English Faculty Collaborate on New Asian American Anthology

By Sarah Oktay

It all started when Esther Iwanaga, English Department lecturer, decided the text she was using in the “Introduction to Asian American Writing” course was lacking in diversity and breadth. After discussing the problem with Rajini Srikanth, a member of the English department who teaches “Asian American Literary Voices,” they decided that not only the class, but also the field of Asian American literature, could benefit from an anthology with equitable representation from a range of voices. Their collaboration blossomed into a literary reader spanning 100 years of Asian American writing.

Consciously avoiding the thematic, ethnocentric, and gender-specific limitations exhibited in some anthologies, Srikanth and Iwanaga choose from both established and new voices across four genres: memoirs, fiction, poetry, and drama. Each co-editor came up with a list of selections they felt should be included and these lists were winnowed down to selections in the final version. As a result, they produced a rich and varied volume that covers a wide spectrum of Asian American literature. Over 60 authors from diverse Asian American ethnicities are represented, including Bangladeshi, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, and Vietnamese. Each genre is introduced by a well-known author or scholar of the genre: Meena Alexander on memoirs, Eileen Tabios on poetry, Gary Pak on fiction, and Roberta Uno on drama. 

Bold Words is a timely contribution to the field as the number of Asian American Studies programs offered at universities increases as American’s population becomes more diverse and multi-ethnic.
The English Department, the Asian American Studies Program, Pacific Asian American Student Studies in Graduate Education, and the Institute for Asian American Studies (IAAS) co-sponsored a Bold Words book party April 11. Students Shana Penna, Nguyen Duy, Yung Mey Ng (James), and Kraig Ludensky read selections from the book and Alex Luu performed an excerpt from his play. A spontaneous discussion occurred at the end of the party with students, faculty, and other attendees gaining a deeper understanding of not only Asian American literature, but also what it means to be an Asian American.

Bold Words is available in the UMass Boston bookstore.

Image: Coauthors Rajini Srikanth and Esther Iwanaga of the English Department celebrate the publication of their new work: Bold Words: A Century of Asian American Writing. (Photo by Harry Brett).

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