Yo, it’s not very often I can say this, but today I became an Asian poet! At least, that’s what Amazon thinks about Counterfactual Love Stories & Other Experiments, which is included as a new release in Asian Poetry. But even more shocking, CLS&OE is ranked #2! At least for now (7 October 2021 at 11:41 PST). How the fuck did this happen? And why is this book labeled poetry? I mean, there’s some bomb lyricism in this book. There are some dope turns of phrases too. But it would never have occurred to me to label this book as poetry. But you know what, I don’t fucking care. I’m gonna roll with it. Anything that might help me find new readers and draw attention to my books I’m gonna support, so thank you, Amazon, for giving just a tiny bit of attention to this book of mine! I really appreciate it.
(My) Ten Rules for APIA, Asian American, and Hapa Fiction
Like the Bechdel Test, these ten rules are not intended to be the final word on any work by, from, or about Asian American literature, but rather, should be treated as the first critical lens that readers (can) use to call out and contest orientalism in publishing while also serving as a mandatory metric by which all readers (can) hold APIA writing accountable, as well as the presses that publish those works by and about us. The following test allows all of us to expect more of ourselves, of our readers, and of the publishing industry at large, but it is only a first step in a life of engaged reading.
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