By Sarah Bigelow
Storytelling comes naturally for novelist Diana Abu-Jaber. As a child, she was held rapt by the stories her father and his siblings told around the dinner table. The adults wove tales of their own childhoods, always casting themselves as epic heroes.
UP students got a taste of Abu-Jaber's craft on Tuesday night when she read two excerpts from her latest novel, "Origin." Abu-Jaber is the author of two other novels and a memoir. She appeared on campus as a part of Schoenfeldt Writers Series.
"Growing up in a family of storytellers was so important for me," Abu-Jaber said. "Even though no one took it seriously as a career, they took (storytelling itself) seriously."
As they told their stories, the adults always seemed to have one goal in mind: keep the children at the table. This goal has become a metaphor for Abu-Jaber in her own writing.
Abu-Jaber is known for her delicate and heartfelt prose, as well as the way she presents Arab characters. For her first two novels and her memoir, she drew on her own Arab heritage - her father is a Jordanian immigrant. Abu-Jaber derived a number of her characters and situations from real life.
"Characters tend to begin within a certain amount of familiarity," she said. However, she added that her characters also develop a life of their own once she begins working on a novel.
Though she keeps her heritage and those early dinner table lessons close to heart, Abu-Jaber departed from her themes of Arab-American families in "Origin." She recalls waking one morning to hear the voice of her main character speaking to her. The story she heard was so compelling that Abu-Jaber set to work immediately. The resulting novel was unlike anything else she's ever written.
Like her previous novels, family and identity are strong themes in "Origin." However, Abu-Jaber also set out to write a thriller and her protagonist, Lena Dawson, is not Arab.
Reader response to this new style has been mixed. Some bookstores have refused to stock the book and readers have accused Abu-Jaber of abandoning her culture. Others have found the change refreshing. Abu-Jaber, meanwhile, sees these reactions as proof of her professional mantra:
"You're always already in trouble," she said, laughing.
Senior Anne Richards considers the controversy over "Origin" to be ridiculous.
"She's following her heart and what right do we have to say who can write?" Richards said. "We seem to not like change as a reader society. We shouldn't be so stuck on what someone should write."
Abu-Jaber spent Tuesday visiting various English classes on campus, discussing her novels and sharing her insights about writing. A creative writing teacher at Portland State University herself, Abu-Jaber described the challenges she had in developing writing habits that fit her personality.
"I write while I'm driving," she said. "Yes. That's me."
For Abu-Jaber, writing is a deeply personal process; what works for one author doesn't necessarily work for another. As a teacher, she feels it is her role to introduce methods of writing to her students. But these methods are not set in stone. Instead, Abu-Jaber sees them as a jumping-off point for aspiring writers.
"There are different ways to be an author and they're all valuable," she said.
Richards appreciated Abu-Jaber's unique take on writing.
"She's more for how it works for you and recognizing the individual," Richards said. "She's not out there campaigning for one standard way. She's more open to how people think."
For more information on Abu-Jaber and her work, visit her Web site, www.dianaabujaber.com.
