Cow College

I don’t remember how I came to do it, the same way I don’t remember so many things I’ve acquiesced to that felt so new and important to me then and strike me as vaguely (or more than vaguely) embarrassing now, years later. In 2005, during my final year at a large state university in South Carolina primarily known (if it is known) for its sports teams, and occasionally referred to (if it is referred to) as a “cow college,” I started a blog. It was on the platform called Blogspot, and I called it Yellow Redneck Blues, in tribute to my roots, and primary colors.

The original title was: “Because I was the Only Asian-American Majoring in English in Upstate South Carolina.” Tucked in there was a reference to a short story about an unhappy young guy and his unhappy relationships with his father and to his non-white identity. In my bio, in lieu of publications (of which I had none), I wrote: “Born and raised in South Carolina, I’m still angry about that.”

[To be continued]