Wholesale Ice Breakers, by Brandon Thein An Vu

Poetry, chapbook, 20 ages, from Bottlecap Features. Brandon Thein An Vu is an introvert. He’s also a high school English teacher. In Ice Breakers, Vu finds both discomfort and acceptance in the irony of his identities. How growing up, he'd struggle with presentations and saying his name for attendance. Now he stands in front of a classroom for a living. Vu gets honest about the small inconveniences of being the only adult in the room—like having to introduce himself to new students every year. In this collection of poems, Vu studies the morning dust, contemplates why his lessons aren’t resonating, and audits what it means to love his parents’ second language while barely understanding their first.