That Blue Trickster Time

by Amy Uyematsu

In revisiting her family's history during the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans, Amy Uyematsu's latest collection, That Blue Trickster Time , is a powerful affirmation of Asian Americans during a global pandemic in which anti-Asian racism is at an all-time high. But it is also a stirring salute to older women-as mothers and warriors, rebels and ancient goddesses. While addressing serious social and political issues, Uyematsu's poems are deeply rooted in a reverence for nature and spiritual growth that comes with aging. The anger of her youthful protest days is still there, but now she can affirm this world of conflict and beauty as she speaks to the radiance of the ordinary, whether her love of stones and pine trees or her fascination with numbers and folk art. These are ferocious poems which celebrate being an older woman of color.

Genres: Poetry

120 pages, Paperback

Published March 15, 2022

About the author

Amy Uyematsu (born in 1947) is a Japanese-American poet. She is a third-generation Japanese American from Pasadena, California. A graduate of UCLA in mathematics, Amy became active in Asian American Studies in the late sixties. As a college senior, she penned the essay “The Emergence of Yellow Power in America” (Gidra, 1969), an assertion of Asian American identity influenced by the consciousness-raising theories of the Black Power movement.

That same year she joined the staff of the newly formed UCLA Asian American Studies Center, where she co-edited the widely-used anthology, Roots: An Asian American Reader (1971).

In the 1970's she was involved in what would become known as the Asian American movement. Modeled after the Black Power movement it too emphasized racial pride, economic empowerment, and the creation of political and cultural institutions but for Asian American people in the United States.

She was a public high school math teacher for 32 years, and in the 1990s she began publishing her poetry. In 1992 she won the Nicholas Roerich Poetry Prize for her first book, 30 Miles from J-Town. Her poetry reflects her Japanese American heritage and continues to address issues of racism and social inequities. The Poetry Foundation states, “Uyematsu’s poems consider the intersection of politics, mathematics, spirituality, and the natural world.” In 2012 she was recognized by the Friends of Little Tokyo Branch Library for her writing contributions to the Japanese-American community.

Reviews

[Madison King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book of poetry. Uyematus examines the relations of America to its Asian citizens, Japanese in particular, from internment camps until even now. This is the first book I have liked that has mentioned Covid-19, to be honest. I have felt every other book that talks about it is cliche or overdone... not That Blue Trickster Time. Uyematsu talks about current media events, with Korean pop stars BTS and movies like Crazy Rich Asians shown. This poetry book examines family dynamics in an oppressive setting-- Japanese Internment camps, modern day US. From her family members' tankas, to lost history and remembered important events and life in the Internment camps, Uyematsu examines it all in an impressive work of art. Uyematsu recalls relationships between her own experiences and others of non-white peoples prevalent in the United States, specifically Black Power movements with the Black Panthers, and experiences with Native American and Mexican cultures and celebrations in the US. Uyematsu plays with form heavily in this poetry book, using tankas and haikus throughout. Tip for readers, keep an eye out for the numbers 108 and how each reference brings it all back to 108. My personal favorite poem in this work is "Homebound Haiku".