INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR

(1) What diasporas do you write into, and what diasporas do you write to create?

I’m writing into Asian American diasporas rooted firmly in legacies of transpacific solidarity against empire and borders. In turn, I wish to create diasporas that help us to recognize our shared struggles in the fight for collective liberation. 

(2) Where does this piece land within the greater history, body, and/or evolution of your work?

“Pyromancy” is a piece that I began writing a number of years ago but shelved for a long time after finding myself struggling to claim an identity as a poet. I was inspired to revisit my earlier drafts and rework the piece into a concrete poem after encountering work by Jane Shi and Layli Long Soldier that was playing with space, form, and text.

(3) How do "xenolithic edges” show up in your piece?

My piece is writing against a culture of white supremacy which has largely normalized the deaths of others solely for the sake of convenience and profit. I’m interested in opposing these deadly hierarchies, and asking whether slowing down (both literally and figuratively) might help us all to live more free and full lives.