This talk and reading was part of California Institute of Integral Studies' "Brown Bag Lunch Series."
VIDA Reads with Writers
Had a chance to chat with VIDA for their VIDA Reads with Writers series. Thanks to poet, Ashaki Jackson, for the opportunity!
Interview for the Ploughshares blog
An interview on the Ploughshares blog, in conversation with Matthew Thorburn.
Interview for the blog, "Writing Like an Asian."
Five questions, five answers at Writing Like an Asian.
Five questions...
Short talk with fellow poet, Jason Bayani, one of the organizers of the wonderful Berkeley Poetry Slam.
Thank you, Wendy Chin-Tanner, for a lively conversation!
Thank you to Wendy and Lantern Review for a wonderful conversation. As I note in the interview, "both my experience in the Kundiman fellowship and my friendship with Traci Brimhall have taught me that being a good literary citizen is about cultivating authentic connections and caring about one another. It’s about believing in and championing one another’s work. It’s a model that goes against the individualism so prevalent in a competitive, capitalistic North American social framework."
The Blood-Jet Writing Hour - New Interview
Thanks to the fabulous poet and radio host, Rachelle Cruz, for having me on The Blood-Jet Writing Hour today. Listen to the 30-minute interview here.
Radio interview with J.P. Dancing Bear on "Out of Our Minds"
Here's a podcast interview with the poet, J.P. Dancing Bear, who's been hosting "Out of Our Minds," the second longest continuous poetry radio show in America, on KKUP in Cupertino, CA.
The Next Big Thing
Thanks to the fabulous writers and poets, Lois Smith, Traci Brimhall and Tamiko Beyer for passing me the baton: they've answered a series of questions about their forthcoming work on their blogs, and they've called on me to do the same. Here it goes:
What is your working title of your book? The Palace of Contemplating Departure.
Pavilion of Contemplating Departure in Seoul's Changdeokgung Palace
Where did the idea come from for the book? The book’s a collection of 42 poems; each one has a different origin story. But, the idea for the title for the book originated in the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco while I was wandering through an exhibition of photographs of the palaces in Seoul. I came across a picture of the Pavilion of Contemplating Departure in the Changdeokgung Palace and was immediately captivated by such a wistful name—so captivated that I journeyed to South Korea last month, for the first time, and I took my own photo of the book’s namesake.
What genre does your book fall under? Poetry.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I would want Bill Murray to play all of the parts, including the Palace.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? “A lyrical debut poetry collection of intimacy and quiet power, weaving stories of sudden departures, forced removals, and the chosen journeys in between.”
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? The book will be published by Red Hen Press, in March.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? It took ten years and it also took two years. I’ve been working on a book of poetry for about a decade—compiling, revising, and discarding poems along the way. The current version came into fruition about two years before it was submitted for publication.
Who or what inspired you to write this book? Lots of things: wolves, knives, New York City, my sister, my ex-loves, moonlight, starlight, California, gardens, valleys, deserts, history, prayer, waiting, watching, running away, returning home, the Pacific Coast, the longest war, guns, and wonder.
What else about your book might pique the reader's interest? There’s a poem in the book written from the point of view of train tracks. And another one written from the point of view of a sunrise. Those are cool.
Up next! Fellow poets Cathy Linh Che and Eugenia Leigh will be answering these questions on their blogs in the coming week. Stay tuned!
Interview in new issue of Hyphen Magazine
"This poem arrived at one of the oddest moments. I was in a hostel in Seville and I couldn't sleep because of the pressing summer heat. I didn't want to turn on the light and disturb my roommate, so I started writing in the dark..." [continue reading]
The Poetry Show on KUSP Radio
Catherine Segurson, founding editor of the Catamaran Literary Reader, and I were interviewed on The Poetry Show in Santa Cruz, CA. Thank you, Catamaran and radio show host, Dennis Morton.