We come to consciousness aware of the history of immigration and the Asian diaspora, singing from the fissures and fragmentations of our culture in order to bring about their momentary unity in the kind of evanescent beauty that the figure of a poem makes. --Garrett Hongo, from the Introduction
Published in 1993, The Open Boat presents a collection of Asian American poets who ". . . emerge out of more than a hundred years of immigration, sojourning, settlement, misconception, stereotyping, and soul-searching that each has turned into the special singing we call poetry."
The thirty-one poets range from Ai and Agha Shahid Ali to Nellie Wong and John Yau, chosen for their diversity of influence and subject matter rather than any unifying (and potentially reductive) cultural influence--what Hongo calls a "litmus test of ethnic authenticity." Each poet is represented by a brief selection of poems and a biography, and photographs of each author are a welcome addition to the material.
Hongo's opening essay could serve as an excellent introduction to the challenges and opportunities of any identity-based category of poets and poetry (in this case, Asian American, but similar perspectives can be found in discussions of African American poets or women poets, for example). Hongo's essay provides a solid foundation for the appreciation of the work that follows.
Hongo, Garrett, ed. The Open Boat: Poems from Asian America. (1993) Anchor Books.
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