Arthur Sze

writers from China's diaspora

You might assume that the title of Chinese-American poet Arthur Sze's eighth book of poems, Quipu, is a combination of Chinese characters. But although Sze is Chinese, the word is Incan and refers to 'a device made of a main cord with smaller varicoloured cords attached and knotted used for calculating'.

Sze's poems, which have been described as 'rich tapestries', are inspired by diverse and eclectic sources, from Kyoto's Ryoanji garden to the ancient Chinese board game wei chi and the landscape of the Pueblo Mesa. 'One of things I'm interested in as a poet is the complexity and multiplicity of cultures,' says Sze. 'And I'm attracted more to the idea of dissolving than creating boundaries.'

Born in New York, 54-year-old Sze has lived in New Mexico for the past three decades. Since 1983 he has taught at Santa Fe's Institute of Native American Arts, where he's professor of creative writing. 'I love working here because my students come from 563 different tribes. They're Inuits, Navajos, Mohawks - just about any tribe you can name - and they're aged 18 to 80. They've had amazing life experiences and many have had rugged backgrounds.

'I have students who described to me travelling long distances with their husky dogs, hunting in the polar ice or seeing whales poking through ice floes. Their backgrounds are anything but mainstream and I'm constantly inspired by them.'

Sze absorbed native American traditions during his first marriage to a Hopi weaver, with whom he has a son. 'A lot of my interest in textiles and weaving comes from that time. Through my first wife I had a chance to learn about native American culture.'

The other culture that has strongly influenced his work is that of his parents. 'My mother and father had grown up in China and come to the US as students. As a kid, I remember looking up at my father's collection of classical Chinese books like the Tao Te Ching and being baffled by them.'