Comments for Words are my business

Comment on Writing From the Useless Branch by c. prismon-reed

c. prismon-reed — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:11:15 +0000

Thanks! –
I have been trying to get info thru Lisa See but she is out of the loop now.

What will be the best way to share ideas?

I have a whole string with LS – I suppose I could download it to .doc and email an attachment. Not sure if this blog system takes them.

Perhaps you have a gmail acct I can use…

Would love to see a written copy of the paper when it’s done (or maybe you can find a State-side venue in LA (UCLA or USC Asian Studies perhaps).
//cpr//carol

Comment on About by Cathy Silber

Cathy Silber — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 11:25:11 +0000

Constance, thanks so much for writing–and the encouragement to finish the book. Chapter One, posted here, contains an explanation of why it wouldn’t make much sense for you to learn to write nushu to record your thoughts and feelings for your daughter. Nushu is a script to write the language spoken in that area of southwestern Hunan–so to write it to express yourself, you’d first need to express yourself in that spoken language, which your daughter would also have to learn. And she’d have to learn the script too. What is important is your desire to record your thoughts and feelings for your daughter. And for this you already have the perfect script–both you and she already know it (or she will, if she is very young now): English. Hope this helps–Cathy

Comment on Writing From the Useless Branch by Cathy Silber

Cathy Silber — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 11:19:49 +0000

C–thank you so much for reaching out, and I’m sorry I didn’t reply sooner. I too am new to this blog thing, and am crazy busy, with, among other things, preparing a new paper about the script to present at a conference in Taiwan in late October. I would be delighted to hear your thoughts, but can’t promise a speedy response! best regards, Cathy

Comment on Writing From the Useless Branch by C. Prismon-Reed

C. Prismon-Reed — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 14:41:04 +0000

Cathy – If you have tried to get word back to me, I am sorry I did not get it. I thought the last post would give you my email to use, but I am not really familiar with how these things work; my bad. Hope to hear from you through this one. //c

Comment on About by constance jones

constance jones — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 16:50:55 +0000

Please let me know how I can learn to write nushu myself as I wish to record my thoughts and feelings to my daughter. And also, please finish your book!

Comment on Writing From the Useless Branch by C. Prismon-Reed

C. Prismon-Reed — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 19:25:13 +0000

Cathy –

Thank you for your follow up on this topic.
I have not yet had time to read your chapters here, but have read your contribution in Engendering China – Gilmartin et al/1994, which only whet my appetite for more information.

I have also read See (Snow Flower) and WW Chiang, and a few online articles.

Based on this research, I am eager to see your full work and would be happy to be a reading resource for you. I have my Masters in English (linguistics), am a poet with some exposure now to Chinese and Korean classical poetry, and a beginning calligrapher and bush-painting (Chinese kai-shu (hanzi) and Korean hangul). So my interest in nushu is from the tri-fold matrix of linguistics, poetry forms, and the act of actually writing in this script.

Consequently, the visual presentations of actual compositions and the embroideries are of major interest – not just a translation into standard Chinese or English. (I have put my hand to do some translation into English, as Ezra Pound and others of the poetic mind have done before; but being able to share the mind of the women writers through writing as they did has a special appeal.)

Of course I would be happy to establish an ongoing conversation if your time permits.