At the University of Arizona, we proudly celebrate Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month by honoring the rich cultures, histories, and contributions of Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi American communities through cultural centers, student clubs and organizations, and campus events.

University Libraries resources

Asian & Asian American History in the Borderlands Collection | Special Collections: The materials in this collection are all located at University Libraries Special Collections in Tucson, Arizona. You can find congressional records, university materials, photographs, newspaper and journal articles, and scrapbooks that document Asian and Asian American life in the U.S./Mexico borderlands. 

Books That Matter: Asian American / Asian

The University of Arizona Press book recommendations

'Iep Jaltok: Poems from a Marshallese Daughter' by Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner

Iep Jaltok is the first published book of poetry written by a Mashallese author. Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner's writing highlights the traumas of colonialism, racism, forced migration, the legacy of American nuclear testing, and the impending threats of climate change in the Marshall Islands. Pulitzer Prize winning writer, poet and social activist Alice Walker described this poetry as "a book to be read slowly. Savored. Admired for its precision of language and emotion."

'Coconut Milk' by Dan Taulapapa McMullin

Also rooted in the South Pacific, Samoan writer and painter Dan Taulapapa McMullin’s Coconut Milk explores what it’s like to be a queer Samoan in the United States. His poems come from specific encounters, childhood memories, family history, and profound reflections.

'Navigating CHamoru Poetry' by Craig Santos Perez

Craig Santos Perez examines contemporary native CHamoru literature from the Pacific Island of Guåhan (Guam) in Navigating CHamoru Poetry.

'Āina Hānau / Birth Land' by Brandy Nālani McDougall

Poet laureate of Hawai‘i, Brandy Nālani McDougall, explores family, community and connection to place in ‘Āina Hānau / Birth Land.

'The Politics of Fieldwork: Research in an American Concentration Camp' by Lane Ryo Hirabayashi 

If you’re a researcher, do you consider how your politics influence your work? How are the politics of your principal investigator? Lane Ryo Hirabayashi investigates this issue in The Politics of Fieldwork: Research in an American Concentration Camp, about the work and struggle of Dr. Taimie Tshuchiyama.

About The University of Arizona Press

The University of Arizona Press is the premier publisher of academic, regional, and literary works in the state of Arizona. UA Press disseminates ideas and knowledge of lasting value that enrich understanding, inspire curiosity, and enlighten readers; and advances the University of Arizona’s mission by connecting scholarship and creative expression to readers worldwide.