There's a beautiful passage by Langston Hughes that comes to mind as I think about my work and the writing of other Asian American artists:
"...We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame. If white people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, it doesn't matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly too. The tom-tom cries and the tom-tom laughs. If colored people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, their displeasure doesn't matter either. We build our temples for tomorrow, strong as we know how, and we stand on top of the mountain, free within ourselves. "
And I think these are important words to bear in mind.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Pre-Order On The Other Side of the Eye!
The pre-order form for On The Other Side of the Eye is now online!
Pre-ordering is the easiest way to get your copy as soon as On The Other Side of the Eye comes out.
To get your copy, just print out the form (black and white is fine!) and fill it out, along with a check or money order for $10 + $2.50 shipping and handling per copy. Please make your payment payable to Sam's Dot Publishing.
(No cash or credit cards for pre-orders. Sorry!)
You'll be sending the form and your payment to:
Sam's Dot Publishing
P.O. Box 782
Cedar Rapids, IA, 52406-0782
As soon as On The Other Side of the Eye is printed in August, your copy will be mailed to you and should arrive shortly!
In the meantime, if you know an independent bookstore or vendor who would be interested in selling On The Other Side of the Eye, let us know. We'll be happy to talk with you!
Thanks again, everybody, for all of your support!
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Poetry Form of the Day: The Decima
We recently discussed the Cinquain and the great and very cool poet Oscar Bermeo has thrown together in an outline of the Decima, which is a really fun poem style as well. Thanks, Oscar!
In the short version, the Decima is a poem that's one of the most complex forms of popular poetry.
The Decima is most effective when written in Spanish, where specific rules apply to vowels and accented words. (Yeah, Oscar, let's not intimidate folks here...) :)
The Decima follows this rhyme pattern:
ABBA ACCDDC
It's ten lines of 8 syllables.
80 total, but there's a catch we'll go into later.
Like a certain boardgame, it takes a minute to learn, a lifetime to master.
Let's first take a look at an example from George Santayana:
Decima
As an aside, George Santayana is often remembered for:
'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'
But back to the Decima: If you can pull it off, it can be really magnificent.
Now, the Decima has extra rules to it:
* When a line or verse ends in with a word with an emphasized syllable, this counts as an extra syllable.
* When a verse or line ends with a word with its emphasized syllable being the antepenultimate one, one syllable is subtracted from the count for the line.
* When a word ends with a vowel and is followed by a word beginning with a vowel, in the Spanish language these flow together, so it counts as only one syllable.
* When a strong vowel (a, o, e) is combined in a word with a weak vowel (i or u) and the emphasis is on the weak vowel, an accent is placed over the weak vowel and it is counted as a separate syllable.
I'd recommend beginners just try getting the basic form down first: 10 lines of 8, with the ABBAACCDDC pattern. Then tweak it accordingly.
So, if you're feeling up for a challenge, try the Decima! :)
Have a great one!
A tray full of money is not worth a mind full of knowledge. -Lao Proverb.
In the short version, the Decima is a poem that's one of the most complex forms of popular poetry.
The Decima is most effective when written in Spanish, where specific rules apply to vowels and accented words. (Yeah, Oscar, let's not intimidate folks here...) :)
The Decima follows this rhyme pattern:
ABBA ACCDDC
It's ten lines of 8 syllables.
80 total, but there's a catch we'll go into later.
Like a certain boardgame, it takes a minute to learn, a lifetime to master.
Let's first take a look at an example from George Santayana:
Decima
Silent daisies out of reach,
Maidens of the starry grass,
Gazing on me as I pass
With a look too wise for speech,
Teach me resignation,-teach
Patience to the barren clod,
As, above your happier sod,
Bending to the wind's caress,
You-unplucked, alas!-no less
Sweetly manifest the god.
As an aside, George Santayana is often remembered for:
'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'
But back to the Decima: If you can pull it off, it can be really magnificent.
Now, the Decima has extra rules to it:
* When a line or verse ends in with a word with an emphasized syllable, this counts as an extra syllable.
* When a verse or line ends with a word with its emphasized syllable being the antepenultimate one, one syllable is subtracted from the count for the line.
* When a word ends with a vowel and is followed by a word beginning with a vowel, in the Spanish language these flow together, so it counts as only one syllable.
* When a strong vowel (a, o, e) is combined in a word with a weak vowel (i or u) and the emphasis is on the weak vowel, an accent is placed over the weak vowel and it is counted as a separate syllable.
I'd recommend beginners just try getting the basic form down first: 10 lines of 8, with the ABBAACCDDC pattern. Then tweak it accordingly.
So, if you're feeling up for a challenge, try the Decima! :)
Have a great one!
A tray full of money is not worth a mind full of knowledge. -Lao Proverb.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
April Lao and Hmong Writing Opportunities
From the Editors of Bakka Magazine:
www.bakkamagazine.com
Currently, we are working on our sixth issue!
For the May issue, we have the following topics in mind and are looking for article submissions in the areas of:
* Boun Bang Fai(Fire Rocket Festival)
* Buddhism
-relevance in our globalized modern world?
-is it in a crisis in terms of waning attendance, relevance, and as effective moral leader?
*Giving money to family and relatives in Laos, a good idea?
* Whatever happened to the expat, anti-communist groups that were so active in the '80s? Where are they now?
*(and your favorite) Laotian guys who go back to Laos to get a wife, a good thing?
Currently, we can pay you $25 per article if we decide to post your work.
Visit Bakka Magazine online at www.bakkamagazine.com
Paj Ntaub Voice, the longest running literary journal of the Hmong community now has a myspace at http://www.myspace.com/pajntaubvoice . If you're on myspace, check it out, and add them as a friend! :)
www.bakkamagazine.com
Currently, we are working on our sixth issue!
For the May issue, we have the following topics in mind and are looking for article submissions in the areas of:
* Boun Bang Fai(Fire Rocket Festival)
* Buddhism
-relevance in our globalized modern world?
-is it in a crisis in terms of waning attendance, relevance, and as effective moral leader?
*Giving money to family and relatives in Laos, a good idea?
* Whatever happened to the expat, anti-communist groups that were so active in the '80s? Where are they now?
*(and your favorite) Laotian guys who go back to Laos to get a wife, a good thing?
Currently, we can pay you $25 per article if we decide to post your work.
Visit Bakka Magazine online at www.bakkamagazine.com
Paj Ntaub Voice, the longest running literary journal of the Hmong community now has a myspace at http://www.myspace.com/pajntaubvoice . If you're on myspace, check it out, and add them as a friend! :)
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