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#poetrymatters #treaty #occidentalism #sallywenmao

Really enjoyed this poetry collection, reflective and with lots of lines that stayed with me.

This is a charming poetry collection. I have been very into the Anna May Wong series, critiquing yellow face and the way Asians have been portrayed - or not - in cinema, especially relevant in light of recent Oscar snubs. Highly recommend all these poems.

#poemsbeforephones As the title implies, these poems focus on the voyeuristic tendencies of humans. Watching of girls and women, particularly Asian women, as entertainment. Many center around the 1930s actress Anna May Wong. Maybe this focus detracted from the structure of the collection as it started to seem repetitive. Mao is clearly a poet of great talent, but the overall collection left me without a strong impression of like or dislike.

#poemsbeforephones I‘ve been reading from this collection in the mornings. While I‘m liking it, I‘m just not finding that many quotable passages. The title of this one though - The Mongolian Cow Sour Yogurt Super Voice Girl. Quite a mouthful. Apparently, this was a tv show in China from 2004-2006. Maybe it sounds better in Mandarin.

#poemsbeforephones I‘m back to poems before phones today and just started this new collection. I read four this morning. The quote above from the poem “Occidentalism” struck me.