described as a satire I started laughing I thought it was I was like [ __ ] I wrote a satire like I love satires wow um I didn't think about it as a satire I thought of it as reality like this is what's going on
41:00 - 41:30 um and in terms like it was very important to me that I didn't write my characters as a caricature of a Trope or whatnot in fact I wanted I tried really hard to um subvert tropes and flip them and play with them um but yeah in one way I'm not mad when people say it's a satire I'm kind of like okay that's fine because I do enjoy a great satire and I'm like oh I did that but you know the other side to this is I do think this is very much based on
41:30 - 42:00 real [ __ ] like this is our world today yeah yeah I mean I I guess I think that's I was excited to ask you that question because I was like I I I just it feels like very realistic so I don't think it's an exaggeration yeah um okay so now I know I have to ask you the audience questions so I know we have a few over here so I'm gonna go ahead and pull them up um and our first one we have is please
42:00 - 42:30 ask Priya who her favorite authors are anybody she reads for absurdist humor um I don't think I read anyone in particular I mean in regards to absurdist humor I like just absurdism in general yeah Albert Camus um I've been really drawn to his work but just absurdism in life as an existentialist yeah
42:30 - 43:00 um who are my favorite authors I love Meena kandasami when I read Mina I like I have to put the book down and just write something I'm so inspired and feel compelled to write uh there's an Indonesian writer who has been translated echoconyawan I really enjoy his work too it's very magical it's surreal it's also very funny and dark um who else would I say I feel like the answer to this question it always changes um I haven't been reading as much fiction as I normally I mean reading
43:00 - 43:30 fiction for me I did a lot growing up and then in my teens I stopped especially when I started working when I started working I wasn't reading fiction I was reading self-help philosophy but I I started reading fiction to be honest maybe when I was 27. um but yeah so my favorite fiction authors they change a lot I really do like um
43:30 - 44:00 Herman has um and if you read the novel there's a little um I guess I play a little homage to him but not maybe not in the best way um I like reading I have been reading more Theory and trying to understand Theory I'm really inspired by Humble of Honor Stephen Dunn um James Baldwin for I mean the essays that he's written plus his fiction yeah it's always changing it's always changing I mean I think that's good right
44:00 - 44:30 um it'd be um it would be so boring like re like life and art would be so boring if we like had the same answers all the time for the creative stuff we were engaged in um so I think that's a great answer um this is a good one what parts of Taxi Driver did you seek to build off of and keep and what parts did you seek to redefine or flip inside out and why do a nice question um I really like the beats I liked how we got to know Travis I liked how we slowly saw the unraveling of his mind I liked
44:30 - 45:00 um the pacing um I wanted to flip his character I wanted to um flip I mean it was written at a particular time within our capitalist system so it was more of like a translation um and an inspiration yeah like I would look at I mean I
45:00 - 45:30 watched the film so many times and I would look at images of Travis doing different things and I'm just like oh you know imagine domini doing something similar right um I don't know if this person has read the book but I would like to know later on from readers where they feel there are similarities because there are some similarities but it's also completely different yeah absolutely I absolutely I mean I feel like they're right like it's like there's always there's like parallels or touchstones but it's like very different
45:30 - 46:00 it's like very disparate in terms of what it's trying to do um this is a question that is asking what are you working on now [Music] um Okay so who am I working on right now um I am working on novel number two yeah yeah yeah I'm not gonna say any more on that I was working on a screenplay I put it in the drawer for a bit um I've been drawing a lot of birds
46:00 - 46:30 recently but yeah that's great though I mean I love that was when the question I had so thank you thank you audience member for asking that question because I was interested I mean I love this book so much I think it'd be wonderful to see what you have next coming out um this person is asking will you continue to write thrillers um I don't know if your driver is waiting is a thriller yeah I think that's an interesting take like it's an interesting question about that yeah I'd
46:30 - 47:00 like to think it's thrilling yeah I don't know if it's a thriller but I did think about Thrillers while before writing as I said yeah so maybe that's why this person has asked a great listening um my I'm thinking about my second novel um it is not a thriller but it will definitely be thrilling I think that's a great answer I'm sure that it will be um okay so this question says what
47:00 - 47:30 carries did you what characters did you have fun with when you were adding them to the book and why um so I love Mrs P I love Mrs P so much she was a lot of fun there is without oh I'm gonna give a spoiler away if I say this but there is a character that I added towards the end by accident in relation to Mrs P and it is a complete nod and I pay homage to Travis Bickel the character
47:30 - 48:00 that was really fun because that happened by accident I was like wait a minute first it went one way and then I was like wait a minute and I did the math to see how old Travis Bickel would be um yeah so that was fun it was really difficult to write Jolene um my editors were wonderful in helping me with that as well um Sharif I have fallen and I just love Sharif Stephanie and Tony as well um but Sharif is very special to me and understanding him
48:00 - 48:30 um in many ways I understood a lot of people and understood myself in terms of I mean his politics and whatnot yeah yeah yeah I mean I mean I think it's a book full of like really interesting and fascinating characters wow you're getting like a lot of questions okay that's great um okay so this person is asking do you have recommendations of other books to read for a fan of yearbook um also I have to say the way you arch your eyebrows very impressive [Laughter]
48:30 - 49:00 oh so my eyebrow let me tell you about my eyebrow I used to when I was in the fourth grade I wanted to be a World Wrestling Champion and I wanted to be like The Rock amazing so I would just stare in the mirror and try to do his little eyebrow like do you smell a Little Rock and now I can't stop like it's just just like it has a mind of its own anyways what was their question
