Eye to the Telescope: Asian American Speculative Poetry Issue is live!

Guest edited an Asian American issue of Speculative Poetry at Eye to the Telescope, where contributors came up with some very interesting responses to what we might consider Asian, American and both. The nice thing about this was being able to challenge what we consider Asian American and what it could be.

Eye to the Telescope, a quarterly online journal, began publishing science-fiction, fantasy, horror, and other speculative poetry in 2011, under the auspices of the Science Fiction Poetry Association. Its editors are selected by the current SFPA president and change with each issue; as a result, editorial policies change with each issue as well.

Among the writers who made the cut for this issue are Joy Panigabutra-Roberts, Mark Rich, Lisa Marie, Ching-In Chen, Juanita Sayaovong Vang, Robert Subiaga, Michael Janairo, YiWei Huang and Kath Abela Wilson, Neil Weston, Lee Ann Roripaugh, Kev Minh Allen, Tom T. Nguyen, Sery Bounphasaysonh, and WeiMing Dariotis.

As I point out in the introduction: "This issue contains the work of both established and emerging voices from across the country. We have poets who have roots in Thailand, China, Japan, Vietnam, Laos, the Philippines; Hapa and Hmong voices. Several are transcultural adoptees, others have been immigrants or are the children of refugees. But in the final equation, each of them brought a distinctive voice and imaginative approach to their poetry. Some worked with the classic legends of old, others addressed futures that could be; others, well, that’s a surprise you’ll have to see for yourself."

A big thanks to the Science Fiction Poetry Association for giving me the opportunity to edit this issue.