Creative Writing by Amanda Tien

V) Google Vincent Chin. Worry that in 39 years, no one will talk about the Atlanta shootings except Asian Americans, because those are the only people who still talk about Vincent Chin.

Try to say “Xiaolongbao” at home,
but, afraid
to boof it, at the restaurant,
just point at the menu.

Find a used copy of The Tao of Pooh at a bookstore in Boulder, Colorado, surrounded by the whitest people you have ever seen.

Feel terrible about yourself for years. Think about how bamboo can survive everywhere, anywhere, except in your care. Convince yourself you are not allowed to care for living things.

Only after I raised two babies did I see the ocean. It was always there, I guess. On the other side of Virginia where people had homes and families.