49:00 - 49:30 um oh um if somebody's a fan of This Book of yours what would you recommend that they read um my sister the serial killer oh that's a great that's so good all of this could be different oh yeah by San Antonio Matthews which I'm reading right now and I'm really enjoying um what else uh such a fun age yes those are all really great books and I would agree I would agree I would say that they're totally in keeping with like the mood and like the energy your
49:30 - 50:00 book is too so those are and I'm sure that you can get them all from uh our sponsor tonight book at bookstore magic so um okay what advice would you give for new writers um do everything I mean it depends if you're trying to be published I would say and you write every day and you want to be published do everything you can to get a first draft out of you it's going to be garbage it is going to read like
50:00 - 50:30 trash but do it and then take a break and go back to it it's better to have something that you can play with than have nothing at all yeah um and for me what really helped in getting you know a first draft done especially if you are working full-time um it helps to have a schedule like I became very militant with my writing um when I started writing my previous manuscripts I was teaching and it was just like okay bam on this day this is
50:30 - 51:00 how many hours I'm dedicating to this and you know leave the phone put your phone away tell people I am writing I am working on a novel they are gonna laugh at you and think okay this is kind of weird but it makes it I mean you solidify that time because it's very sacred right but then also maybe if you're depending on I don't know sometimes it's good not to tell anybody and just do it yeah I mean I completely agree I completely agree with what you're saying I think I think the hardest thing for a new writer quite
51:00 - 51:30 quite honestly a lot of the time is getting that first draft that first very first draft out because you don't trust yourself and if you read it or you sit with it too long you tell yourself you talk yourself out and you don't want to like talk about it like exactly yeah make it another thing I want to add is I feel like for me I felt this way and I know a lot of other writers do um after you you've written something I think some writers are afraid to share it with a friend or share it with someone one because they think someone's
51:30 - 52:00 going to steal your idea or you know you're I mean you've written something of course that's that's you've poured so much of yourself onto that page and you feel very vulnerable it's normal um but definitely have someone else read it and prepare to hear I mean give it to someone who preferably doesn't know you and you can find groups like on Goodreads and whatnot beta readers um I'm prepared to read things that you're not going to agree with
52:00 - 52:30 um but make it work for you whatever your notes are yeah I think that's great advice too this is very good advice it's a very hopeful for new writers um the beginning of the book reads or at least your oration of it like performance art is there a possibility of another platform for this novel so I'm guessing they're asking like do you see this as a feature do you see this as like a could it be a play could it be in some kind of media different media while I was writing it in my mind it was a movie I thought like I even now I don't
52:30 - 53:00 really call them chapters they are scenes so yeah I have no control over really whether that happens or not but I would like that because I it's just in here it's a film that yeah I mean I I definitely agree I it's all on the table I said it it's very cinematic like when you read this book you're like yes you see it as that so I definitely can see that um okay this person coming from a first generation immigrant family it was great
53:00 - 53:30 reading something where you could hear a similar voice and struggles thanks for giving us something we can relate to with struggles parents and building family around a community thank you just a nice just a nice thing that's that's nice um and then let's see um I know we're running out of time oh this is a nice long question let me just see uh long question more coffee yes
53:30 - 54:00 oh this person is asking if you're going to attend and read at the festival of writers in the fall but also saying congratulations I don't know what that is invite me yeah yeah [Laughter] um and the last question I was saving it for last because I like it so much and they asked it again even because I think it's a great question is what is your driver waiting for oh the first time I've been asking this um okay so my driver we're talking about
54:00 - 54:30 domini is waiting is done waiting my drivers oh the cases that I'm dealing with at this Union are waiting for me to finish writing letters to Uber I think ultimately um I mean extending this outside of just drivers I think it's fair to say that we are all waiting for change um I'd like to think that I mean I know the drivers that I surround myself with and work with are waiting for a revolution are waiting for some real
54:30 - 55:00 [ __ ] answers some justice um a change of the the system entirely I mean let's redistribute some wealth let's redistribute some power and let's change the [ __ ] world if we can one driver at a time one reader at a time one person at a time I think we're all very able if we are willing to reimagine a future that is Unwritten that Works in favor for the majority
55:00 - 55:30 you know and I I mean I sound very optimistic right now I'm gonna close my laptop and be like [ __ ] man like everything is [ __ ] but I think we have to feel we have to come together and have conversations and talk about what it like I mean we know what we're waiting for we're tired we're all tired I think you especially because it's like three in the morning it's like four now five times oh wow this I I think that's a great I actually
55:30 - 56:00 think that's a really great note to end on um thank you so much for letting me be in conversation with you but this beautiful amazing book I'm gonna plug it again I know you guys are too but like you can order it for books or magic they have a link here it's wonderful it's a it's a book that you're definitely not gonna regret reading um I I too think it should be a movie um but uh I I am so appreciative for you letting me be in conversation with you about this so thank you so much thank you for
56:00 - 56:30 letting me share time with you thank you thank you thank you yeah thank you Priya and Kristen for being with us this evening slash very early morning we'll celebrate this fantastic view my co-worker Aisha has just put that link in the chat for where you can buy your drivers waiting I mean these two really said it all it's a fantastic novel so I can't recommend it enough um we're just gonna leave that link up for a couple more seconds so click it
56:30 - 57:00 now before it goes away um and otherwise thank you all so much for spending your evening with us and for asking such wonderful questions Priya I hope once the caffeine wears off you can get a good night's rest um congrats again and just one more thank you to both of you for having this wonderful conversation with us tonight thank you so much and thank you everyone for being here I appreciate it yeah yeah all right have a good one bye