Lu H Tran 

Something that won’t nourish, but makes me feel full 2021

Bánh tét is so simple. A sticky log of rice that clings to your dishes and fingers, strings of banana leaf you can never fully get off your slice.

Arianne Payne

Rolling 

( To see this poem, visit Fenwick Gallery)

This piece aims to connect across time and through generations, making larger arguments about the wisdom within communities of color and the importance of cultural preservation. In fleeting moments, in sage lessons, in rice stuck to the table, in questions with unknown answers—I also wanted to highlight how grief can simultaneously be a gift and heartache. —Arianne Payne

The sticky no-longer-discernible-grains of rice coats my fingers and clings to my fork, and the fat lingers in my mouth, and on my tongue, and my teeth, and my gums, and my cheeks, and the string ties us together and makes me feel seen, and useful, and lets them know I still love them and is impossible to fully rid.

—Lu H Tran