Projects 1. Saturday in October 2. Booklet Asian American3. Student Film Club, Festival 2016–2017 Advisors:Go Johnto: Cho and Michael Takeda 1. FCC website Toki Aoki, Davi Hay,2. My BenedictFCC Locquiao, Montha Mao, Octavio Mejia, Yecenia3. News andMejia, Events Ratana Serey, Jose Soto, Jarod Vaquilar,4. Asians Sarah in theXiong, City and Choua Yang Asian American Club, 2015-2016 Projects Advisors: John Cho and Michael Takeda 1. Saturday in October Asians in the City 2. Booklet 3. Student Film Festival 2017 Davi Hay, Kerly Keokominh, Jezebel Lopez, Go to: Ola Masbudi, Octavio Mejia, Ratana Serey, 1. FCC website Featuring student works of poetry, ction, non- ction, art and photography Nathan Teng, Steven Vang, Yang Vue, 2. My FCC 3. News and Events Aubrey Wu, Cali Xayavong, and Melody Zhou 4. Asians in the City Asian American Club, 2015-2016 Advisors: John Cho and Michael Takeda Davi Hay, Kerly Keokominh, Jezebel Lopez, Ola Masbudi, Octavio Mejia, Ratana Serey, Nathan Teng, Steven Vang, Yang Vue, Aubrey Wu, Cali Xayavong, and Melody Zhou Asians in the City Booklet 2017 Painting by Wu Daozi (680–740 AD), Tang Dynasty “Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application?” — From the Analects of Confucius The Asians in the City booklet is published each spring semester during the month of April by the Asian American Studies Program. The contents are primarily the creative work of Fresno City College students; the writers and artists retain all rights. The submission deadline for the 2018 Asians in the City booklet is February 28, 2018. For submission instructions, go to the Fresno City College website, My FCC, News and Events, then Asians in the City. Cover artwork: Judy Troehler is an art major at Fresno City College. Her favorite medium is oil painting, which she started about twelve years ago from a friend. The appeal of oil painting is the use of colors to reflect the qualities of soul and depth. She describes the art instructors at our campus as fantastic and a living inspiration to the students they teach and interact with. Title: The Umbrella is actually one of two paintings by Judy that were selected for the annual student art exhibition. The Umbrella has particular significance to Judy because it carries two direct linkages: it is a color rendition of her grandmother’s silk Asian umbrella and when she painted it, her age was the same as when her mother had passed. Fresno City College 1101 East University Avenue Fresno, California 93741 State Center Community College District ©2017 ii Purpose The purpose of the Asians in the City Booklet is to promote and encourage the creative and expressive work of students in the arenas of art and writing. The specific categories include the following: poetry, art, photography, fiction, and non-fiction. The work must be Asian- themed, but the qualification for being a contributor will never be race or ethnicity based. We realize and anticipate that the majority of contributors will be students of Fresno City College, but we welcome high school students, college students from other campuses, employees of Fresno City College, and community people to also submit their work to be printed and distributed. In summation, we want to publish student work to accentuate their self-understanding and expand the perspectives of the readers of our Asians in the City booklet. iii Sponsorship Appreciation is acknowledged for the monetary contributions by the fol- lowing organizations and individuals to allow us to print this publication. Asian American Club Associated Student Government Jill Minar, anthropology instructor Susana Sosa, art history instructor Mary Ann Valentino, psychology instructor Linda Vang, sociology instructor iv Acknowledgements The editors wish to thank and acknowledge the following individuals for their active contribution and support in allowing us to develop this project into its printed form. Dr. Carole Goldsmith President, Fresno City College Dr. Jennifer Johnson Dean of Instruction, Humanities, Fresno City College Dr. Peg Mericle Dean of Social Sciences, Fresno City College Dr. Neil Vanderpool Dean of Fine, Performing, and Communication Arts, Fresno City College Mary Doyle Manager, Print, Media & Communications, Fresno City College Ben Lozano Graphic Designer, Fresno City College v Editorial Staff Managing Editor John Cho Asian American Studies Instructor, Social Sciences Division Poetry Editor Kenneth Chacon English Instructor, Humanities Division Art and Photography Editor Susana Sosa Art History Instructor, Fine, Performing, and Communication Arts Division Fiction and Non-Fiction Editor Michael Takeda Reading Instructor, Humanities Division vi Dedication to Lee Herrick Lee Herrick is an English instructor at Fresno City College. He started teaching here in 1997. He has written two books of poetry, This Many Miles from Desire in 2007 and Gardening Secrets of the Dead in 2012. Many of his poems have been published in literary magazines and poetry