The Writing University conducts is a series of interviews with writers while they are in Iowa City participating in the International Writing Program's fall residency. We sit down with authors to ask about their work, their process and their descriptions of home.

Today we are talking with Kaori Fujino, a fiction writer and poet from Japan. 

1. Do you have a plan or project in mind for your time at the residency?

Yes. I have some deadlines I will have to meet. And also I am going to begin a new work. I'm expecting that some kind of favorable change will come to my work by the experience of this residency. Whatever else happens, I hope I can write something everyday.

2. What does your daily practice look like for your writing? Do you have a certain time when you write? Any specific routine?

I am a night owl, so I often write through the night. To be more precise, I am always trying to write through the night.

3. What are you currently reading right now? Are you reading for research or pleasure?

I just started reading Open City by Teju Cole. For pleasure. Even when I think I am reading something for research, it becomes pleasure reading before I know it.

4. What is one thing the readers and writers of Iowa City should know about you and your work?

I'm bad at English, but let's talk! I'll do my best.

5. Tell us a bit about where you are from -- what are some favorite details you would like to share about your home?

I'm from Japan. I live in Kyoto. This might surprise you, but in Kyoto there are many bakeries. So you should come to try Japanese pastries and breads.

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Thank you Kaori!