Vecchione Patrice, Raymond Alyssa (eds.) Ink knows no borders: Poems of the immigrant and refugee experience

New York: Triangle Square, 2019. — 208 p. — ISBN10: 1609809076; ISBN13: 978-1609809072A compilation of 65 poems that offer diverse and distinct narratives about the immigrant and refugee experiences. From being the child of immigrants to being a child immigrant, this collection contains stories of those pursuing the American dream — which sometimes turns into a nightmare. The duality and halfness of the immigrant or refugee identity, the pride, shame, and confusion it can bring, are explored in heartbreaking, breathtaking words. This collection cuts right to the heart of the matter at a time when it is most relevant. But as these pieces — originally published between 1984 and 2018 — show, immigration stories are perennially relevant. Authors take their pain and use it to paint gripping accounts of racism, culture shock, separation from family, and the splitting of one's self that so often occur when dwelling within, outside, and along borders. It is but a glimpse into all the hardships — emotional, physical, mental and otherwise — that displaced people face. The poems take a variety of forms, and the contributors and their families have origins in Nigeria, the Philippines, South Korea, Pakistan, Guyana, Mexico, Syria, Sudan, Guam, Russia, Turkey, and more. Some contributors' names will be familiar to YA readers, including Elizabeth Acevedo, Samira Ahmed, and Gary Soto. This symphony of poetry is a necessary series of bruises and balms that will comfort those who have endured, uplift those who continue to struggle, and educate others.Editors’ Note. Patrice Vecchione and Alyssa Raymond
Foreword. Javier ZamoraDeparture: July 30, 1984. Joseph O. Legaspi
Immigrant. Lena Khalaf Tuffaha
First Light. Chen Chen
Origin / Adoption. Marci Calabretta Cancio-Bello
Dear America. Sholeh Wolpé
Second Attempt Crossing. Javier Zamora
Bent to the Earth. Blas Manuel De Luna
A Hymn to Childhood. Li-Young Lee
Immigrant Aria. Rajiv Mohabir
On Being American. Samira Ahmed
Oklahoma. Hala Alyan
On Listening to Your Teacher Take Attendance. Aimee Nezhukumatathil
The Break-In. Hafizah Geter
#Sanctuary. JoAnn Balingit
Extended Stay America. Janine Joseph
Choi Jeong Min. Franny Choi
Muslim Girlhood. Leila Chatti
Fluency. Michelle Brittan Rosado
Master Film. Solmaz Sharif
The Key. Ladan Osman
Ode to the Heart. Ellen Bass
The Sign in My Father’s Hands. Martín Espada
History Lesson. Jeff Coomer
My Father Takes to the Road. Jeff Tagami
My Grandmother Washes Her Feet in the Sink of the Bathroom at Sears. Mohja Kahf
Frank’s Nursery and Crafts. Bao Phi
In Colorado My Father Scoured and Stacked Dishes. Eduardo C. Corral
Learning to Pray. Kaveh Akbar
Naturalization. Jenny Xie
East Mountain View. Paul Tran
Acolyte. Tarfia Faizullah
Tater Tot Hot-Dish. Hieu Minh Nguyen
Pronounced. Carlos Andrés Gómez
Off-Island Chamorros. Craig Santos Perez
A New National Anthem. Ada Limón
Portrait of Isako in Wartime. Mia Ayumi Malhotra
Domesticity. Kristin Chang
The Poet at Fifteen. Erika L. Sánchez
Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong. Ocean Vuong
ode to the first white girl i ever loved. José Olivarez
Talks about Race. Mahtem Shiferraw
Mama. Emtithal Mahmoud
Split. Cathy Linh Che
When the Man at the Party Said He Wanted to Own a Filipino. Marianne Chan
Ode to Enclaves. Chrysanthemum Tran
Ethnic Studies. Terisa Siagatonu
The Day I Realized We Were Black. Yesenia Montilla
quaking conversation. Lenelle Moïse
Atlantis. Elizabeth Acevedo
The Border: A Double Sonnet. Alberto Ríos
Las Casas Across Nations. Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs
Mexicans Begin Jogging. Gary Soto
Field Guide Ending in a Deportation. Marcelo Hernandez Castillo
I Used to Be Much Much Darker. Francisco X. Alarcón
A Habitable Grief. Eavan Boland
Return. Gala Mukomolova
Adrift. Alice Tao
Author’s Prayer. Ilya Kaminsky
Game Of Thrones. Fatimah Asghar
Oh, Daughter. Monica Sok
Refugees. Brian Bilston
Home. Safiya Sinclair
Undocumented Joy. Yosimar Reyes
self-portrait with no flag. Safia ElhilloAfterword. Emtithal MahmoudBiographies