Skip to main content

Author Interview: Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore

This was originally posted at Into the Wardrobe on May 29, 2009.

I am BURSTING with a lot of pride again today. Today I am chatting with Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore, author of the picture book Cora Cooks Pancit (illustrated by Kristi Valiant and published by Shen's Books this year). :D




Hi, Dorina! Welcome! Can you please tell us about your Asian American heritage?

I am a second generation Filipino-Italian American. My grandparents on my dad’s side emigrated from the Philippines to Hawaii. My grandpa, Frank Lazo, emigrated when he was a teenager to Hawaii where he later met his bride, Cora Taclindo. As I was growing up my grandparents and my dad were my link to my Asian heritage. My grandparents were instrumental in helping many other family members immigrate to the United States from the Philippines. They adopted the Hawaiian spirit of aloha and embraced people of all cultures. They celebrated both Filipino and Hawaiian culture through food, music and dance, passing this heritage on to the next generations.

What motivates you to write books for children?

I have wanted to write books for children since I was a child. Today, I am motivated by the idea that children need to see themselves in books. I grew up in a multicultural family and I believe there is a need for today’s young reader to have more exposure to multicultural stories and books with multi-ethnic protagonists. I also write books because I love my own children and desire to create stories they can treasure in the future.

What inspired you to write Cora Cooks Pancit? Why did you choose pancit over all the other yummy Filipino dishes?

I love to cook and consider myself an (amateur) multicultural chef. I originally set out to write a cookbook about traditional foods made in different cultures. I interviewed many people and families in my community. One woman I interviewed in Fresno was Rebecca Torosian. She is a Filipina married to an Armenian and she and her husband own Tory Farms. Rebecca told me some of her family’s heritage and about her father being a cook for the Filipino farmworkers. I used pieces of Rebecca’s story and fused it with my own experience growing up in the kitchen with my grandma Cora. Grandma’s specialties were pancit, chicken adobo, tanghon and lumpia. I chose to write a book about pancit because I knew it was a dish made all over the Philippines. The noodles give it universal appeal. My grandma is gone now and it was important to me to preserve the family recipe and the memory of cooking with Grandma Cora.

Cora Cooks Pancit is a lot about a mother-daughter relationship. What is your strongest or favorite memory in the kitchen with your mother? What is your strongest or favorite memory in the kitchen with your children?

My mother is a fabulous cook. She is 100% Italian and I think of her as a food artist because her creative juices really flow in the kitchen. I literally grew up in the kitchen doing the “kids jobs” mentioned in my book like drawing in the flour and licking the spoons and learning the “grown-up jobs” like chopping, stirring and sautĆ©ing. My girls are 3 years old and 3 months old and they are growing up in the kitchen with me too. My creative muse is food and it often inspires my writing. One of my favorite memories with my daughter, Meilani, is making homemade pizza. We mix the dough, roll it out and decorate it with our homemade sauce and favorite toppings. Meilani is already doing the “grown-up jobs.”

What are the challenges and rewards of being an Asian American children's book writer?

So far the challenges of being an Asian American children’s book writer are really the challenges any writer experiences. I struggle with finding time to write and staying focused, especially since I have young children. The children’s book market is very competitive right now, which means another challenge is constantly researching the market, honing my craft and sending manuscripts out to publishers when so many are competing for the same spots. I’ve never been labeled an Asian American children’s book writer before because my heritage is multi-ethnic. I feel honored to be considered one. My greatest reward is sharing stories about my Asian heritage with children and watching them connect and identify with my experience. I love watching children’s eyes light up at the illustrations in this latest book and hearing them say, “I love pancit” or “My grandma makes pancit.”

Do you celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month? How are you celebrating it this year?

I am celebrating this year by sharing my book “Cora Cooks Pancit” with friends and family. The book provides an opportunity to talk about Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. I’m also making an extra effort to share books by Asian authors with my daughters. We also take every opportunity in my family to celebrate with food so we will be making lots of Asian food this month!

What kind of young reader were you? What were your favorite books? Who were your favorite authors?

I was a voracious reader. I was content to read, read and read some more. I read everything I could get my hands on. My mom was a teacher and she always made sure to supply me with good books. I wasn’t much into fantasy but I loved the Chronicles of Narnia series. My mom started reading it aloud to me when I was four and it opened such a world of imagination. She also recited poetry to me before bed and this was the beginning of words and rhymes dancing in my head. Needless to say, the words have never stopped dancing!

