Oculus is a 2019 poetry collection by Sally Wen Mao, published by Graywolf Press. Mao's second poetry collection, it was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Poetry.[1]
 | |
| Author | Sally Wen Mao |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Graywolf Press |
Publication date | January 15, 2019 |
| Pages | 96 |
| ISBN | 978-1555978259 |
| Preceded by | Mad Honey Symposium |
| Followed by | The Kingdom of Surfaces |
Contents
editThe book's poems include themes of observation, performance, technology, persona, and media forms. The first poem named "Oculus", after the book's title, concerns a 2014 incident in which a suicide in Shanghai was virally documented on an Instagram account, which Mao herself saw while scrolling on the social media platform.[2] The second poem named "Oculus" is set during Solange Knowles' performance at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
The book also makes references to other works of media. Twelve poems are centered around a speculative reinterpretation of Anna May Wong, who is considered to be the first Chinese American film star, such as "Anna May Wong on Silent Films" and "Anna May Wong Goes Viral". "Anna May Wong Blows Out Sixteen Candles" is based on Sixteen Candles by John Hughes, and "Anna May Wong Dreams of Wong Kar-Wai" draws upon Chungking Express. "Ghost in the Shell" makes indirect reference to the cyberpunk world-building of Ghost in the Shell and names Scarlett Johansson, who once faced controversy for a role she took in a western adaptation of the series. "The Diary of Afong Moy" interrogates the life of Afong Moy as one of spectacle and performance for the western gaze.
In a conversation with Jenny Xie for The Margins, Mao noted the difficulty of writing from the perspectives of others: "Using the first person to take on the voice of a historical figure or anyone else beyond the immediate self is audacious, and it carries responsibility." She then discussed the carefulness with which she exercised when choosing between first, second, and third person perspectives for her poems.[3]
In an interview for the Center for Asian American Media, Mao shared that she had watched several films to research for the book, including The Toll of the Sea, Shanghai Express, Limehouse Blues, and others.[4] Once, during an event at the International Hotel for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month while she was on her book tour for Oculus, Mao dressed up as Anime Wong, Mao's alter ego. She also edited a video from several Asian American women in poetry who discussed their own possible alter egos.[5]
Critical reception
editLibrary Journal and Bookmarks included the book on their respective lists of best poetry for 2019.[6][7] Time called it a must-read for 2019.[8] NPR included it for their Books We Love section in 2019.[9]
The New Yorker lauded Mao's speculative take on Wong's career as a "wild creation".[10] The Georgia Review said "these poems interrogate the relationship between technology and the body and confront the symbolic violence of the camera’s gaze ... With sharp wit and linguistic brio, these poems reanimate and revitalize historical and fictional characters—primarily women of color—whose stories have long been silenced. Mao’s re-imagining of the marginalized is an act of deep empathy and care."[11] The Los Angeles Review of Books concluded that "Mao’s poems in Oculus ask what technologies already shape our vision of the world and how they might be disassembled in order for new lives to be forged from their parts."[12]
Of the book, Diode Poetry Journal wrote: "Here, we don’t see a dystopic vision of the future; we have a dystopic vision of the present, one in which we are at risk of seeing but not witnessing the horrors of racism, capitalism, and other institutional disenfranchisement because our realities are mediated by technology."[13] Columbia Journal called it a "stunning second collection".[14] Rain Taxi said "Mao’s collection is a sensorial and emotional overload that will disturb the reader in provocative ways."[15] Pleiades observed that "In Mao’s poetry, no single line or word is out of place. Every placement is purposeful."[16] Hyperallergic said "It is to Mao’s credit that she never seeks refuge in the single identity, no matter what comfort it promises, because she knows it limits her in ways that she finds unacceptable."[17] The Bind wrote: "In addition to its critical visions, much of the heart of this collection lies ... in the possibility that women of color can defy time and script to write to and for each other."[18]
In November of 2018, The Rumpus picked the book for its Poetry Book Club.[19]
References
edit- ^ Yee, Katie (2020-02-19). "The L.A. Times announces its 2019 Book Prize finalists and a new award for science fiction". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Siemsen, Thora; Mao, Sally Wen (August 30, 2017). "On why honesty is more important than success". thecreativeindependent.com. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Xie, Jenny (2019-01-16). "Giving Up the Gaze: A Conversation with Sally Wen Mao". Asian American Writers' Workshop. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ "Memoirs of a Superfan Vol. 14.1: Sally Wen Mao, Anna May Wong, and OCULUS". CAAM Home. 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Wen, Tria (2020-02-19). "In Conversation with Acclaimed Poet and Author of "Oculus," Sally Wen Mao". Mochi Magazine. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Hoffert, Barbara; Muratori, Fred; Pešek, Annalisa (November 18, 2019). "Best Poetry 2019". Library Journal. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ "The Best Reviewed Books of 2019: Poetry". Book Marks. December 10, 2019. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ "'Oculus' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2019". Time. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ "Books We Love". NPR. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Chiasson, Dan (2019-01-14). "Sally Wen Mao Writes Visionary Poems for a Blinkered World". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Arnold, Mary-Kim (2019-05-21). "on Oculus by Sally Wen Mao - The Georgia Review". Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Carroll, Rachel (2019-02-28). "A Different Lens: On Sally Wen Mao's "Oculus"". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Phillips, Emilia. "A Review of Oculus by Sally Wen Mao". diode poetry journal. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Ismail, Nadia (April 9, 2019). "Review: Oculus by Sally Wen Mao". Columbia Journal. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Golovchenko, Margaryta (2019-07-23). "Oculus". Rain Taxi. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Chan, Dorothy. "Rewriting the Technicolor Narrative: A Review of Sally Wen Mao's Oculus". Pleiades. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Yau, John (2020-05-30). "Breaking Down the Limits of Identity Through Poetry". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Wattenberg, Madeleine (2019-01-18). "Sally Wen Mao's Oculus (Graywolf Press, 2019)". The Bind. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
- ^ Spears, Brian (2018-11-15). "Why I Chose Sally Wen Mao's Oculus for the Rumpus Poetry Book Club". The Rumpus. Retrieved 2024-11-10.