Novelist combines Asian, gay issues

Combining an emphasis on Asian culture with gay issues, R. Zamora Linmark entertained an eager group of 25 students, faculty and Philadelphia residents with a reading from his new book last week. Gathered in the lobby of the Greenfield Intercultural Center, the audience listened intently during Linmark's half-hour reading of Rolling the R's, which focuses on the behavior of children in Hawaii who grew up in the 1970s. A vibrant man in his mid-20s, Linmark was born in the Philippines and now resides in Honolulu. He received his bachelor's degree at the University of Hawaii, which is also where he is currently working toward his master's degree in literature. Linmark visited the University as part of an East Coast college tour advertising his work. He began in California and said he plans to visit other schools, including Harvard University, Williams College and Columbia University, following his stay at Penn. Rolling the R's deals with a small community in Hawaii made up primarily of Filipino immigrants and locals. The story moves from a character's infatuation with Charlie's Angels' Farrah Fawcett to a parody of song titles and phrases of popular '70s tunes. Before he began his presentation, Linmark explained that he conveyed the Hawaiian culture in his book by implementing "pidgin English -- a Hawaiian-creole English." "Pidgin English is the dominant language of resistance," he said. He began his oration with two original poems, then moved to the bulk of the story, captivating his audience with his distinct writing style. During a question-and-answer session following the reading, Linmark noted that he began to focus on his writing career early in college. He moved from monologues and voice pieces to prose. But he said he continues to write poetry as well. "I don't worry about who I'm writing for," he said. "Work is never complete anyway." Linmark said he is a great fan of pop culture and believes that it serves as a useful tool of expressing himself verbally. "I wanted to write about an exciting time where people were expressing themselves individually," he said. "This was the post-Stonewall, post-[Equal Rights Amendment] times. They were most interesting." Linmark ended the evening with casual conversation with his audience, while signing and selling his book. The Asian Pacific Student Coalition, Asian Student Union, Kappa Delta Phi, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Center and the Asian Arts Initiative co-sponsored the event.