I grew up in Korea and Canada and currently live in Honolulu, HI. As I prepare myself - and my bookshelf - for a new year of Asian American-helmed literature, it is only fitting that I pay homage to ten poetry collections published in 2018.Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do. When my time with Kundiman ended, I left with a renewed respect for prose, a rekindled desire for poetry, an extensively larger To Be Read pile for 2018 and, most importantly, a list of writers whose stories showed me that mine has a place. For the first time, seeing my names like mine on the covers of poetry collections and novels, under article headings and short story titles was no longer a fantasy. I discovered that not only did a community of Asian American writers exist, it was thriving. For six months, I communicated with Asian American writers all over the U.S., sharing news about forthcoming books, poetry readings, and accolades. In summer of 2017, I interned for Kundiman, a literary organization dedicated to writers and readers of Asian American literature. Soon, I became resigned to the reality that my story was not one that belonged in the hands of readers.
Although I loved my courses on Austin, Poe, Melville (just to name a few), I would still browse book covers for names that resembled mine, yearning for mentors whose histories, traditions, and traumas mirrored my own. For years, I searched for myself in the literature I read, seeking reassurance that a Filipino American voice - my voice - had a place in the artform I love. With dreams of becoming a writer, I pursued English Literature. This love followed me through adolescence and ultimately determined my course of study in college. Throughout my childhood, I was romanced by the worlds writers could create using just words.
My journey as a lover of literature began early. If you had asked me three years ago to recommend Asian American poets, I would have not been able to name you one - a shameful secret I’ve kept to myself until this very moment.
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