Patriarchy
How is a daughter
named? My mother pleads
to the librarian tapping
dewey decimals for the Hanja dictionary;*
a weary oracle of bastards, retards
and girls. Perhaps she pulls
my eyelids; probing
for floaters, films,
blemishes, basic faults… more »
A year before I leave him for the last time, we take a trip together. Rachel is three, and we drive down to Maine in the summertime. By this time, I feel as though I am sleep-walking through the most … more »
It almost didn’t happen. I was on my way to Whitehorse, Yukon to meet my future husband. It was May 1968. Ron Scollon had been planning a trip to Alaska since Black Day in July 1967. They were burning down … more »
The inevitable question I encounter every shift. Clad in a tight black tank top and minuscule skirt, I have a petite build under my work uniform.
I’m 4’11” and have long, dark hair. Strong calves. Chinese and Vietnamese.
I make … more »
Asians Elsewhere continues. In Part 2, Episode 1, John tells us about growing up in Japan through photos. Important questions are explored like “Why boy shorts so short?”, “Rando what?”, “Who got bullied?” and “How sticky is John’s accent?”
Gavin … more »
Nowadays, it’s pretty common to find Asians (nearly) everywhere in the world. But people still have perceptions thinking a person or a country is this way or that. The Asians Elsewhere series aims to show diversity within the broader Asian … more »
in memoriam
you watch her heaving chest where you once lay sleeping
hoping for it to last & you keep on thinking of the times
when she left & came back for you crying on the first day
of kindergarten … more »
War was the farthest thing from Maki’s mind even after three years since the war had started in Europe in 1941, as life in Canada had remained peaceful, normal and predictable. People went about their daily activities, raised families and … more »
Nitaro Hamaguchi was born on March 18, 1879 in Kumamoto, Japan. His family was very poor and starving. As the eldest son, his duty was to look after his parents and siblings. He had heard that Canada was a wild, … more »
Winter rushed in uninvited and unexpected. After one or two cold snaps in early December, the Welland Canal froze over. All ships, big and small, stood docked at the Port Dalhousie piers. Without tourists’ presence and sailors’ laughter, the port … more »