Reading a poet with deep SoCal roots.

By Mike Sonksen
FROM: Alta

According to a report from the California Department of Justice, hate crimes against Asian Americans in the state increased by 177.5 percent from 2020 to 2021. This epidemic of hate is nothing new to Japanese American poet Amy Uyematsu, whose new book, That Blue Trickster Time, came out in March.

“All of my books have included poems dealing with racism,” Uyematsu says. “This latest book included poems written during the COVID pandemic, with thousands of incidents of anti-Asian hatred, ranging from verbal assaults to physical violence.”

Uyematsu has flown below the radar for decades, despite the fact that she’s published since the 1970s, winning awards like the Nicholas Roerich Poetry Prize. With the publication of her sixth book, it’s a perfect moment to reflect on her considerable contributions to the Asian American movement.

Uyematsu was born in Pasadena in 1947. Her grandfather was an influential flower farmer before his properties were seized and he was interned with other Japanese American citizens during the Second World War. Her father’s family was held in Manzanar, the first internment camp, opened in March 1942. Uyematsu’s poem “36 Views of Manzanar” is a sweeping 18-page piece describing the camp through her father’s, grandfather’s, and aunt’s eyes: “Aunt Mare remembers / dirt piling up in the windows / and having to go outside / to shake sand out / from the bedding.” Read Rest of Article Here