My favorite authors included Toni Morrison, Julia Alvarez, Robert Frost, C.S. Lewis, Amy Tan, Madeline L’Engle, Louisa May Alcott, Langston Hughes, and many more.

What are your favorite Asian or Asian American children's books?

Some of my favorites include:

“Dumpling Soup” by Jama Kim Rattigan

“Baseball Saved Us” by Ken Mochizuki

“Hula Lullaby” by Erin Eitter Kono

“Lakas and the Manilatown Fish” by Anthony D. Robles

“Kimchi and Calamari” by Rose Kent

“Dragonwings” by Laurance Yep

What children's books are you reading now?

My daughter and I go to the library weekly and we are always reading new books. We just checked out “El Barrio” by Debbi Chocolate, “Nuestra California” by Pam Munoz Ryan, and “Math Attack” by Joan Horton. I’m reading “Stella Stands Alone” by Alexandria LaFaye. I love middle grade and young adult fiction – anything by Gary Schmidt or Han Nolan.

What are you working on now?

I am working on another picture book about a Filipino child learning to dance the traditional dance called the “tinikling.” I’m also trying my hand at a young adult novel about a multiracial girl growing up in a pizzeria in Chicago.

Tinikling!!! I used to dance tinikling. It's my absolute favorite Filipino dance. :D I can't wait to read that picture book. And I know I'll have fun reading a young adult novel about a multiracial girl growing up in a pizzeria.

I wish you all the best, Dorina! Thank you very much for joining the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month celebration here at Into the Wardrobe.

Readers, click here to read Dorina's blog. Click here to read Jama Kim Rattigan's review of Cora Cooks Pancit and interview with illustrator Kristi Valiant!


P.S. I had pancit today! LOL.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ako'y Isang Mabuting Pilipino (I Am A Good Filipino) by Noel Cabangon and Jomike Tejido

This one is a real crowd pleaser: Ako'y Isang Mabuting Pilipino , Lampara Books ' 2012 picture book adaptation of Noel Cabangon 's song, with Cabangon's original Filipino lyrics, functional English translations by Becky Bravo , and illustrations by Jomike Tejido ! Cabangon's inspiring lyrics remind children of the ways they can be good Filipinos, such as doing their best in school and obeying their parents. There are plenty of reminders for adults too, such as following traffic rules and not selling their votes during elections. Tejido's illustrations are warm and wholesome, acrylic paintings on hand-woven mats that depict different ways to be good citizens.    You just can't go wrong with Ako'y Isang Mabuting Pilipino ! Children and adults will understand and appreciate the lyrics and paintings. The chords of the song are provided, so music lovers can play and sing along. There are notes and guide questions for educators. There is even

Author Interview: Edna Cabcabin Moran

This was originally posted at Into the Wardrobe on May 28, 2009. Today, I am SO PROUD to present my interview with Filipino American author illustrator Edna Cabcabin Moran . *bursts with pride* Welcome, Edna!! Author/Illustrator, Edna Cabcabin Moran. Photo by Mark Moran. Can you tell us a bit about your Asian American heritage? My parents are from Eastern Samar, Philippines, an historic island in the Visayan island chain. My father was a U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer who brought my mom and older siblings to this country. I am the first American-born child in the family. Growing up, I always felt like I straddled two cultures. I'm very American in the way I dress, speak and carry myself. I don't know Tagalog and I lost touch with my parent's dialect, Waray Waray. However, I have strong cultural roots and have retained much of my Filipino-ness which includes a deep, abiding respect for the elders and their stories. Perhaps the family meal is a good indicator of how one is ra

Bugtong Bugtong 2: More Filipino Riddles by Daniel Palma Tayona

Bugtong Bugtong 2: More Filipino Riddles By Daniel Palma Tayona Tahanan Books, 2013 A tribute to Rene O. Villanueva's 1998 classic book Bugtong, Bugtong Riddle: Sariling-sarili mo na, ginagamit pa ng iba. Answer: Pangalan ! This illustrated collection of 57 Filipino riddles is fun for everyone. I can definitely see a parent or child reading aloud from this book, trying to stump the rest of the family. I can see bored teens reading these riddles to each other too! I read some of the riddles to my teen students and some to my adult friends and there's just something so satisfying about seeing one triumphant face shout out the correct answer from among a group of confused faces. I can also see a child poring over this book by his or herself. Everything about Bugtong Bugtong 2 's book design is kid friendly: Everything from the type size and face to the book's size and the thickness of the paper make the book very inviting and easy to read. The ink and gouache