Asian Reads | Issue 03

From Body Image to Mental Health: 5 Asian Writers Speak Out

Asian Writers’ Collective is a publication dedicated to fostering greater understanding and appreciation of Asian cultures and experiences among a global readership. Subscribe to the Asian Writer’s Collective to decolonize your reading and discover unique writing.

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A quick note from this month’s curator: Hi all, I’m

christa lei (they/them)

. I write mostly about relationships, disability, health and care through the lens of pop culture. Some of my favourite posts I’ve written are How to Dump Your Therapist After Seven Years, My Cup Overfloweth With My Tears, and intimacy and time.

Thank you so much for engaging and making Asian Writers Collective into a place where we can gather to talk story (a local Hawaiian colloquialism that means “shoot the sh*t”) and share our work. This month’s selection of reads was meant to be for last month— but with my recurring health issues and strict need for rest, delayed until this one. I’m excited to share five picks I found myself re-reading. I keep returning to their words like a salve for my soul, and I hope you will too.

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ASIAN-AMERICAN IDENTITY & FEMINISM

What Does It Mean to Live in an Asian Female Body in America?

Louisa’s post about what it’s like to live in an Asian Female Body broke my heart. Reminiscent of Cathy Park Hong’s Minor Feelings, Louisa goes into well-researched and meticulous detail about what it’s like to live through a fetishized gaze, and what it’s like to be objectified as an Asian person, especially those who belong to a gender minority. Weaving in her personal experiences within the context of a greater systemic issue (white supremacy, of course) I found this essay to exemplify the type of hard-hitting, emotional and timely content that is representative of common values and experiences within an Asian-American context.

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FASHION & CAPITALISM

what i talk about when i talk about clothing

Caroline and I share a love of fashion, which is why this hit so hard for me. One of the biggest concerns with rampant consumerism is the amount of waste produced! She provides many reputable data and sources while interweaving vignettes from her life in this essay. Part of the philosophical meditation on the state of fashion is a critical primer into how one can ethically balance the state of affairs with one's love of fashion. Compelling!

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FOOD, CRAFT (WRITING), IDENTITY

Stories I Wrote While Waiting for You To Tell Them To Me

Food is an art, a means of connection, and an extended metaphor for creation, culture and identity. Suyin talks about her experience at a writing workshop through the lens of food, and weaves stories from her past as well as her own poetry in this exceptionally written piece. I love the meta exploration of her relationship with food, and mentioning particular dishes from her past (like oyakodon— and includes a recipe!) which adds rich detail— enough to make me hungry every time I re-read it :-)

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MEDICINE, HEALTH/WELLNESS

Anti-Fatness Is Bad Medicine

Dr. Zha’s post about anti-fatness is radical. I chose this post in particular because I want to reiterate how shocking it is for a physician to write about fatness in this way. As someone fat, I have medical trauma from bad experiences and am a champion of the Health at Every Size movement. I’m in awe at the compassion and love that Dr. Zha has as someone who is part of the medical-industrial complex. It’s an easy read, but it might challenge your misconceptions about size if you’re not used to it. Coming from an immigrant family who sends mixed messages about my size, this piece was something I needed to feature to hammer the message home.

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MENTAL HEALTH, MEDICINE, ADVOCACY

The Breakdown

I had to feature a kababayan on this list, what kind of Filipine-American would I be if I didn’t? Luckily Barb, who received her MFA in Creative Writing, wrote this beautiful post about her experiences grappling with her mental health and disabilities. It reminds me that healing is not a linear journey, and that unfortunately, stigma looms large within societal structures. And that those structures do not protect us. The straightforward, but chillingly detailed prose about how educators are criminally underpaid and the effective interdependence and love/support from a loved one is the highlight.

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This issue of AWC features was curated by

christa lei (they/them)

of is this what you want?. If you enjoyed these picks, be sure to subscribe.

If you liked this, check out the previous edition

Asian Reads | Issue 02