As Americans, we are proud of our long history of welcoming immigrants from all parts of the world and value their contributions that add zest to our nation’s blend of cultures, customs, and traditions. To celebrate National Immigrants Day (October 28), poet Laurie Byro will discuss the poetry of Shirley Geok-lin Lim and Marilyn Chin, both immigrants to this country. Hard copies of their poems are available to pick up at the Help Desk, or you can print them yourself from this pdf. Feel free to bring in and share a poem related to immigration or "otherness". Find more poems on immigration on the Poetry Foundation website.
Shirley Geok-lin Lim was born in Malacca, Malaysia. She is an American writer of poetry, fiction, and criticism. Her first collection of poems, Crossing The Peninsula, published in 1980, won her the Commonwealth Poetry Prize, a first both for an Asian and for a woman.
Marilyn Chin is an award-winning poet and author. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Portland, Oregon, her works have become Asian-American classics and are taught in classroomsinternationally.