People’s love lives can take many shapes and forms, and poetry has a way of capturing the diversity of our experiences — whether it’s 143 messages on a pager or a quiet night spent scrolling through Tumblr — in a powerful way. Listen to what these six Asian American slam poets had to say about their personal experiences with the joys and challenges of being in love:
Kate Hao & Kristen Sze-Tu – “(Yet Still, I Wait)”
Kate Hao and Kristen Sze-Tu’s performance captures how heartbreaking it can be to fall in love with someone who could easily replace you in their heart with someone who looks just like you.
Sarah Kay & Phil Kaye – “When Love Arrives”
Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye’s touching narrative slam poem tells the story of what happens when you fall in love what happens when, for better or worse, you fall out of it.
Asia Samson – “90s Love”
Do you feel like life was simpler back in the ’90s? Asia Samson does, and his poem “’90s Love” is all about how he wants his great love to be as memorable as his ’90s childhood.
Kevin Yang – “How to Love Your Introvert”
Kevin Yang will know it’s true love when he loves you more than he loves spending time alone.
A.W. – “Love Less”
Love and dating can be scary, but for A.W. true strength lies in not letting the pitfalls and shortcomings keep you from loving anyway.
Jomar Valentin – “Serial Sexting or An Open Letter to the Dating App Generation”
Jomar Valentin expresses his frustration with modern dating practices, especially concerning dating apps and websites.
