Stone Bow Prayer

by Amy Uyematsu

Amy Uyematsu is an award-winning poet who by day switches from right to left brain to teach algebra and geometry in public high school. The result of her poetry-math life is a fascinating, far-flung but surprisingly connected book that interlinks mathematics, poetry, politics and spirit. Stone Bow Prayer is a remarkable journey in which—as one poem suggests—“Geometry Gets Mixed Up with God and the Alphabet,” and the infinite and minute nurture one another. Amy Uyematsu is a sansei (third-generation Japanese American), author of two books of poetry and the recipient of the prestigious Nicholas Roerich Poetry Prize. She co-edited An Asian American Reader , one of the first anthologies in Asian American studies. She lives near Los Angeles.

Genres: Poetry

96 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2005

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

[Barbara · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was an underwhelming read.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous. I especially gravitated towards the poems where she chose to employ math-related metaphors because they're rarely done well but they were fantastic here.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful, personal, well written collection.