Chen Chen (poet)

Chen Chen
Chen at the 2017 Texas Book Festival
Born (1989-03-09) March 9, 1989 (age 35)
Xiamen, China
EducationHampshire College (B.A.)
Syracuse University (M.F.A.)
Texas Tech University (Ph.D.)
Website
www.chenchenwrites.com

Chen Chen (Chinese: 陳琛; pinyin: Chén Chēn, born March 9, 1989) is an American poet. His book, When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities, was longlisted for the 2017 National Book Award for Poetry. Chen serves on the poetry faculty for the low-residency MFA programs at New England College and Stonecoast. He served as Jacob Ziskind Poet-in-Residence at Brandeis University from 2018 to 2022.

Life

Chen was born in Xiamen, China and grew up in Massachusetts. After graduating from Newton North High School, he received his B.A. in creative writing and Asian/Pacific/American Studies at Hampshire College in 2011, and his M.F.A. from Syracuse University in 2014. Chen completed his Ph.D. in English and creative writing at Texas Tech University, where he was a part-time instructor in composition.

His work has appeared in Poetry, The Massachusetts Review, Drunken Boat, Best of the Net, The Best American Poetry, The Academy of American Poets, and elsewhere. He has served as a poetry editor for Salt Hill Journal, and currently serves as editor-in-chief of Underblong and managing editor for Iron Horse Review. He also edits "the lickety split", a Twitter-based journal that "only publishes poems that fit in a single tweet", alongside his fictional assistant editor Gudetama the Egg.

Awards and fellowships

Books

  • Set the Garden on Fire (Porkbelly Press, 2015)
  • Kissing the Sphinx (Two of Cups Press, 2016)
  • When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities (New York: BOA Editions, 2017)
  • Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency (New York: BOA Editions, September 2022)
  • Explodingly Yours (Ghost City Press, 2023)

In anthology

  • Ghost Fishing: An Eco-Justice Poetry Anthology (University of Georgia Press, 2018)

References

  1. ^ Siemsen, Thom (2017-03-09). "'Queer People are Making Beautiful Worlds:' Chen Chen on his Debut Poetry Collection". Out magazine. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  2. ^ Kellogg, Carolyn (2017-09-13). "The 10 poets on the longlist for the 2017 National Book Award". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-09-13.
  3. ^ a b c d "Full Bio". chenchenwrites.com. Archived from the original on 2017-03-23. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  4. ^ "Conversations with Contributors: Chen Chen (Poetry)". The Adroit Journal. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  5. ^ "Infoxicated Corner: Interview with Chen Chen". The poetry blog. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  6. ^ "[a mango from the neighbor's tree] — a poem for the lickety~split".
  7. ^ "The Lickety Split". Twitter. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Chen Chen". BOA Editions, Ltd. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  9. ^ "2015 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship Winners Announced". Poetry Foundation. 2017-03-25. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  10. ^ "2023 Notable Books List Announced: Year's Best in Fiction, Nonfiction and Poetry". RUSA Update. 2023-01-29. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  11. ^ Foundation, Poetry (2024-07-06). "Chen Chen". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  12. ^ "Set the Garden on Fire by Chen Chen". The Rumpus.net. March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  13. ^ "Kissing the Sphinx". porkbellypress.com. Archived from the original on 2017-03-23. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  14. ^ Teicher, Craig Morgan (February 8, 2017). "Poetry To Pay Attention To: A Preview Of 2017's Best Verse". NPR News. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  15. ^ Lewis, Michelle (April 11, 2017). "When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities: A review of Chen Chen's debut poetry…". Medium. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  16. ^ "Explodingly Yours". Ghost City Press. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  17. ^ "UGA Press View Book". www.ugapress.org. Retrieved October 3, 2018.