Theresa Hak Young Cha (1982) Dictée
A classic work of autobiography (poetry) that transcends the self, Dictée is the story of several women: the Korean revolutionary Yu Guan Soon, Joan of Arc, Demeter and Persephone, Cha’s mother Hyung Soon Huo (a Korean born in Manchuria to first-generation Korean exiles), and Cha herself. The elements that unite these women are suffering and the transcendence of suffering.
Cathy Park Hong (2002) Translating Mo’Um
A challenging collection of poems that maintain the reader's interest with moments of startling honesty and clarity, as the author translates, narrates and does battle with the traditions and histories she has inherited from her Korean background and the dictates of contemporary America where she lives.
Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (2015) Bodymap
A powerful book of poetry about the intersections of disability, race, gender, class, and sexuality written by a disabled queer femme of color.
Nayyirah Waheed (2015) Salt
A journey through warmth and sharpness, this collection of poetry explores the realities of multiple identities, language, diasporic life & pain, the self, community, healing, celebration, and love. Nayyirah Waheed writes about what it means to be a social justice warrior simply by existing, taking up space, and being a whole human being; she highlights the importance of self-care; she writes about struggles with body image from a POC lens; she challenges gender norms; she writes about being a black woman; she writes about being a woman of color.