Cho's poems include 'Awakening Hero', 'Colored Jade' and 'I Am American'
There’s another Asian American John Cho that deserves your attention, and this one is a poet.
John Cho may have secured himself as a household name through his appearances in Hollywood favourites including Harold & Kumar and Star Trek, but he’s not the only John Cho who deserves your attention.
According to The Rampage Online, John Cho is an Asian American studies professor from Fresco City College who recently celebrated the release of his poetry book.
On 10 April, the college celebrated Asian American History Month. Friends, students, family and colleagues attended the event to listen to Cho recite some of his poems. ‘Awakening Hero’, ‘Colored Jade’ and ‘I Am American’ are all poems featured in his book, ’88 Poems by Cho: A Sojourn of Thoughts and Stories’.
As 8 is a lucky number in Chinese culture, Cho decided to include it in his title for his book.
Cho’s parents immigrated from China to San Francisco. At the event, Cho shared his Asian American experience in the 1950s with the audience.
“For me, the goal is not to understand my thoughts, but for the reader to be on a journey of self-discovery and to understand yourself better,” Cho said. “We all have a limited amount of life, and so, if anyone has a goal or a dream then go for it. You’ve got nothing to lose.”
Speaking about his poem ‘Animals At Work’, Cho said that it “plays with the concept of co-workers with quirky characteristics and their names as alliterations.”
In other news, actor John Cho was recently confirmed to star in Japanese horror reboot The Grudge.
