Now Available → Designed, published and available for purchase via Coffee House Press. A rhapsodic exploration of immigration, race, and class by Vietnamese American phenom and National Poetry Slam star Bao Phi. Dynamic and eye-opening, this debut by a National Poetry Slam finalist critiques an America sleepwalking through its days and explores the contradictions of race and class in America. Excerpt From “Prince Among Men” When it feels like no
The Godzilla Sestina
September 6, 2011
A sestina is an Italian poetic form consisting of six stanzas with six lines each plus a three line envoi at the end. The last word of each sentence, the teleutons, are repeated in a specific order, and the envoi contains all six teleutons in a specific order. The format is abcdef, faebdc, cfdabe, ecbfad, deacfb, bdfeca, envoi: be dc fa. In other words, sestinas are a pain in the
The Crossroads of Convenience Stores
August 19, 2011
by Douglas Kearney and Bao Phi (listen and download here) DK BOTH BP We meet at the crossroads of convenience stores in a galaxy of bulletproof glass, chanting a battle hymn of broken English. We remix dynamite and bullwhips. Pull sips from tears in the crow’s feet scratching black eyes. I said: we remix dynamite and bullwhips into poetry tattooed on bamboo splinters and the walls of Angel Island. Tattooed
Last Name First
September 12, 2005
Poems by Thien-Bao Phi chapbook designed by Douglas Kearney with artwork by Chamindika Wanduragala
The Way We Pay
September 1, 2004
Poetry by Thien-Bao Phi limited edition of 50 chapbook designed by Douglas Kearney with artwork by Sylvia Quan La Includes: FOBulous Giving My Neighbor a Ride to Her Job Race Musings on How I Regard Asian American Literature Riot Bread and Glass Miss Saigon Every Day People No Offense Mass Transit For Colored Boys in Danger of Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome and All the Rest For Whom Considering Suicide
Refugeography
October 29, 2002
Written and performed by Bao Phi Recorded and mixed by Larry Lucio, Jr. Artwork by Chamindika Wanduragala. Currently only available for digital download. Refugeography Disc 1 by Bao Phi TRACKLISTING You Bring Out… (inspired by Sandra Cisneros, “You Bring Out the Mexican In Me”) Intro (written and performed by Theresa Vu of Magnetic North) Today (ft. vocals by Emily Chang and Seng Chen on bass) Reverse Racism For Colored Boys
Surviving the Translation (chapbook)
September 1, 2002
Collected Poems from 1993 – 2002 chapbook designed by Douglas Kearney with artwork by Phloe Includes: Space Dear Senator McCain Poetry Never Leads to Love Surviving the Translation Light Bright Lady Reverse Racist Called Missed Sigh Gone What’s an Asian Man? You Bring Out the Vietnamese in Me Dandelions Birthday Yellowbrown Babies for the Revolution For Us