Quiet Fire: A Historical Anthology of Asian American Poetry, 1892-1970 / Edited by Juliana Chang / 1996

Quiet Fire: A Historical Anthology of Asian American Poetry, 1892-1970 / Edited by Juliana Chang / 1996

I feel blessed to hold this book in my hands and to have encountered its voices, many of whom have faded from popular literary memory. Quiet Fire is a treasure trove of Asian American poets, including H. T. Tsiang (a fiery leftist poet who would’ve crushed any slam and who was imprisoned on Ellis Island), Carlos Bulosan (a Filipino, the earliest undocupoet I’m aware of), and Toye Suyemoto (a Japanese woman incarcerated in Topaz, Utah). Each of the voices rattled me with their imagery, the range and prowess of their styles. There is a whole generation, a canon here, with many poems left to explore. 5/5