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I blog for the Poetry Foundation this December

I’m super excited to share that I’m the featured blogger at the Poetry Foundation’s blog, Harriet, for the month of December. I’ll be writing about a Poetics of Light, some visual artists, philosophers, and writers that I adore, as well as various landscapes. Yay!

The Poetry Foundation has been incredibly generous and reached out to me several times this year for various opportunities and partnerships. I’m stunned and gratified by their support! When I first started writing seriously almost 20 years ago, I never imagined I’d garner any kind of critical attention or broader audience. It was just something I had to do out of necessity–explore the world and express myself in this way. I feel honored to get to cap this tumultuous year (and beautiful!!) year writing about my most favorite things. I hope you check it out and that some of what I share sparks your thoughts, too!

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Li-Young Lee can carry me home 

So I have to fangirl out a bit. I MET LI-YOUNG LEE TONIGHT and he is every bit as magical as I suspected. He gave the most intense reading and I had to follow him. I could barely even. This man’s poems were the green light to me that I could also be a poet. The intensity of his lyric expression told me that I didn’t have to perform a certain script for pain or survival. And after I shared my work, he told me it was beautiful. I hope I get to see him again. I gave him a copy of my new book, because it was LI-YOUNG LEE.  

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Poetry Magazine: Asian American special feature

It’s out! I can’t believe I’m in here, and in such incredible company. WOW. They published a selection from my Daybook project, when I wrote daily responding to the headlines about the North Korean missile crisis in the midst of heartbreak and longing. It seems useless to me to reference the year, since we’re collectively caught in a loop in the broader cultural psyche when it comes to Korea and the tensions there. Exploring that is a project I could spend a seeming lifetime on. How often must we sip from that f*cked up well until it is dry, we are dead, we are miraculously made whole again, or some other option I can’t think of right now.

I’m grateful to be included. I”m grateful for the editors, most especially Tim Yu and Lawrence Minh Bui Davis, for their enduring friendship, how they have made spaces for me and for others.

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SOLAR MAXIMUM IS ON SALE RIGHT NOW

SM COver

If you haven’t got a copy of Solar Maximum but want to enjoy its crazy apocalypse light this summer, now is your chance. My Elgin Award-nominated speculative poetry collection is on sale now with the code HELLYEA at Small Press Distribution. It also might be one of the most beautiful artifacts I’ve personally had associated with me. Dan Machlin and the Futurepoem team did an incredible job with the design and creation of this book. WOW.

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Salt Lake City July 17

I’ll be reading in Salt Lake City with Joshua Ware and Sara Eliza Johnson. I should say I’ll be showing video work mostly and reading a handful of poems. I hope the landscape helps dissipate a deep well caught in my throat. 

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Lighthouse Writers Workshop Celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

I’m happy to share I’ll be reading on Saturday May 28th for a festival celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month at the Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver. Doors open and reception starts at 5:30; reading from 6-8pm. Being an East Coast native, I’m curious to hear from Colorado writers and compare notes about our experiences and interests. It should be a lot of fun! I’ll be reading with

Berellyn Alberca
Cynthia Wong
Ayla Sullivan
Teow Lim Goh
Kino
Morgynne D’sulueti Tora
Karl Chwe
Am Pham
Stephen Garcia
Lelia Browne
June Inzuka
G Yamazawa