What is _____ in America?

_____ in America is an anthology of writing by people of Asian descent about their identity, experiences, and relationship with “America” that will be published by The Pariah. We put “America” in quotation marks to signify that, while it names a place and a nation, the word “America” is also a complicated idea—an unstable concept—that means different things to different people. The anthology is part of a project undertaken by William Boo and Kei Obata.

Who should contribute?

Any person of Asian or mixed Asian descent who has a story to tell about their identity in America.

Can I contribute anonymously?

Yes! You may be published anonymously. For the editing process, however, we will need your email in order to give you feedback. We only have two editors (William and Kei) working on this project, and we are committed to maintaining your privacy.

Guidelines

We will accept any writing that follows the following basic guidelines:

1. Some derivative of the phrase “_____ in America” is used, somewhere in the piece. It can be a line, a title, or embedded in the theme of the work (meaning it does not even have to be stated explicitly).

2. The piece explores Asian identity in America in some way.

3. The piece is submitted before 3/3 at 11:59pm

4. The piece is less than 3000 words.

5. One person may only submit a maximum of 3 pieces.

Some ideas to get you started

Some potential prompts

• Take your name home

• Trace your family lineage across generations! Think about what your name means to the places you call home!

• Movement

• Describe a scene of movement, of forsaking one place for another. Or perhaps a time when something changed completely. Think about, then describe the emotions, weather, setting, people, etc.

• Write a letter to ancestor

• Write a letter to an ancestor! This could be a letter of gratitude, indictment, love, etc.

• ______ in America

• Write a first line or title using “______ in America,” then see where it takes you!

Some potential forms

• Villanelle (explanation of format is linked here)

• Six-word memoir (example: “Fresh Off the Boat” 6-word memoir project is linked here)

• Write a memoir in six words. You could take this as a foundation for a longer piece as well.

• Letter

• Write a letter in any form. This could mean a formal letter, an essay, a poem, etc.

• Sestina (explanation of format is linked here)

• “The Things They Carried” format

• Write a piece describing people by what they consider to be important. Bring the descriptions back to a central theme. You could, for example, describe what your grandparents brought to America when they moved in order to make a point about their cultural values.

Some examples written by William and Kei

• We have written some of our own stories as examples. If you want to take a look, please click here! This will be the page where all of your pieces will be published!

Goals of the Anthology

1. Memorialize your stories

2. Provide a sense of solidarity among people of diverse Asian backgrounds

3. Demonstrate how Asian stories are fundamentally American

Mission Statement

This anthology is designed to memorialize Asian stories, then portray those stories as fundamentally American in order to dismantle the “perpetual foreigner” stereotype.

Editing Process

1. All work that follows the basic guidelines will be accepted (see “Guidelines”).

2. Fill out the submission form by Friday, 3/3 at 11:59pm. In the form, you will select how heavily you would like us to edit your work. Based on your selection, we will provide feedback and correspond.

3. We will publish on Friday, 3/10.

Any Questions?

Please email William (wboo23@andover.edu) and Kei (kobata23@andover.edu) if you have questions about the anthology!