Member Spotlight: Isa Shirokawa

3.08.22

Our August Member Spotlight features Isa Shirokawa! Isa was recently announced as a winner of the Griffith Review Long and Short of It Emerging Voices Competition for her short story, 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain?', which will be published in the 80th edition of Griffith Review.

Isa Shirokawa is a Sydney-based writer of Japanese, British and Portuguese descent whose work is influenced by the interplays between her European and Asian heritage. In July, 2022, she was named as a winner of the Griffith Review’s Long and Short of It Emerging Voices Competition. Away from the world of writing, she is a law and policy specialist with advanced degrees in intellectual property and innovation law and international economic law from UNSW, having received her undergraduate education at the University of Sydney. Isa has a background in journalism as a feature writer for an international news organisation, and she has also worked in human rights law. She is an avid reader and traveller with a passion for visual arts and learning foreign languages, and she is currently at work on exciting new projects.

What inspired you to begin writing?

I can’t remember a time when I was not writing. Books, stories, art, music and cinema were integral parts of my childhood since I come from an international (European and Asian) literary, academic and diplomatic family, and all these influences led me towards creating my own stories. I was writing and illustrating my own little books by the time I was five years old. Being aware that the pursuit of writing was a serious business, I had to experiment with so many different styles until I found my own voice, which is a rite of passage for every artist. The discovery of this voice was, in itself, an inspiration to persevere with my writing.

What does it mean to have been selected as a winner for the Griffith Review Long and Short of It Emerging Voices Competition?

Being named among the winners of this competition means the world to me since my winning short story was inspired by my Japanese heritage. I am passionate about the world in which I grew up, which is a multicultural Australia and indeed a multicultural world.

There are as many different versions of Australia as there are communities and people living within it, and I am thrilled that the team at the Griffith Review selected my story, which reflects the worlds and the lives that inspire me in so many ways. Everyone at Griffith has been so kind, welcoming and encouraging, as well, and I truly appreciate the warmth with which my story and I have been received.

What do you know now that you wish you'd known at the beginning of your writing journey?

This is a tough question. So many of the insights gleaned over the past years feel rather personal, but I believe this is also the answer to this question – if it is not personal, if you do not care deeply about the story you are crafting, and if it is written without effort and connection, it will be read without pleasure. For a reader to connect with a story, the writer must present something with which they also have a strong connection.

Which Australian authors and/or illustrators have been influential for your writing practice and career?

When I first read Melina Marchetta’s Looking for Alibrandi, I was presented with an Australia I recognised and knew well: a world of families with their hearts in two or three places, of strong women, and of an incredible work ethic and hope. I cannot possibly convey how valuable it was to read a novel that presented diverse communities and the values instilled into the children of those communities with such honesty, humour and depth, and to have this book available to me when I was a young teenager was a genuine gift.

I also love Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet. The writing style, the narrative that focuses on the two families, the quirkiness and the warmth of the story left indelible impressions soon after the first reading of the novel. I feel much the same way about Breath. Another favourite is Kate Grenville’s The Secret River. The writing is incredibly beautiful, and the imagery she conjures up is astounding.

Find out more about Isa Shirokawa on Instagram @isashirokawa