PROFILE: ANNA QUON
Working with
WORDS
BY JONATHAN STRIGHT
For Anna Quon, decent work isn’t just about finding a good job, it’s about finding someone to pay her for the work she’s already doing. Quon has spent a number of years working as a freelance writer. She’s now turning her attention to delivering writing workshops and facilitating writing groups. She’s also the editorial assistant for the Nova Scotia Community Free Press. The Free Press is a new publication funded by a grant from the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia. It focuses on community organizations and the programs they run. But Quon’s ultimate goal is to be a novelist. It’s a dream she’s had since she was young. For the longest time, she put off writing her novel. She says she felt it wasn’t a realistic ambition. Quon describes that belief as a catalyst for the depression that led her in and out of the Nova Scotia Hospital in Dartmouth. She’s very open about her experience of mental illness. She even wrote a column that appeared in the Chronicle-Herald about her struggle to accept and ultimately overcome her identity as a mental patient. “I guess I see it as a responsibility to sort of shed light on things that have been hard for me – to educate other people – which sounds a little highfalutin – but I mean, I just sort of see that as part of my role. And also, it makes me feel stronger when I can be open about those things and not hide them. ‘Cause there was a time when I did want to hide my depression and wouldn’t want to talk about it,” says Quon. She recently addressed members of the Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Network as the guest speaker at their annual holiday social and showcase. Speaking on the topic of decent work for people with disabilities, she told the people at that event that “a mental hospital is not a place to get well. It’s a place to get stabilized, if you’re lucky, but it’s getting back into real life that helps a person get well.” And real life means working for a living. “For all those who can, working for a living is a responsibility,” says Quon. Freelancing allowed Quon to work at her own pace and to work as much or as little as she chose. There’s no doubt she’s a goal-oriented person. She prefers to work at tasks that have a clear beginning, middle and an end. “I really like that neat little package of having something that comes to an end. You produce something. It’s out there. It’s published. There’s nothing you can do about it.” That’s how she approached the writing of her novel. She set clear goals for herself. “I worked on it steadily. Every weekday I would spend an hour and a half or two in the morning. I tried to
PHOTO: Anna Quon, 39, addresses members of the Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Network at their annual holiday social and showcase, December 5, 2007. Credit: Jonathan Stright
write 500 words a day, which is not really ambitious, but that was about all I could take.” Following that schedule, she completed the first draft of her novel in Spring 2007. “It’s about secrets and loss and a young woman, Joan Simpson, who can’t keep a job.” Her next big goal is to have that story published. She has applied for a writing mentorship program called Booming Ground through the University of British Columbia. She’s optimistic about the results. “It seems like they’re pretty open. I’m pretty sure I’ll get in.” At a cost of $1,200, the program isn’t cheap. If she’s accepted into the program, Quon has no doubt that it will be worth the price.“I’m at a very optimistic time in my life. I sort of feel like things are going well and they’re just going to get better, which is a wonderful feeling!” Quon is following her dreams. She values the freedom and excitement that come with her profession. And that’s the advice she gives to others: “dream big or dream small, and walk slowly or run or wheel toward that dream, but do dream. Because that’s where all things bright and beautiful begin.” Even though her novel is still at least a year away from being ready to publish, Quon says she already feels successful. She chooses the work she wants, she makes a living for herself and she’s happy. “And those are the main things that matter to me,” says Quon. ¤
Visit Anna Quon’s website: www.neeto.ca/wordsthatwork
Jonathan Stright wrote this article as part of an internship with the Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Network (Nova Scotia). The Network has about 600 members, including Anna Quon. Visit ednns.ca for more information.