The Whole World Inside Nan’s Soup by Hunter Liguore and illustrated by Vikki Zhang (Zhang Wenqi 张文绮) was published by Yeehoo Press in June. We were delighted that they both agreed to tell us more about this new international collaboration! Thank you, Hunter and Vikki!
We have interviewed Vikki before, almost three years ago now (no.70), so have given Hunter’s words first this time.
Please tell us about yourselves. What would you like our readers to know about you?
HL: Hunter Liguore is a gentle advocate for living in harmony with the natural world and with one another. An award-winning author, professor, and historian, when you support her work, you’re partaking in an equal exchange that supports compassion and peace in the world. When not making soup, she is often roaming old ruins, hillsides, and cemeteries.
VZ: Hi, my name is Vikki Zhang (张文绮), I am an illustrator and artist. I work on children’s books, book covers, fashion, advertising, products, toys, etc. After graduation, I stayed in NYC for a few years, but last year, because of COVID, I moved to Shanghai. Like all artists, it’s challenging to keep doing creative work in unstable situations and with abrupt change. But even during the worst time I saw talented artists—some are friends, some are unknown—consistently posting amazing work online, I am proud of them and want to say thank you for the positive energy they shared with me.
Congratulations on your new book, The Whole World Inside Nan’s Soup! Could you tell us about the book and how it came about?
HL: The Whole World in Nan’s Soup is a rumination on our ability to recognize our interconnectedness with ‘all’ people. It is wisdom passed down many generations through my own nanni, who understood that in order to eat a single meal, it takes the whole world to make it.
Our dinner table doesn’t end at the four corners, but is reciprocal; it extends to all those faceless helpers involved with making sure we’re nourished—and that’s a very beautiful thing! When we take the time—through slow-cooking—to see and talk about ‘all’ people in a bowl of soup, then we can begin to notice it in other areas of our life with the same care and unity.
The more we see our oneness, the more each meal—each bowl of soup—becomes a celebration, and our struggle with each other falls away, and the harmony we experience within will be reflected back.
VZ: I began working on this book in summer 2020. My goal was to make a book to heal, so that anyone holding this book could feel loved and secure. So I took references from nursery art of the early 20th century. I love the faded palette from that time. Some pages in the book look like an old handkerchief, or plate, just like the objects I collected from the vintage store.
For the complete interview, including early stages, inspirations, and character designs, click here