Grace Q. Hu began to publish poems, essays, and social research papers during college. Grace has independently produced a TV program, founded a cultural studio, served as the main writer for shows, and has published poems, essays, and novel series in Canada since 2006.

Grace’s story ‘Two Good People’—in which a customer and a shopkeeper have a human transaction on a dark and stormy night—features in THE BARE BONES BOOK OF HUMOUR. The anthology’s editor Ankit Raj Ojha interviewed her to find out about her literary influences.

Tell us about your perspective on humour and its place in writing and in life.

I believe humour is a wise and high-EQ form of expression that makes heavy life lighter. Good humour is not sarcasm, but a gentle smile after insight into human nature. 

What are the things, works, and authors that have influenced your writing? 

My writing is influenced by many writers, such as Chekhov’s warmth and restraint, Alice Munro’s insight into details, and Haruki Murakami’s perception of loneliness and time. They have taught me that the depth of stories often comes from the subtle glow of everyday life. 

Is there any image, phrase, idea, place, person, or memory that became the seed for your story? 

My works originate from the places where I once lived, where the little people and ordinary conversations converge into many of the stories under my pen, including ‘Two Good People’.