Kalua Lauber
She gave herself an ultimatum: if she wasn't famous by 40, she'd become a teacher. After stints as an actress and comedienne, Reassessment Day arrived. She pursued her Master's degree in Secondary Education, became certified to teach 7th and 8th graders, began teaching and became a distinguished teacher in California. Novel writing, her dormant passion, was the next career turn. With her debut novel Sugar Doll's Hurricane Blues, she reflects on her hometown of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana and the hurricane, called Katrina, that wiped it out. I met her in Los Angeles to find out how weathering life's storms has influenced her decision-making, her craft, her students and her thinking. I also wondered if she'd found any love stories in the midst of the natural disaster.
LW Is Sugar Doll's Hurricane Blues a story about love, ups and downs, reaching higher ground or all of the above?
KL Sugar Doll's Hurricane Blues is a story about overcoming great odds in spite of everything, including a natural disaster. To me it is a story not only about love but the racial complexities of Louisiana. People there have loved each other and lived with the lie of hate for too long. The culture and the texture of Louisiana has always been a "gumbo" or mix of different peoples. The "higher ground" you ask about is symbolic of the fact that in the end all we have is this life and we need to embrace it and love it and live freely and without judgment. It is overall a love story which encompasses the community.
LW You were already living in Los Angeles when your hometown got wiped out.
KL I felt helpless. My grandmother, the touchstone for our family, had died in January of 2005 and all of her connections seem to have died with her.
LW Did your family disperse?
KL Everyone went in separate directions and no one really knew where they were going. It took me approximately two weeks to locate my mother in a storm shelter in Baton Rouge. I posted on CNN, MSNBC & the Red Cross website. Finally a friend, Renice Washington, I had gone to college with called another friend and asked her to help me in finding my mother. She made it her mission. She found her and took her into her home in Zachary, Louisiana. Her name was Juanita Kidd and I will always be grateful to this lovely woman I hadn't seen in over 20 years for helping me.
LW Your novel takes place in...
KL Plaquemines Parish and New Orleans/The French Quarters.
LW You live through the destruction from afar and watch family members piece their lives back together. So I'm wondering if your characters are walking on firm ground. Or is everything water, brimstone and quicksand?
KL I think that they are walking on firm ground, if you mean figuratively. If you mean literally, of course New Orleans is several feet below sea level and Plaquemines Parish is almost marsh land. The only character who may be on figurative "quicksand" would be Bertrand the piano player. He was a gambler and could not control his habit.
LW Knowing what you know about life — how up and down it can be — does it give you insight into how to teach your students, 7th and 8th graders who often let their zany teenage emotions rule the show?
KL I allow students to express their feelings and simply relate to them as individuals. Many people are afraid of teenagers. I embrace them. I get it. I teach them to accept themselves and everything that comes with it. My favorite expression to tell students is: "You are not where you come from but where you are going."
LW Did teaching help shape you as a writer in any way?
KL Yes, it gave me discipline. I am passionate about my students and their success. I see students who have difficulty writing a sentence walking out of my class with the ability to write a five paragraph essay with no errors. I see kids who have no support at home or parents who don't speak English work harder than their peers. This inspires me to step away from the television and to write. Once I started inspiring students to "go for their dreams" I realized that I had always dreamed of becoming a writer even before becoming an actress. When a student doesn't bring in his homework and tells me that it's at home or some other excuse I say, "If I can't see it, it doesn't exist". I finally heard myself one day and realized that I needed to stop talking about writing a book and actually work toward a solid piece of work. Practice what you preach.
KL Plaquemines Parish and New Orleans/The French Quarters.
LW You live through the destruction from afar and watch family members piece their lives back together. So I'm wondering if your characters are walking on firm ground. Or is everything water, brimstone and quicksand?
KL I think that they are walking on firm ground, if you mean figuratively. If you mean literally, of course New Orleans is several feet below sea level and Plaquemines Parish is almost marsh land. The only character who may be on figurative "quicksand" would be Bertrand the piano player. He was a gambler and could not control his habit.
LW Knowing what you know about life — how up and down it can be — does it give you insight into how to teach your students, 7th and 8th graders who often let their zany teenage emotions rule the show?
KL I allow students to express their feelings and simply relate to them as individuals. Many people are afraid of teenagers. I embrace them. I get it. I teach them to accept themselves and everything that comes with it. My favorite expression to tell students is: "You are not where you come from but where you are going."
LW Did teaching help shape you as a writer in any way?
KL Yes, it gave me discipline. I am passionate about my students and their success. I see students who have difficulty writing a sentence walking out of my class with the ability to write a five paragraph essay with no errors. I see kids who have no support at home or parents who don't speak English work harder than their peers. This inspires me to step away from the television and to write. Once I started inspiring students to "go for their dreams" I realized that I had always dreamed of becoming a writer even before becoming an actress. When a student doesn't bring in his homework and tells me that it's at home or some other excuse I say, "If I can't see it, it doesn't exist". I finally heard myself one day and realized that I needed to stop talking about writing a book and actually work toward a solid piece of work. Practice what you preach.
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