Asian Poetry

A timely, accessible, and beautifully written story exploring themes of food, friendship, family and what it means to belong, featuring sixth graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a white, Jewish girl taking a South Asian cooking class taught by Sara’s mom. Sixth graders Sara and...

"Take your time with these poems, and return to them often.” —The Washington Post The New York Times-bestselling collection of poems from the award-winning writer Ocean Vuong How else do we return to ourselves but to fold The page so it points to the good part In this deeply intimate...

Every single step you take forward, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is significant. No matter how small your daily progress may be, it all adds up in the end. Keep going, going, and going until you're proud. Standing and waiting for the storm to end won't end it unless you decide to go through it and face it. This book is a collection of prose with a soft poetic touch. It will help you understand what it means to keep moving forward in life, and it will remind you of the strength that lies within the broken pieces of yourself. It will take you on a journey to discover self-love. ...

From the National Book Award-winning author of Waiting: a narratively driven, deeply human biography of the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai—also known as Li Po In his own time (701–762), Li Bai's poems—shaped by Daoist thought and characterized by their passion, romance, and lust for life—were...

A powerful selection of poems by Kazakh poet Baktykozha Izmukhambetov, blending steppe traditions, history, and universal themes of honor, identity, and resilience—now available in English for the first time. The powerful voice of Baktykozha Izmukhambetov—one of Kazakhstan’s most respected contemporary poets—crosses borders to speak to readers around the world. With lyrical precision and unflinching honesty, Izmukhambetov reflects on identity, history, love for the homeland, and the human spirit’s resilience. From vivid portraits of the Kazakh steppe and its legends to deeply ...

From the award-winning author of Unsettled, Reem Faruqi, comes a stirring coming-of-age story about a Muslim girl who, during the Partition of India, must learn to cope with loss, guilt, and change in order to grow. Perfect for fans of Amil and the After and The Partition Project and inspired by...

“The Wolf Epoch” introduces English-speaking readers to the poetic voice of Nurlan Orazalin, a celebrated Kazakh poet, playwright, and laureate of the State Prize of Kazakhstan. Spanning themes of national identity, spiritual legacy, and the human condition, this anthology brings together selections from his many poetry collections — including Time of Music, Restless Heart, and Farewell to the Century. With lyrical richness, philosophical depth, and a profound connection to Kazakhstan’s cultural and natural heritage, The Wolf Epoch speaks to a global audience seeking poetry that ...

“A debut poetry collection showcasing both a fierce and tender new voice.”—Booklist “Elegant and playful . . . The poet invents new forms and updates classic ones.”—Elle “[Fatimah] Asghar interrogates divisions along lines of nationality, age, and gender, illuminating the forces...

Newbery Honor Book! A heartbreakingly hopeful novel in verse about an Indian American girl whose life is turned upside down when her mother is diagnosed with leukemia. * Walter Award Winner * New England Book Award Winner * An NCTE Notable Verse Novel * Golden Kite Award Winner * Crystal Kite...

From acclaimed poet Franny Choi comes a poetry collection for the ends of worlds—past, present, and future. Choi’s third book features poems about historical and impending apocalypses, alongside musings on our responsibilities to each other and visions for our collective survival. Many have...

NAMED AN ESSENTIAL READ OF THE YEAR BY THE New Yorker In his fourth book of poems, award-winning poet Garrett Hongo sees coastlines and waters, skylines and ancestral lines for what they inspire and teach. In a surpassingly beautiful collection of poems, with his characteristic long-lined...

A lush tapestry of poetry and prose, Here to Stay is an invitation to engage with a new field of contemporary American poetry. “I cannot separate my work from my undocumented identity.” —Aline Mello From the indomitable writers and activists Janine Joseph, Esther Lin, and Marcelo Hernandez...

Vidyan Ravinthiran was born in the north of England to Sri Lankan Tamils, and moved to the United States five years ago. Considering identity in both its political and psychological senses, he leaps adventurously between memoir and criticism, understanding his life through poetry, and vice versa. This electric, compelling hybrid memoir discovers a new way of writing about the self and also literature.

""An emotional tale of a family’s grief and healing, full of courage and hope"" —Kirkus ""Faruqi renders this tender story of loss with a deft hand, employing vivid details surrounding Adnan’s Pakistani Muslim identity . . . and nuanced characterizations to present a tear-jerking ode to...

The Indian Farmers Protest: The Resistance Collection (The Largest Protest in Human History 2020 - 2021). Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to The Indian Farmers Protest and learn about history.

A middle grade novel in verse about Samira, an eleven-year-old Rohingya refugee living in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, who finds strength and sisterhood in a local surf club for girls. Samira thinks of her life as before and after: before the burning and violence in her village in Burma, when she...

For fans of Other Words for Home and Front Desk, this powerful, charming own voices immigration story follows a girl who moves from Karachi, Pakistan, to Peachtree City, Georgia, and must find her footing in a new world. Reem Faruqi is the ALA Notable author of award-winning Lailah's Lunchbox...

Taiwanese immigrant Anna and her family make a shocking discovery that puts their American dreams at risk in this searing companion to In the Beautiful Country, which Gene Luen Yang called “vivid and hopeful.” * A Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices List Selection * Anna’s family...

For fans of Jasmine Warga and Thanhhà Lại, this is a stunning novel in verse about a young Taiwanese immigrant to America who is confronted by the stark difference between dreams and reality. Anna can’t wait to move to the beautiful country—the Chinese name for America. Although she’s...

The intensely confessional work of Japan’s most famous modernist poet, considered the Japanese Rimbaud, whose poems have inspired cultlike devotion—especially among fans of the hit anime show Bungo Stray Dogs—in a brilliant new translation, the most comprehensive in English A Penguin...