Just under twenty questions for Seattle author Keith Egawa

by Stephanie Peirce

Do you remember the first story you ever read or had read to you?

Where the Wild Things Are

What was the first thing you ever wrote?

Well, not including things assigned in early grade school, the first attempt at writing was a fantasy J.R.R. Tolkien copy about Gnomes and stuff.  I had read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and thought it was the greatest thing in the world. I was in the fifth grade and managed to write about forty pages.

What inspired you to write your novel Madchild Running?

I was already well into the first attempt at a novel (not including The Hobbit rip-off as a ten-year-old) when I started a job as a caseworker for dependent American Indian kids. Early on I wrote a short story, based on an experience with one of the kids and his/her badly messed-up family, and that was it.  I started writing loosely connected short pieces and soon the novel idea materialized.  I tossed the first novel, called Dog Pack into a drawer (190 single-spaced typed pages) and never brought it out again.   The inspiration was a natural fit, as much of what I witnessed and was exposed to through work, was similar to experiences with my own relations, reservation and history. I already had strong feelings about the “Native American experience,” and was drawn to the subject matter.

As I began reading Madchild Running I felt as if it was really a memoir as opposed to a novel. Am I in any way correct? How did the story you wanted to tell take the shape of a novel?

Yes, there is a lot of truth in the story.  Actually for many people the story is true. Some of the characters are inspired by real people and some are composites of relatives and people I know, or have known, with a dose of fiction mixed in.  Many of the feelings and sentiments of the narrator are mine, as are some of the experiences.  It was very natural to synthesize feelings and pull information from direct experience as opposed to having to research. It is a “story” however, so it couldn’t be called a memoir by definition.

How did you choose the name Levi for the main character?

I have a couple of relatives with that name, living and dead, and didn’t put much thought into the choice.  There are a lot of names that seem to occur frequently in Indian Country that I identify with Indians when I hear them.  And that’s one of them, as are many of the names in the book.

Did you have a favorite character in the book?

Nicki, of course

I don’t want to expose the ending for those who have not read it, but did you experiment with any alternate endings?

Nope.  When I write, one of the first things I usually realize is the ending. I wrote the ending long before finishing the book.

I have always loved the expressiveness of “enit” and “aayee.” Can you talk about the origins of these words?

I can only talk about them in the present tense, I suppose.  I can only guess the origins.  Enit of course is like saying “isn’t it?” or “right?” or “don’t you think?”  Some folks mix it up a little and say “ain’t it” also. At least at Lummi they do.  It’s almost a little bit like the Canadian “eh.”  I’ve also noticed that the Brit’s say “enit”.  Maybe it dates back to first learning English and it’s an idiom that stuck.   “Aayee” is also interchangeable with “ayzzz” which follows something that you think is funny. Especially following sexual references, which are referred to a lot, Ayyyeeee! Some Indians say Jokes instead of aye – a little bit less enthusiastic version of the same.

Do you know the Lummi language? If so, in what ways is it different than English?

No, I don’t.  The language has been documented in writing and on tape, so it’s been preserved I guess you could say, but VERY few people speak it.  I would be surprised if there were more then five or so truly fluent speakers of Lummi language.

Please tell us about your association with Antioch and your position as community engagement specialist with the Early College Initiative for Native Youth.

I do the community engagement work for the EC Initiative for Native youth.  It’s a national initiative, integrating AA degree requirements into high school, and it is a real revolution in educational reform.  However, Antioch University Seattle is the only component of the project working in Indian Country.  At the foundation of our mission is the removal of barriers that have existed between school and Native communities, due to historical injustices and abuses, allowing the community to take ownership of the education of their young people. Community Engagement is a process of informing the community of the opportunity for social improvement through the Early College Initiative, then most importantly providing community members with forums for input in the planning process, so that traditional knowledge, values, ways of teaching and learning etc. are imbedded in the school. I give presentations to all stakeholders and help organize and orchestrate Community Resource Committees representing a comprehensive cross-section of each community. In addition to involving community in the planning process, it is our responsibility to insure ongoing community involvement and presence in the classroom, i.e., tutors, mentors co-teachers, guest speakers etc. once the schools’ doors open as early colleges.

Who are your favorite authors?

I have favorite books but not favorite authors.  I suppose to have favorite authors they would have to have several books that I loved, which usually isn’t the case.  Some favorite books are Catcher in the Rye, Cruddy, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, A Confederacy of Dunces, Ceremony.

Name a book you wish you had written.

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day.  Jokes. I actually can’t honestly answer that.

What keeps you inspired?

I think I would have to say anger, frustration and humor.  I think I’m driven to write by anger and disappointment over what I see as a world being destroyed by people -- willingly and enthusiastically. Frustration over a lack of solutions, and trying to figure out at least part of the “reason” for all the really evil shit around us, inspires me to try to say something significant and enlightening about it. And humor keeps me from completely falling apart over it all.

In Madchild Running your narrator writes, “Anger is passed on as easy as eyecolor.” What makes you angry these days? And what do you do with it?

That line is a specific reference to both generational anger, which I think is a valid, almost tangible thing -- especially true for Native Americans, and also learned bad behavior passed on by angry parents.  So, let’s see… I’m angry about the horrific things that men do to women and children. I’m angry about all the ridiculously filthy rich idiots happily destroying the planet for more power and money.  I’m angry about how easy it is for the same people to tell outrageous, enormous lies with very immoral implications and sleep at night. I’m angry about the masses who blindly work to enforce the agendas of those in power. I’m angry over the huge lack of concern about, and respect for, the environment and animal life-forms other than humans.  Ignorance and the stupidity that ensues are pretty irritating too. I deal with it all by getting depressed, getting consumed by unhealthy levels of anger and then writing about it.

Any advice for other writers?

Give it up. Just kidding.  That’s a tough one. I assume you mean something more on the philosophical end, as opposed to tips for getting an agent, publicity, blah, blah, blah. So I will think in terms of young, struggling writers.  Who am I kidding, they’re almost all struggling. Anyway, when you have those moments wherein you honestly can’t think of any reason to keep doing what you’re doing, try and take heart in the fact that someday down the road what you said may inspire some poor soul just like you. You have the power to make a marker in history with your unique view of the world around you, and possibly inspire a few other tortured people to keep moving forward. Maybe you’ll even influence the viewpoints of those you considered enemies. But don’t count on it.

Best advice you were ever given?

“You should probably think about getting a job.”  (My dad said that.)

Can you give us a brief synopsis of your current writing project?

Right now I’m on the home stretch of a novel called “Dispatch from The Raft”.  I’m working with my agent and her readers on what should be the final revision.  It’s the story of a young Lummi Indian writer whose efforts to get published have met with nothing but rejection.  Then during a period of limbo (the raft analogy) he gets a call from his cousin who just graduated with a master’s from OU.  He flies down to Oklahoma to drive back to Washington with his cousin, with the intention of writing a social commentary about America. But it soon surfaces that his cousin, who intended to fight the good fight for his people with his master’s degree in his back pocket, has actually suffered a breakdown of sorts and is going home to commit an act of vengeance (all that generational anger.)  The narrator is then left with the task of trying to change his cousin’s dangerous direction while exploring the reasons why the two of them turned out to be the tumultuous men they are, and essentially documenting what may be his cousin’s last days.  The efforts of their Lummi Indian family and ancestors, to survive from generation to generation against the opposition posed by the domineering society that surrounds them, becomes critical to the evolution of these two young men.

<- Back to Issue 2/1