anthologies. One of his greatest achievements as a poet was being nominated and appointed as Poet Laureate for the City of Fresno for the period of 2015 thru 2017. As part of this distinguished honor, Lee has spoken and read to youth groups and incarcerated prisoners, organized Lit Hop which was a one day gathering of more than one hundred writers, and wrote a poem titled “Truths.” (re-printed in this publication) Lee Herrick’s words of advice to starting writers: “Remember your fire. Honor what fuels you. Read everything and write your truths.” vii Table of Contents Purpose. .iii Sponsorship. .iv Acknowledgements ������������������������������������������������������������������������������v Editorial Staff. .vi Dedication to Lee Herrick . vii Poetry Truths, Lee Herrick �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3 I Don’t Eat Cats or Dogs, Debbie Sayachack � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4 Awakening Hero, an ode to my father, Cho Jin Hong, John Cho . 5 A Hmong Father’s Dream, Choua Yang� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 7 Orphan of the State, Angelic Pool � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 9 New Year Love: Throw Ball (Love found), Joseph Jernigan � � � � � 10 Eggroll, Debbie Sayachack� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 11 Hmong Daughter, Annie Moua� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 12 Dead Dogs Diatribe, John Cho �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 13 Hmong, a Floating Leaf in the Wind, Elizabeth C� Mouavangsou � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 15 Art The Umbrella, Judy Troehler � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 21 Beauty, Shelbi Sorrondo � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 22 My Desperations, Sujin Kim �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 23 Year of the Rooster, Nina Li � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 24 Untitled, Rudy “Bear” Olivares � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 25 viii “Free” Tibetan Currency, Lisa Spoors � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 26 Untitled, Chris Campbell �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 27 Monsoon, Hayato Mikami � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 28 Good Luck, Daisee Fuentes �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 29 Spring Bloom, Cali Xayavong � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 30 Photography Timeless, Amy Pearce �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 33 Untitled, Kiley Taunton � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 34 Lao Cuisine, Tori Xayavong � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 35 Untitled (Relief Sculpture), Kevin Fox � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 36 Fiction Divorce and Marriage, John Cho �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 39 Spring Bloom, Cali Xayavong � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 43 Non-Fiction Free Will, Debbie Sayachack � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 53 Sticky Rice and Jeow, Debbie Sayachack � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 54 White Face, Debbie Sayachack � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 55 30 Years of Change, A Quick View of Hmong Culture in America, Choua Yang� � � � � 56 Why Kung-fu, John Cho � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 59 A Past Resurfaced, Memories of Survival and Escape from the Khmer Rouge, Vanna Nauk� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 64 ix Poetry Truths Lee Herrick “Some things you know all your life� They are so simple and true, they must be said without elegance�” — Philip Levine I will say it like this: I watched my daughter bite into a peach, and although she did not have the language for it yet, I imagined her thinking, that taste, that perfect juice, is heavenly. There was a certain light in Fresno that day, like today, where we work, dream, and play--- Mayor and mothers, farmers and fathers, laborers in blue collars and donors for the red wave, one city of multiple truths straight down the 99 dreaming about the perfect peach, the perfect pitch, one city in the shape of an immigrant’s beautiful accent, one city of taco, gyro, pan dulce, and strawberries so good, you’d swear they came straight from the hand of God, one city, in my dream, where there are no gunshots tonight or the next one hundred starlit nights, one simple truth called the fig tree, the ash tree, one poet’s testimony stripped of its elegance for the city to consider: in which of our ninety languages should I say that I love you? Which of our two hundred and fifty different crops would you like to taste, to imagine its perfect juice? My truths involve dreams, stars, hard work and good pay for the ice worker, the tractor driver, the backyard gardener, the students and the teachers, the nurses and the preachers. The fog on a country