Gnashing Teeth Publishing

| words that get in your teeth

Finally: The Mixtape by Asela Lee Kemper

Finally: The Mixtape is a special release CD with microchapbook. Asela Lee Kemper reads from her collection of poetry which explores grief and identity with an homage to the musical pop culture to which Kemper escapes.pre-order yours today

Add to Cart

From homages to Prince & BTS to the narratives of Asian American Identity, Asela’s Finally: The Mixtape, cultivates a poetic playlist of lyrical confrontation packed with existential interrogation and the inter-generational journey, navigating through one’s own roots. Asela Lee-Kemper brilliantly unleashes the unapologetic spirit of pop culture iconoclasts with confessional overtones that aren’t afraid to be vulnerable, overtones that aren’t afraid to yearn. Much like a playlist so good you cannot help but to set it on repeat, FAM evokes the same urge for each and every poem
J.B. Stone, Author of Fireflies and Grenades (Bottlecap Press, 2022)

In Finally: The Mixtape by Asela Lee Kemper, the poet sits down and spins music, grief, and identity into a ballad that moves and questions their world. Through tender recollections and a potent voice, Asela explores the influence of music on self-discovery. Nostalgia lingers in the verses, reaching back through time to cherished melodies and memories. Mourning and searching converge, unraveling the complexities of identity formation. Asela emphasizes the ongoing nature of the search, finding beauty in continual discoveries. Each poem resonates with the solace and consolation found in music, creating a symphony of words.
Dina Klarisse, Freelance Writer, Editor. Author of Handspun Rosaries

I am captured by the despair and defiant hope Asela brings to these pieces. She brings a flair pant to the feeling of being in between worlds, identities and countries and not quite at home so artfully and painfully that I see my own personal struggles. The use of pop culture references to clearly draw the lines being made in the sand are chefs kiss. “Nobody taught me this pain.” And yet Asela holds out hands with her words through it. A testimony and it’s experiencing. There is a gentle unwavering resilience in these words that I find beautiful and heart soothing. Honored to be held, allowed passage, and taken micro yet mighty journey.
Lysz Flo, Poet, Author of Soliloquy of an Ice Queen: Poems for the Bitter, Broken Hearted, and Healing, and Podcast Host

Meet the Author

Asela Lee Kemper is a poet who resides in Southern Oregon. She is a poetry editor at Variety Pack magazine and has previously worked with presses and magazines including Timberline Review, and Copper Canyon Press. She also has published works in Silk Club: QUIET and the anthology No Tender Fences. Asela uses her passion for creative writing to open conversations on diversity and identity in literature. Her microchapbook/audiobook, Finally: The Mixtape, is a re-introduction for her as a poet. You can find Asela on Twitter @AselaLeeK and Instagram @thesakuraink.

Gnashing Teeth Publishing

242 East Main Street

Norman AR 71960

Gnashing Teeth Publishing

Finally: The Mixtape by Asela Lee Kemper

Meet the Author

connect

we love hearing from you. tell us everything