Picture a literary event downtown on a Wednesday night where a group of writers and scholars gather to hear a book
being read.
Did you shudder?
OK, no. This was good fun.
In fact, it was a rollicking, sold-out, windows-
shaking-with-applause acoustic set from literary rock star R. Zamora Linmark in celebration of the 20th anniversary of his book “Rolling the R’s.”
Linmark, who was born in Manila and grew up in Kalihi, wrote the coming-of-age-with-a-local-aesthetic novel that broke the mold for these kinds of stories and found success far beyond Hawaii’s appreciative but small audience. It has been described as “tour-de-force experiments in narrative structure, pidgin, and perspective … throwing new light on gay identity and the trauma of assimilation.”
The book is now taught in universities across the country. It was adapted for the stage at San Francisco’s Magic Theatre and New York’s Ma-Yi Theatre. Linmark has traveled and lectured as a distinguished professor in creative writing and received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Fullbright Foundation.
The anniversary celebration, held at Kumu Kahua Theatre, brought back some of the original cast members of the 2008 stage adaptation of the book. The characters are powerhouses on the page — the exorcist lady of Kam Shopping Center, Invisible Edgar who sends long-distance dedications to Casey Kasem, Katherine-Katrina-Trina, who knows her mother is having an affair with her teacher’s husband — to see them come to life onstage is astounding.
“Rolling the R’s” is packed with vibrant characters and extravagant prose but is haunted by loneliness. Writing can be that way, too — a solitary, inward-gazing pursuit — but this celebration was as much a mahalo for the community that supported the author as appreciation for the brilliant work he produced.
The evening was introduced by best-selling author and poet Lois-Ann Yamanaka, who first met Linmark in college when a friend brought him to their writing group.
“In that group we formed a friendship that would last over many years,” Yamanaka said. “And from that little group of writers and friends came many books that we never dreamed would happen.”
The owner of the Waikiki cafe where Linmark wrote the novel came to celebrate its amazing 20 years in print. “I remember he would come every day and write, write, write and drink coffee and smoke,” Natalie Aczon said. On rainy days he’d call the cafe and say, “It’s raining. Come pick me up.”
At the event Linmark also read a new poem, “You Not Tired Write About Us Yet?” which addresses an unnamed academic who makes a career of being outraged on behalf of an ethnic group of which he is not a member. Ever been in a situation where someone is finally saying something you wish you had the guts to say and everyone in the room is bouncing in their seats with the sheer audacity and screaming truth of it all? It felt like that, like people might swoon.
Linmark lives in Manila now, where he is working on a new play and a sequel to “Rolling the R’s.” His first novel for young adults, “These Books Belong to Ken Z,” will be published by Random House next year. “Rolling the R’s,” published by Kaya Press, has been released in a special 20th-anniversary edition.
Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.
