Nadia Siu Van
Review of brat

Review of brat

brat By Sophie Crocker Gordon Hill Press 76 pages, $20  Mythic, chaotic, and fiercely funny, Sophie Crocker’s brat is an anthology of lovers and creatures, intimate self-portraits, and candid observations about life and the world. From rat kings, riot dogs, and...

Phantompains

Phantompains

Drawing on Filipino horror and mythology, Estacion turns to monsters, ghosts, and beasts to navigate her personal pain and grief. Mirroring the loss of her own reproductive organs, she weaves in supernatural imagery of The White Lady, who weeps over the “dead uterus lying sadly on a / pillow looking very much like / the burnt pork belly at breakfast no one wants to touch.”

Kimiko Does Cancer

Kimiko Does Cancer

In the same spirit as the opening page, the book wastes no time diving into Tobimatsu’s diagnosis, treatment, and the aftermath, allowing the reader to get some glimpse into Tobimatsu’s whirlwind of emotions after being diagnosed at the young age of 25. In a matter of days, the diagnosis forced Tobimatsu to make long-term decisions about her fertility, while doctors gave her heteronormative advice on sexual health and appearance.

I Can’t Get You Out of My Mind

I Can’t Get You Out of My Mind

Marianne Apostolides Book*hug Press, 363 pages, $23.00, 2020 Marianne Apostolides delves into the philosophical writings of J.L. Austin and Jacques Derrida in the first few pages of her ambitious novel on what it means to say “I love you”—a universal utterance that is...

Tension

Tension

Tension, a graphic memoir by Afro-Asian artist Pearl Low, is about a woman learning to love and embrace her roots—literally. “I never used to mind my hair. . . until other people started to,” she writes in the opening strip, which depicts a younger Low who bemoans her...

Letters to My Father

Letters to My Father

Bänoo Zan’s second book of poetry, Letters to My Father, opens with her rationale for seeking refuge in poetry, and fleeing from stories. Bänoo Zan’s second book of poetry, Letters to My Father, opens with her rationale for seeking refuge in poetry, and fleeing from...

In-Between Days

In-Between Days

By recounting the unresolved hurt of her past, and facing the uncertainty of her future, Harrison—who was diagnosed with advanced metastatic breast cancer in 2013—has found one way to reclaim power from the “bogeyman” that is her illness. “It’s the unspoken that is...

Seven Nights with the Chinese Zodiac

Seven Nights with the Chinese Zodiac

Yin weaves together images and mythology from both the Eastern and the Western worlds, creating a universe where the extraordinary is ordinary. Anna Yin is a vivid dreamer. In her newest poetry collection, Seven Nights with the Chinese Zodiac, Yin weaves together...