The following list of books are directly referenced in the exhibition. Lena and C pulled direct quotes from Ocean Vuong, Noor Hindi, Yanyi, and Min Jin Lee that are stitched and embroidered onto brocade banners.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is a floor-to-ceiling banner entitled "a gift from this mouth," which deconstructs and reassembles existing texts from four women writers of the Asian diaspora to create a new poetic work. One side of the banner combines words by the living poets Cathy Park Hong and Diana Khoi Nguyen—"bad english is our collateral our lost heritage as a gift"—, while the other side blends texts from the deceased Meena Alexander and Theresa Hak Kyung Cha—"exorcize from this mouth sweet vowels of flesh." Highlighting connections from the past and present, the collage poem juxtaposes these writers to illuminate the beauty and conflict within the diasporic relationship to the English language.
| Book Title | Author |
|---|---|
| On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous | Ocean Vuong |
| Ghost Of | Diana Khoi Nguyen |
| Root Fractures | Diana Khoi Nguyen |
| Minor Feelings | Cathy Park Hong |
| Illiterate Heart | Meena Alexander |
| Year of Blue Water | Yanyi |
| Pachinko | Min Jin Lee |
| Dictée | Theresa Hak Kyung Cha |
| Dear God. Dear Bones. Dear Yellow. | Noor Hindi |