ON A BED OF RICE

From poet/filmmaker Kudaka, a hefty gathering (almost 90 stories and poems, many specifically written for this anthology) from Asian-Americans both notable and obscure. Asians and Asian-Americans have been victimized by some rather insidious sexual stereotypes, so it's refreshing to encounter so many well-crafted forays into this burgeoning subgenre of literary publishing. And literary is what most of the offerings here are: The boffing is more often alluded to than described. Still, the book pretty well trashes the myth of the undersexed Asian, along with the notion that all Asians are family-mongering heterosexuals. Sandra Mizumoto Posey's ``Buying Shoes'' has the central character musing on the difficulties of making love in the front seat of a car; Eric Wat's graceful meditation on the way two gay male lovers fit together (``The Dark Room'') reminds us that beneath every affair lurks an inevitable parting; Julie Shigekuni, in ``Krista Rising,'' demonstrates suspense playing a strong role in a lesbian narrative (she literally holds everything until the suggestive end); and L.T. Goto, in ``Asian Penis: The Long and Short of It,'' gleefully attacks one of the most prevalent sexual misconceptions foisted on Asian men. Few of the pieces, however, can match Charlie Chin's ``Winston and Samantha'' for sheer vindictive hilarity: Winston has a foot fetish, Samantha the fetching foot, and the two act out their loving rituals in the backseat of a cab. Russell Leong, who contributes a foreword, also weighs in with a near- perfect, dialogue-driven story, ``A Yin and Her Man.'' Light on the friction and debauchery, but top bedtime reading nonetheless—and more than a nod to multicultural faddishness. (Author tour)