Charlie Chan is Dead

Jessica Hagedorn says, "This is an anthology I created for selfish reasons; a book I wanted to read that had never been available to me. In many of these stories, cultures clash. We are confronted by characters in all their contradictions and complexities. They make love, worry about the future, hurt each other, endure hardships. . . They lie and cheat; they betray themselves and others. They are tough and noble. They survive. They remind us that in our civilized anguish, we are still beautiful and amazing."

Of author Toshio Mori, Russell Leong has written, "With wit and compassion, Toshio Mori has illuminated for us the callings and visions of gardeners, housewives, artists, students, and shopkeepers. . . Mori’s work gives meaning to the daily aspirations, struggles, and joys of ordinary people."

From The Chauvinist by Toshio Mori,
He’s a man on Ninth Street with a great calling. A calling that may some day replace priests and theology. A calling demanding dignity, humbleness, humor, and the limits of human traits. The sadness of this particular man’s role is that it must be kept a secret. He couldn’t go out in the street and shout with all the might of his lungs just what he’s doing as a contribution toward the harmony of human beings. He isn’t looking for immortality; so he denounces personal immortality. He is looking for immortality of the man living today who is to die tomorrow. Call it as he does: Everyday immortality.

From Manhattan Music by Meena Alexander,
     Madeleine of Manhattan, you are in search of love.
     I said this to myself, in a stage whisper. The young Latino male in the red coat stared at me puckering his lips, twitching the upper part of his face as if he’d been let out of Bellevue.
     Toothpaste made my mind wander, the infinite variety. I selected one with multicolored letters, C red, little r dark blue, e burning turquoise. I let the rest of the letters go.