Roy Miki’s name is synonymous to the Japanese Redress Movement, The Appropriate Voice Conference in 1992, the Writing Thru Race conference in 1994 and many more events as his life in words and actions inspired and mentored so many not just here on the west coast, but across Turtle Island. Roy was an important teacher for me as he walked his life with grace and certitude. He shared his knowledge and also shared his sense of humour with everyone. I am humbled that Roy took an interest in my writing and ideas, and through his mentorship, he helped me to develop poetry that balanced craft with social justice themes. Over the years while he was teaching at SFU, he was also proactive in his support for emerging writers as he invited young writers like myself to read in his Asian Literature under grad courses a few times at SFU; one memorable experience for me was reading A Letter to the Maru, who’s subject was the story of the arrival of the Komagata Maru in Vancouver in 1914. The letter became part of my third collection of poems titled dream / arteries and the collection was further workshopped with Roy as my faculty teacher at a literary residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts. I am just one person that Roy mentored – there were many, and he made precious time for everyone he touched. Knowing he supported and advocated for so many young authors and emerging scholars demonstrates the special person he was. A who’s who in contemporary BIPOC literature in Canada is a testament to his work and provides a lesson in how one carries themselves in life and advocacy. The value of sharing not just your approach to creative practice but also how to strategically position your social justice themes in an artful way was one of his lessons he imparted. I will miss him deeply but I am heartened in knowing that he lived life and his advocacy for the community he created as part of his practice; this is his legacy.
asiancy (a word) (for r.m.)
in form
past
present
reflect before an act
reconcile, reconciliation
repair the broken
blazing a path in the midst of enemies, even your own kind
your feet stationary / parallel perfect
the military precision of a high brick wall looming over you
invisible ink stains, words written over hard red clay
from those who almost spoke to the bricks and mortar
bowed their heads in quiet and turned eastward
their destination, the blurred outline of the unknown
seeking a chip in the concrete
a moment
where
the crack opens and shifts a little
finding the weak spot, or if not the weak spot
walking the long path around that wall
patience
empathy
seeking
that slight scrape
the sound of the emancipation door
Phinder
Dulai
is the Surrey-based author of dream/arteries (Talon Books) and two
previous books of poetry: Ragas from the Periphery (Arsenal Pulp Press,
1995) and Basmati Brown (Nightwood Editions, 2000). Phinder toured dream
/ arteries extensively across Canada and USA. His work has appeared in numerous
publications. He currently serves as the Poetry Editor for Canadian
Literature Journal.
Photograph of Roy Miki provided by Talonbooks.