Airlifted By Poetry: An Interview with Ann E. Burg

When Ann E. Burg’s first YA novel, All the Broken Pieces, was published in 2009, it quickly became a Loft staff favorite.  Written in free verse, Pieces is the story of seventh grader Matt Pin, a child of war, who leaves his mother and brother behind when he is airlifted out of Vietnam by American soldiers and adopted by a loving American family.  Matt carries within him inescapable visions of chaos, a longing for the family he left behind, and a dark secret, one he keeps tightly wound up inside.  It’s a powerful, exceptionally beautiful novel that captures the physical and emotional wreckage left in the wake of the Vietnam War, a novel full of good-hearted characters who act out of love towards one another in quiet, unexpected ways. (You can read our original review here).

In celebration of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, the Virtual Loft caught up with Burg via email last week.  We discussed Vietnam, children of war, and the power of poetry.

At what point did you realize you had to tell Matt’s story?

In the beginning I thought All the Broken Pieces would revolve around Rob and his relationship with his brother. (Ed. Note: Rob is a racist teammate who blames Matt for his brother’s death in Vietnam).  As I researched and began writing, I was surprised that Matt’s voice was so strong. It was as if he were right there by my desk begging me to listen to him, to tell his story.

Why did you want to tell a story set during the Vietnam War?

Vietnam was the backdrop for much of my childhood.  During my research I stumbled on a picture of a boy about Matt’s age.  I couldn’t get his face out of my mind. I read about the children of American serviceman being “boi doi” or the dust of life.  There was a particular quote which haunted me. It talked about the boi doi being tossed about like dust in the road. Think about that. Children. Tossed about like dust. No one caring what happened to them. I felt compelled to listen.  To show I cared.

I did teach a child who had been airlifted out of Vietnam as an infant and was still having nightmares five years later. But I was surprised to learn that not all the children airlifted out of Vietnam were infants. Not all were orphans. That’s when Matt’s story began to unfold.

How did you discover the verse/poetry style for the book?  Was it always a “novel in verse” or did you experiment with different styles?

I was looking at some pictures and thinking about Matt and the opening lines just spilled on the page. My name is Matt Pin and her name I remember is Phang My… I tried rewriting in a more traditional style but it seemed that when I did, Matt’s voice was lost in extraneous, “made-up” details. This book taught me a great secret about writing. The most important part of writing is listening. What’s most important is Matt’s voice, not mine.

The poetry in Pieces made me think about the last lines of Tim O’Brien’s Vietnam book, The Things They Carried, where he remembers being a boy ignorant of loss and war.  O’Brien writes that he is “Tim trying to save Timmy’s life with a story.”  It occurred to me that you do this with poetry, you save Matt Pin with a poem.

I think that all writers are at some level rescuers. We are trying to save events or moments – or  people – from being swallowed by time and forgotten. I believed Matt had an important story to tell. I believe that veterans, families that lose sons and daughters, children of war and of war-torn countries, should be remembered. I believe their courage and their struggle should be noted.

Matt says at one point that “words are messy.” Did you find that writing poetry helped you access the traumas Matt has experienced in a way that prose couldn’t?

Writing in poetry allowed me, and hopefully the reader, to get right to the heart of the matter. There’s urgency in poetry. A chiseling away at unnecessary filler and commentary. The deeper the trauma the more words we think we need to express it. But sometimes words are messy. In the end, the purest voice is often the most direct.

Have you been to Vietnam?

I’ve never been to Vietnam but I would love to go there. I read somewhere that Vietnam was a country not a war. I’ve been haunted by pictures of broken children and bombed villages, but there are also photographs of beautiful beaches and glorious sunsets. I feel a tremendous connection to the hard-working people there who struggle to make life worth living.

It’s refreshing to read a story about a young adult with supportive, deeply thoughtful parents.  What was your relationship like with your parents when you were a teen?

I always knew my parents loved me and that they’d do anything to help me find my way. The older I got, the more I understood how lucky I was to have two parents who not only loved me, but who loved each other. I’m not sure I appreciated this as a teen – I remember being embarrassed because my parents held hands in front of my friends!

Matt has music and baseball to soothe himself, but eventually must speak about his emotions to find relief.  What activities helped you manage intense emotions you had when you were a teen?

Writing has been my outlet for as long as I can remember. Somewhere there’s a box of my notebooks each filled with poems or daily ramblings about my life and deepest feelings. Hmm…perhaps I should find that box before someone else does!

Are there YA authors or poets whose work you return to for inspiration?  Who are they?

I’m not sure I can limit myself to just a few favorite authors who’ve influenced me but I can tell you that there are certain books that I return to again and again to remind me of the power of words and the beauty of love. One book that comes to mind was published more than a decade ago, I Am Regina by Sally Keehn. The ending scene brings tears to my eyes every single time I read it (and even remembering it now).

Matt’s fear of being given away again is so powerful. Where did you gain your understanding of the experience of being an adopted child?

I didn’t bookflap this information because I wanted my story to stand on its own merits and
because my children’s stories are theirs to tell, but I’m the parent of two beautiful children both of whom were adopted. As I prepared to be an adoptive parent, I read lots of stories about the adoption process and the feelings of loss and abandonment that adoptees often experience.

Matt’s parents, as well as his piano teacher, Jeff, work hard to help Matt speak about his painful and confusing experiences with displacement and violence.  They don’t shelter him, but gently guide him toward the truth.

Matt’s parents and Jeff are models for me.  No matter how we try to shield the ones we love, we should never conceal the truth. All repressed thoughts and feelings are dangerous. I’ve come to understand that the best we can do is love fully, honestly and unconditionally.

(Jarrett, The Loft)

Do you have your own question(s) for Ann E. Burg? You can contact her at ann.brokenpieces@gmail.com.