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beebeewin's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
I really enjoyed this collection of poems! If you can, I would definitely recommend picking this collection up. Carlina Duan writes with a lot of emotion, respect, and honesty. She transports you to the lives of Chinese immigrants, especially through her Alien Miss sequence of poems, with a powerful voice and stinging bite. She doesn't seem to flinch away from the truth of xenophobia, sexism, and cruelty of the US. Despite talking about some intense topics, her prose is beautiful and after reading some of them I had to pause to soak in all her immaculate wording. She made me think about my immigrant ancestors and the work they put into this world to give me the chance to live the life I do. Her poems remind me of the power of family and community to create, care, and build up one another. Take some time to read this and immerse yourself in the incredible skill that Duan has.
My favorite poems were: Feast; Love Potion; Do You Have a Grammatically Correct Response to the Question?; Sitting on a U.S. Bench, a Mosquito Takes My Blood
Favorite short quote "but say what you want. my aunties. they made a world for me in their kitchens. they taught me how to live." Kitchens are always the place where I felt most loved, alive, and connected to my family and history!
My favorite poems were: Feast; Love Potion; Do You Have a Grammatically Correct Response to the Question?; Sitting on a U.S. Bench, a Mosquito Takes My Blood
Favorite short quote "but say what you want. my aunties. they made a world for me in their kitchens. they taught me how to live." Kitchens are always the place where I felt most loved, alive, and connected to my family and history!
greeniezona's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I saw Duan read (mostly) from this collection at a reading with Farnaz Fatemi. Unfortunately, this collection was on back-order from the publisher at the time, so the venue didn't have any copies for sale. But her words stayed with me such that when I got home I added myself to the back-order list the very next day.
At the reading she read a powerful poem on language and hate and identity, but my favorite, the one that drove me to the publisher's website to click Buy, was "Possible" — about finding the inspiration to be possible — to be your self and have a voice and claim your space — a bit that stuck in my head (my soul) was about the "purpling" of the lilacs in the backyard. It brought me to tears, but with JOY and POSSIBILITY.
Once I had the collection in my hot little hands, I added more poems to my list of favorites, especially "Love Potion" and "Dear Tinder Screen," but "Possible" remains at the top of the list.
At the reading she read a powerful poem on language and hate and identity, but my favorite, the one that drove me to the publisher's website to click Buy, was "Possible" — about finding the inspiration to be possible — to be your self and have a voice and claim your space — a bit that stuck in my head (my soul) was about the "purpling" of the lilacs in the backyard. It brought me to tears, but with JOY and POSSIBILITY.
Once I had the collection in my hot little hands, I added more poems to my list of favorites, especially "Love Potion" and "Dear Tinder Screen," but "Possible" remains at the top of the list.
— & oh, I am possible again. I am
a fragrant, silly self today. I thank
the worms who eat the dirt who
break down the soil who make
the lilacs possible and young, forever
purpling...
theroguerecommender's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
In Alien Miss, Carolina Duan explores what it means to be read as “alien,” weaving together Chinese American history, her relationships with her family members, and her own upbringing in the Midwest. Duan has a beautiful lyricism to her writing, and she ties together the entire collection with specific phrases and through lines (though each poem can be read on its own as well). Alien Miss is packed with moments of joy, moments of resistance, and quiet images of intimacy.
While I loved the entire book, there were a few standout pieces for me, including:
-The Alien Miss sequence, which includes six poems and puts the anonymous Alien Miss character in conversation with historical documents and the author herself.
-Do You Have a Grammatically Correct Response to the Question?
-On Mackinac Island, I Cast a Spell
Overall, I highly recommend this book! While some of the poems are more experimental in form, I think Duan’s hauntingly beautiful writing will work for folks who read poetry and those looking to dabble and wanting a strong collection to start with.
While I loved the entire book, there were a few standout pieces for me, including:
-The Alien Miss sequence, which includes six poems and puts the anonymous Alien Miss character in conversation with historical documents and the author herself.
-Do You Have a Grammatically Correct Response to the Question?
-On Mackinac Island, I Cast a Spell
Overall, I highly recommend this book! While some of the poems are more experimental in form, I think Duan’s hauntingly beautiful writing will work for folks who read poetry and those looking to dabble and wanting a strong collection to start with.
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