Asterism: Poems

by Ae Hee Lee

“What does it mean to seek a life beyond belonging? Traveling through rich landscapes of memory, Ae Hee Lee’s Asterism retraces the poet’s lineage from South Korea to Peru to the United States, restlessly seeking the self ‘at the edge of every edge.’ Words bloom and refract as they move across borders; uncertainties ring out in the gaps. Yet what is most powerful about this book is how it reaches again and again toward the reader, toward the possibilities that exist between ‘my air and your ear.’ A tender, finely-tuned collection, and a beautiful contribution to the canon of Korean diasporic literature.” — Franny Choi “I have been waiting quite a while for a poet to risk the elegance and gestural audacity of the Baroque upon issues of origin and identity. All too often, these issues vex and distort our poetry. But in Asterism , they amplify the language of Ae Hee Lee onto a ravishing spree of utterance and image. There is great breadth here, and heartening innovation.” — Donald Revell “Ae Hee Lee’s Asterism is a sweeping tour de force of a collection. In this stunning debut, mouths eat, name, translate, dream, kiss. If we are what we eat, then, in these pages, the poet is everything. The body is a chestnut, the country a walnut, and homesickness a woman licking a spoon. Moreover, the poet’s mouth is a conduit to ‘an inward- / stretching universe of lungs / and dark matter.’ And Lee’s breath, which moves visibly over these poems, carries us into constellations of possibilities and light.” — Wendy Chen, author of Unearthings “I believe the poetics of heritage and belonging in this Asterism are transformative. But how does Ae Hee Lee do it? There is a sensuality that comes from kinship, and goes beyond ‘my mother teaches me that in Korean to forget is also expressed as to have peeled.’ Which is to say, there is a knowledge in this book that is both hidden, and in plain sight. Transformative, indeed. A marvelous work, filled with terrific imagery and—perhaps more importantly—mystery, Asterism is a brilliant debut.” — Ilya Kaminsky, author of Deaf Republic and Dancing in Odessa

Genres: Poetry

88 pages, Paperback

Published September 18, 2023

Reviews

[April Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this collection! I loved the way Ae Hee Lee's words flowed through my mind, bringing me so many new experiences. Lee's life has been so different from mine; she was born in South Korea, grew up in Peru, and now lives in the U.S., in Wisconsin. I, on the other hand, live in the town I was born in - hell, I've lived in the same house for all but the first four years of my life - and I really appreciated getting her perspective. Very evocative.

[Burgi Zenhaeusern · Rating 5 out of 5]

How language is place, is body, is food and meal, is breath, is sound, is connection, is memory, is heritage, is migration; how migration is translation and how translation continuously re-creates and changes. Language is melody and heart of the gorgeous composition that is Asterism. Ae Hee Lee is a poet to watch. Hopefully we get to read many more works by her.

[quinn ☆☇ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of poems is beautifully written. I found myself taking note of turns of phrase that I found particularly strong, and I could dip my toes into the world the poet has lived in through the details of the language. Very strong writing, and underrated. Hope to see much success in Lee's future in writing.

[john compton · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautifully written. like a map with words. an exploration. the detail and images circle you.

[Aims S.C.D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peaceful connection of poems. Really beautiful perspective on multiculturalism/ the in between of cultures and sentimentality.

[D.A. Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

“… Belonging
Splits easier than an atom into being, longing, and language, yes
I have known it to erode into dust, but also birth
A new mountain within the mouth.” (55) - from ‘When a Language is Said to Be Lost’

Ae Hee Lee’s poems in Asterism are works of transformative possibilities, made possible by transgressing boundaries, by imagining, by bringing to each new situation something other than the status quo. The lyrical pieces demonstrate a wisdom beyond the reach of those of us who haven’t experienced leaving a self behind.
“I believe stories become real when you ache” (66) – from Conversation with Immigration Officer

In some poems like the speaker’s answers when detained by an immigration officer the poems function as prophetic words, giving poetic rather than the expected answers. Her ‘Conversation’ gives a reminder of Denise Levertov’s ‘What Were They Like?’ where poetry slides into the most mundane of questions to give us a glimpse of an alternative. This is a tremendous first book of poetry.