Today we’d like to introduce you to Marissa Sumiré.
Marissa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am a writer, editor, and teacher in Los Angeles. I live in East LA but I commute all over the place. I started writing stories when I was nine years old. Even before I wrote stories, I made them up in my head. I’ve always been creating grand narratives in my head, and sometimes this serves my mental health and other times it doesn’t.
My life story began in Japan. My mother is half Japanese and half Chilean, and my Dad is American. At the time of my birth, my parents both lived in Tokyo. I have no memories of my time in Japan because we moved back to Arizona (my Dad’s home state) when I was two years old. However, the multi-cultural background of my family has played a huge part in my own identity formation throughout the years, and also in my writing. At the same time, being raised in a somewhat rural area of Arizona, I have also been shaped by the natural world, specifically the high deserts.
In 2018, I got my MFA in Creative Writing from Cal State Long Beach. While there, I wrote a collection of interconnected short stories that are loosely based on my upbringing. Some of the stories take place in Arizona and some in Los Angeles. The themes of the stories include relationships, identity, sex, love, and religion. I write fiction, but the themes of my writing tend to correspond to what I’m thinking about or feeling. My writing voice is also connected to my identity as someone who never fit into a mold, who balanced several identities.
I was always torn between the two worlds of my parents. I grew up in my Dad’s hometown among a white, middle class, evangelical Christian community. Yet, I saw this world from the eyes of my mother who had immigrated to the U.S. as an adult. I always felt fascinated by other peoples and ideas about life. I never felt like I fit in any specific culture or group of people. I still feel that way. That’s part of the reason why I moved to Los Angeles to attend college, and I’ve been here ever since. I still miss the Arizona sky and the mountains, but I love the creativity and possibility of LA. My soul needs to be fed by art, food, interesting people, and nature. LA provides most of that.
As of now, I am in school (again) to become a high school English teacher. I hope to be able to inspire students to enjoy writing by allowing for creativity and expression in my classes.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Since graduating with my MFA, I have been in a creative drought. I have written a few stories and poems, but I feel directionless and I’ve also been very busy. It’s been hard to schedule time to invest in my own creative work. I have to be honest about that because I think all artists go through dry spells.
At the same time, I have been going through a paradigm shift in my belief system, and I also started experiencing severe anxiety. You would think this would help me write more, but in reality, I think I have been avoiding getting really deep and vulnerable with myself. I have to open up to myself in order to write anything. I see this all as part of a process. I know this won’t last forever, but it’s been hard finding inspiration and motivation to keep writing. My own personal growth and change is and always has been connected to what I create.
While my writing has been slow, I have been cultivating in other ways. I recently planted an herb and tomato garden. This has been such a refreshing process. I get so excited when I see the little flowers turn into green tomatoes. I am also practicing yoga regularly and working on strengthening myself mentally and physically.
So, I try not to feel guilty. Life is not a race. There is no destination. It’s about the process. It sounds cliche, but I really believe that. I am a writer, and that’s how I exist in the world. I’m not too worried about my lack of inspiration right now.
Wonder Words Writing and Editing – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Okay, so I have an editing and freelance writing business called Wonder Words that I just officially launched in May 2019. I have been editing for newspapers and literary journals for years. One journal I edit for is Indicia Lit (look us up!). But this year, I finally got the chance to edit a novel for the first time. I had so much fun with this. My client was a first-time novelist, so we both got to discover the process together. He wrote a beautiful story about his life, and I got to play a part in developing and sharpening that story. It was an honor. I was very proud of the editing work I did on his manuscript. We are still working together on his next draft.
At this point, my business is in the seedling stages. I am still learning and gaining experience. I am talking to other editors I know, developing my website, and looking for clients. My target clientele is self-publishing novelists who want another writer to give honest feedback. I edit at all stages from development to copy.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I am a planner. I love plans. For my education career, I plan to teach for the next ten years or so in order to get public service student loan forgiveness. Writing is my passion, but I love teaching too. I had to find a practical profession to pay my bills. I also had to find a way to deal with my burden of educational debt.
My plans for writing is to transfer my short story collection into a YA novel (or perhaps a series of novels) centered around the female protagonist’s life. I want to write stories that relate specifically to teenage girls, many of whom grew up in religious households who feel constrained or depressed by the often patriarchal messages of the church. I want to be open about female sexuality and relationships. One question I constantly struggle with is how to have intimate relationships (both platonic and otherwise) without losing myself? I tend to build walls. It’s hard for me to get close to people. At the same time, I am very needy. I have a hard time finding self-worth outside of my relationships. I have found this is a common struggle, and it often manifests in people during the teenage years. This is a theme worth writing about.
In addition to writing, I want to expand my editing business by gaining more experience. At the moment, I am looking for clients and mentors in the business.
Contact Info:
- Website: wonderwordswe.com
- Phone: 6266202930
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @marissasumire
- Twitter: @marissa_sumire
- Other: @wonderwordswe
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