Asian American Tarot 2nd Edition
An original tarot deck that traces the invisible contours of Asian American life.
A little self-care (and anti-racist) magic! In the spirit of fortune-telling practices so prevalent in our communities, we’ve created a new deck of tarot cards, featuring original art and text that work to reveal the hidden contours of our Asian American emotional, psychic, and spiritual lives, as well as the systems of violence that bear down upon them.
Replacing the archetypes of the traditional major arcana (e.g., the Empress, the Hierophant, the Wheel of Fortune, etc.) are figures drawn directly from Asian American life--the Migrant, the Foreigner, the Shopkeeper, the Adoptee, the Model Minority, the Desecrated Temple--that we’ve asked some of our communities’ most exciting artists, poets, and writers to reinterpret.
The AALR tarot deck includes:
0 THE GHOST | text by Shawna Yang Ryan | visual by Simi Kang
1 DEATH | text by Long Bui | visual by Monica Ramos
2 THE SCHOLAR | text by Sueyeun Juliette Lee | visual by Monica Ramos
3 THE MIGRANT | text by Rajiv Mohabir | visual by Monica Ramos
4 THE LOVERS | text by Wo Chan | visual by Monica Ramos
5 THE MOTHER | text by Maya Soetoro-Ng | visual by Monica Ramos
6 THE PATIENT | text by Jennifer Ho | visual by Monica Ong
7 THE FOREIGNER | text by Konrad Ng | visual by Simi Kang
8 THE FOOL | text by Tanwi Nandini Islam | visual by Camille Chew
9 THE ANCESTOR | text by Gerald Maa | visual by Monica Ong
10 THE FARMER | text by SimiKang| visual by Simi Kang
11 THE SHOPKEEPER | text by Brandon Som | visual by Camille Chew
12 THE ADOPTEE | text by Matthew Salesses | visual by Monica Ong
13 THE LECHER | text by Mimi Khúc & Lawrence-Minh Bùi Davis | visual by Monica Ong
14 THE SURVIVOR | text by Tanwi Nandini Islam | visual by Monica Ong
15 THE DAUGHTER | text by Aimee Nezhukumatathil | visual by Camille Chew
16 THE MODEL MINORITY | text by David Kyuman Kim | visual by Simi Kang
17 THE REFUGEE | text by Mimi Thi Nguyen | visual by Simi Kang
18 THE PRISONER | text by Margaret Rhee | visual by Camille Chew
19 THE DESECRATED TEMPLE | text by Simi Kang | visual by Simi Kang
20 THE DEPORTEE | text by Anida Yoeu Ali | visual by Monica Ong
21 THE HANGMAN | text by James Kyung-Jin Lee | visual by Camille Chew
22 THE DEVIL | text by Sharon Suh | visual by Camille Chew
As well as the following newly commissioned cards:
23 THE OCEAN | text by Ocean Vuong | visual by Matt Huynh
24 THE MONGREL | text by Jason Oliver Chang | visual by Matt Huynh
25 THE EMERGENCY | text by Simi Kang | visual by Matt Huynh
26 THE CRIP | text by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha | visual by Matt Huynh
27 THE VILLAGE | text by Jenne Hsien Patrick | visual by Matt Huynh
28 SUICIDE | text by Terisa Siagatonu | visual by Matt Huynh
29 THE STUDENT | text by students everywhere | visual by Matt Huynh