Sally Wen Mao Talks Anna May Wong and Oculus

Sally Wen Mao talks to the The Rumpus Poetry Book Club about her new book, Oculus (Graywolf, 2019). The interview was conducted and edited by Brian Spears, who asks how a group of poems about Anna May Wong grew into a book. More:

Sally Wen Mao: ...Yes, so the group of poems began with “Anna May Wong Fans Her Time Machine.” That was the first poem I wrote, and I did envision it as a series early on. I found her biography so compelling, and I felt it was one way I can learn more about/do research on early Hollywood depictions of Asians and Asian Americans over the years, the past century. I had seen other poets work on series or even book-length projects in persona, so I decided to pursue this persona voice. I realized in the making of this series how Asian-themed films made during my childhood (in the 1990s and 2000s) also impacted me, and so it became a personal project, too.

Brian S: I really appreciated the way you dealt with the difficulties Wong had in her career, the limitations that were put on her by Hollywood, and the roles that were denied her and given to white actors in yellow face.

Sally Wen Mao: Thank you! These are difficulties that Asian-American actors still experience to some degree.

Brian S: Like, in the end of “Anna May Wong Fans Her Time Machine,” you end with the lines “Take me now, dear comet // to the future, where surely I’ll play / some girl from L.A., the unlikely heroine / who breaks up the brawl, saving everyone.” And how that’s not really a sure thing.

Sally Wen Mao: Yes, in that poem I wanted to depict her hopes for the future, and how it could change. But later, when she uses the time machine, she recognizes the hope as somewhat naive...

Read on at The Rumpus.