Yellowface
Chinese American,
author says.
Why Chinese American?
moderator asks,
You grew up in Dallas. Why
not just American?
Undergrads shift.
What about Pearl Buck
as an influence? alumna
asks, Surely her books
were at your local library?
Buck, author replies,
though born in China,
though fluent in Chinese,
wrote for the white gaze.
Undergrads roll their eyes,
shake their heads,
sigh.
Moderator calls author:
pretty . . . beautiful . . .
an attractive young woman
such as yourself . . .
During book signing, fan
asks moderator, why
is her appearance relevant
to her writing, her intellect?
Susanna Horng’s poems and stories have been published in The Rumpus, Minerva Rising, and Bennington Review. She is a clinical professor in Liberal Studies at NYU.
The Marbled Sigh 