Shelley Wong Knihy

***LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD*** ***WINNER OF THE 2023 LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD*** Winner of the Pamet River Prize, Shelley Wong’s debut, As She Appears, foregrounds queer women of color in their being and becoming. Following the end of a relationship that was marked by silence, a woman crosses over and embodies the expanse of desire and self-love. Other speakers transform the natural world and themselves, using art and beauty as a means of sanctuary and subversion. With both praise and precision, Wong considers how women inhabit and remake their environment. The ecstatic joys of Pride dances and late-night Chinatown meals, conversations with Frida Kahlo, trees that “burst into glamour,” and layers of memory permeate these poems as they travel through suburban California, perfumed fashion runways, to a Fire Island summer. Wong writes in the space where so many do not appear as an invitation for queer women of color to arrive in love, exactly as they are.

Focusing on dialogic pedagogy, this book situates it within the historical context of TESOL approaches, particularly emphasizing the communicative approach as the prevailing model. It weaves in anti-racist, feminist, and critical perspectives, offering a comprehensive exploration of how dialogic methods can enhance language teaching and learning. The work advocates for a more inclusive and reflective practice in TESOL, aiming to transform educational experiences through dialogue and critical engagement.