Phoebe Tsang is a poet, librettist, playwright, violinist and fiction writer! Setting Fire to Water (Thistledown, 2022) is her debut short story collection. These stories sway from the real to the surreal and back again, these worlds strung together by vibrant images. Loneliness, alienation, and homesickness are common themes.

You are a professional classical violinist as well as being a writer. I’m really interested to know how you feel your musical training and abilities, your sense of rhythm and song structure, etc. help you with your writing or inform your writing.

My writing life began with poetry; specifically lyric, free verse poetry. For me, poetry became a helpful counterpart to the technical and structural challenges of writing narrative fiction. And aspects like lyricism, rhythm, rhyme, and imagery, are still central to my approach and sensibilities. At the first draft stage of writing, I am led by the sound and feeling of words, above all else.

Speaking of music, do you have any thoughts on structure (and deviations thereof) and how it can either help or hinder creativity? 

I enjoy writing that demonstrates structural complexity or innovative form, as well as more traditional approaches to storytelling. Setting ourselves the challenge of formal constraints can inspire us to new creative heights. Any structure’s helpfulness can be outgrown—then the creativity lies in transcending or adapting our chosen structure into something that will better serve the story moving forward.

I noticed on your website that you teach some writing workshops that involve taking inspiration from the tarot. How do you use tarot to come up with ideas for or to inspire your writing?

I think that artists’ minds naturally gravitate toward the finding of symbols, meaning making, and noticing synchronicities and patterns. There’s a natural overlap with the practice of divination. Since 2018, I’ve taught a writing workshop called “Tarot Tells the Story,” in various formats and iterations. It has been interesting to witness the creative possibilities that the tarot opens up for writers. One aspect I find especially helpful is the idea of aleatory choices—in divination, the cards are usually drawn at random. I have literally cut up a manuscript and shuffled sections around to see what comes up. This practice of surrendering control can be scary in our writing practice, and it’s a great way to allow inspiration to find you.

In the story “Words and Colour,” an Asian Canadian girl is convinced to join a BIPOC writers group. The last line, “How can she put these colours into words on a page that simply say: I am?” This ending was powerful, but in a way that I can’t quite put my finger on. Could you elaborate on the idea you wanted to get across there?

Thank you for sharing your response, which feels apt in many ways – your description of not being able to put your finger on the experience seems to echo the character’s musings. I’d say it’s a perfect denouement for that particular story.

The story, “Visions of Sophia” refers to a “lost childhood” spent practicing an instrument and a main character who can’t remember when she last listened to music for its own sake. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on pursuing the arts—does it ultimately ruin our enjoyment of life and said art?

I’ve made my living as an arts worker for my whole adult life, and I continue to do so because that’s what I love, so I have nothing to compare my experience with. However, I’d say that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to living a creative life. We have to take into consideration other personal values, and how artistic expression measures up against them.

What are you working on now?   

I’m working on a full-length play that reimagines the Greek myth of Iphigenia, who was sacrificed by her father, Agamemnon, leader of the Greek army during the Trojan War. The setting for my play is a naval base, and I recently had the opportunity to visit CFB Esquimalt for research purposes. I love how the writing process can literally transport you to worlds you might otherwise never have had the opportunity to experience.

What would be your #1 piece of advice about the business side of writing (agents, publishers, publicity, etc.) to an emerging author?

In recent years, the industry has been changing so rapidly that there are more outlets for getting your work out there than ever before. The key is to pick the approach that resonates with your personal values, the readers you want to reach, and the kinds of books and authors you are drawn to. One piece of advice that I think still holds true is to find a way to engage authentically with social media, and to see it as a way to grow a community of likeminded readers and writers, rather than as a promotional tool. And to bear in mind that there’s no direct correlation between social media and writerly success—except perhaps when it comes to BookTok!

One thing I ask authors to do is to provide me with a song list – either songs that are inspired by your book, or maybe songs that you listened to while writing the book.

Music is present in many of the stories in “Setting Fire to Water,” and in some cases, specific songs are integral to the narrative. I often use music to provide insight into character, as well as ambience. For example, the story “Visions of Sophia” – which is named for Bob Dylan’s “Visions of Johanna” – is filled with references to songs by Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel. But unless I am writing about a particular song, I don’t listen to music while writing, because it would distract me from the rhythm and cadence of the words.  

Phoebe Tsang is a Hong Kong-born Chinese, British, and Canadian poet, author, librettist, and playwright. She is the author of the short story collection Setting Fire to Water (Thistledown Press, 2022), and the poetry collection Contents of a Mermaid’s Purse (Tightrope Books, 2009). She is currently working on “Death of a Father,” a full-length play co-commissioned by Nightwood Theatre and Necessary Angel Theatre Co. Her libretti have been commissioned and premiered by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Sinfonietta, Continuum Contemporary Music, Tapestry Opera, and Hamilton Philharmonic. Phoebe is a professional violinist whose performance practice embraces interdisciplinary dialogues. Her original music, including the avant garde album “Button Music,” can be found on Off record label (Belgium).