On Memory

Issue 8.2

Letter from the Editor

20 December 2024 

The Process editorial board is proud to share Issue Vol. 8.2, On Memory. What we choose to remember about our family’s or country’s past, as well as how we remember, says a lot about us as individuals and as a society. This issue features two poems and a reflective essay on memories about the past and how we relate to the past. In the United States, memories of often uncomfortable histories such as the Vietnam War are discussed from the perspective of a Vietnamese soldier, and a Chinese American woman reflects on the significance of her Chinese name in a country where people often mispronounce it.  A poem about personal memories also illustrates for us how the brain stores and recollects memories.

Thu Pham’s collection of four poems spans several generations, beginning with her grandfather, who fought in the Vietnam War. Her poems counter stereotypes of Vietnamese Americans and reappropriate some of these stereotypes, with one poem remembering her mother and reflecting upon how they were similar in many respects. Layla Shaffer’s poem “What is a memory?” is divided into two columns: The first column shows the narrator looking at a photograph and remembering someone. The second column describes the steps of how a memory is created and retrieved in the brain, signaling that memory is more than just a physical and chemical process in the body. Viola Li’s moving essay, “Re: Name,” examines her struggles as a Chinese American with a Chinese name, describing how people frequently misspelled or mispronounced her name. After she changed her name to be more American, she felt more comfortable. However, returning to her Chinese name after entering college allowed her to gain a new appreciation for her family history and finding a community that was not confused by the spelling and pronunciation of her given name.

The writers in this issue remember events from different perspectives than what is commonly heard in the United States, and even from different perspectives on the concept of memory. They remind us our memories of family and important events affect how we see ourselves and our communities in the present. We hope that these pieces will provoke reflection and conversation, and we invite you to read the call for papers for our next issue, Vol. 9.1, On Failure. We look forward to your submissions!

Sincerely,

The Process Editorial Board

War Woman

Thu Pham

In this collection of four poems, Thu Pham explores her Vietnamese identity and her family history, expressing her pride in her grandfather risking his life to save a book from being destroyed with so many others and painting sharp contrasts between her own experience and that of her mother.

Keywords: Vietnamese history and culture, identity, family, poetry