The Nuyorasian Anthology: Asian American Writings About New York City

The history of Asian Americans in the United States has traditionally been focused on the West Coast and Hawaii; yet, the community on the East Coast, particularly New York City, has been steadily growing since the first three Chinese students came to the city in 1847. A collection of fiction, poetry, essays and art, The NuyorAsian Anthology maps Asian American life in New York City, beginning with works by poet Jose Garcia Villa in the 1930s and the birth of the Asian American literary and political movement in the 1970s. The collection also explores the more contemporary voices of Pico Iyer, Bharati Mukherjee, Jessica Hagedorn, Kimiko Hahn, Vijay Seshadri, Wang Ping, and many others. Ranging in age from 16 to 87, more than sixty writers and artists look at love and loss, work and history, identity and sexuality, loneliness and dislocation, giving a closer look at the most diverse ethnic community in the United States. Their language is raw and experimental, yet immediately classic. The NuyorAsian Anthology examines the character of New York City itself, its intense dynamic, and its residents' attempts to decipher its ever elusive meanings. New York has been the home and inspiration of many of the most important artists of our time -- including some of our most extraordinary Asian American voices. Like the city about which they are written, these are stories, poems and essays that stare back: unencumbered, longing, distanced, and moving.