Writer’s Block: Sunny Dhillon

All Lit Up: Tell us about your new book Hide and Sikh. What can readers expect?

Sunny Dhillon: When I was growing up, my response to racism was to hide. I was always worried that someone else would point out I was “different,” whether it was due to the language my family spoke, or the food we ate, or my legal name, or my skin colour. I did not embrace who I was. I actively tried to hide it due to the racism I endured. As I got older, I thought more about these incidents and how many of them I wished I could have back. Around this same period, my daughter was born. The book opens with the first time that she was present for an overt, undeniable act of racism. A central goal of the book is to prepare her for what it’s like to live in this country and/or world in this skin. I try to give her some of the same advice that I wish I had had when I was growing up.  

ALU: Why do you write?

SD: Writing helps me make sense of the world, in as much as anyone can make sense of it at this moment. 

ALU: How do you celebrate when you finish writing a book? 

SD: This is my first book, so I’m not entirely sure. I assume I wait for the sales to pour in and then dive into my pool of money like Scrooge McDuck. 

ALU: How do you overcome creative blocks when they arise? 

SD: I stop working and pick up again the next day, or the day after that. You can’t force your way through a brick wall. You have to give your brain time to find another way.

ALU: What does a typical writing day look like for you?

SD: I head out in the morning and write on my phone as I walk around the city. The outdoors is my office. Nature helps me think and the small phone screen helps me zero in on every word and paragraph. I do not enjoy writing creatively on a laptop, as I get blank page syndrome. I’m much better on my phone as I walk along the river or canal. 

ALU: Do you have any rituals that you abide by when you’re writing? 

SD: I talk out loud as I write. It’s inefficient—and super annoying for everyone around me—but it helps with flow. If I trip over the words, I know I don’t have it.  

Sunny Dhillon is a former news reporter whose viral essay “Journalism While Brown and When to Walk Away” highlighted the significant challenges that journalists of colour can face. Sunny worked as a print reporter for ten years. He has also appeared on television and radio and has spoken at conferences. He is passionate about racial justice and continues to write on that theme. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of British Columbia. He and his young family now live in Ontario, where Sunny attends law school.