Rise: Essays Experience the emotional power of verse that speaks to rising up and being seen. These poems express the rhythm of resistance, the language of cultural pride, and the cadence of hope that drives Asian and Asian American voices to stand tall.
Blackout Poem on Brandon Tsay’s Interview with NPR - Michelle So "The Monterey Park shooting devastated my high school and community, which is just 10 minutes from the Star Ballroom Dance studio where 11 were killed. Many students knew a relative or family friend who was in some way related to the incident. The owner of beloved donut shop lost a friend; my friend's mother narrowly avoided the shooting, staying home due to a headache. Despite this, the Asian American community in the San Gabriel valley is tight-knit and resilient. This poem emphasizes the damaging cost of weapons on the community by focusing on one incident by extracted and gleaning words from an interview with an unlikely hero, Brandon Tsay, yet shows that this community can carry on." My Mother Is Stitching Herself Saarees/It Has Happened - Arham Hasmi "Both my pieces talk about the theme of belonging and who shapes up the mutiple meanings of belonging in our lives. In my poems, I offer an insight into my two lives: one at home where people do not know much about me yet I feel grounded, and one away from home where it all changes." Partition, 1947 - Kashi Saloni "My grandmother was born in current day Pakistan, but when she was born there (pre-Partition) it was still considered India. She rarely discusses her life before immigrating to Montreal. I often think about her childhood, and decided to explore anger, grief, and hope framed in her perspective. It explores diaspora and loss, and the bloodshed of fifteen million displaced people, resulting in over a million deaths. The piece ends by referencing how the Partition of India has affected her relationship to me, and her other grandchildren. It is up to us to navigate this new world, and remember all that our grandparents and great-grandparents lived through." they taught me how to run - Kashi Saloni "I wrote this poem after participating in my university’s overnight encampment for Palestine. I had just left class, and saw hundreds of cops surrounding our small encampment of about 20 students holding hands. I was protesting outside the blockade with other students. The police demonstrated violence, and arrested 20 students for a peaceful protest against genocide. One student stood on top of a large concrete block, waving the Palestinian flag, minutes before arrest. A few weeks prior, I had also witnessed the arrest of one of my closest friends at a different university for peacefully protesting. This poem explores these events, and the students’ support for Palestine. We are here to create change, and to fight for a better future." Stay - Penelope Hartogensis "One of my most important communities is the mental health community. And when I think about how I support my community or gain visibility, I think of helping people within the community. I wanted to portray the struggle with mental illness/health and convey how we help and support each other. For me, that is the most valuable way to raise my community, through humanizing mental health/illness to hopefully break through stigma." 
