Thousand Star Hotel confronts the silence around racism, police brutality, and the invisibility of the Asian American urban poor.

From "with thanks to Sahra Nguyen for the refugee style slogan":

They give the kids candy to bet.

My daughter loses the first four rounds,
she''s a quiet wire as they take her candy away, piece by piece.
When she finally wins, I ask if she wants to play again.
No! she shouts, grabbing her candy, I want to go home!
True refugee style:
take everything you got and run with it.

Bao Phi is a National Poetry Slam finalist.

Thousand Star Hotel confronts the silence around racism, police brutality, and the invisibility of the Asian American urban poor.

From "with thanks to Sahra Nguyen for the refugee style slogan":

They give the kids candy to bet.

My daughter loses the first four rounds,
she''s a quiet wire as they take her candy away, piece by piece.
When she finally wins, I ask if she wants to play again.
No! she shouts, grabbing her candy, I want to go home!
True refugee style:
take everything you got and run with it.

Bao Phi is a National Poetry Slam finalist.