Greetings friendlies!
4 poems from my forthcoming book ("Cowrie:
a riddle," "Fighting Over Stars," "Xiaomei’s Father, Again" and "The
TrueTale of Xiaomei") are included in Poemeleon’s Persona Poem issue,
which is up now at http://www.poemeleon.org/
xoxo
Fellow Asian American poet and blogger-extraordinaire Bryan Thao Worra interviewed me here –
http://thaoworra.blogspot.com/2008/02/interview-ching-in-chen-chinese.html
Check out his blogs for other interviews with authors like Ed Lin & Patrick Rosal.
Thanks Bryan!
xoxo
Some recent news on my end.
I’ll be the featured reader this
Wednesday night (March 5) at the Two Idiots Peddling Poetry reading at
the Ugly Mug Caffe in Orange, CA. The open mic begins at 8pm. http://www.poetryidiots.com/
Also,
my profile on theater performance artist Robert Karimi’s Cooking Con
Karimi (con Castro) is out in the Hapa issue of Hyphen magazine. http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/features/issues/current/
xoxo
Dear family:
I feel so blessed to have so many gracious &
supportive people in my life — bringing new blessings & gifts!
I’ve felt so much love since I’ve turned 30 — I hope this is a good
sign for this new decade! Thank you thank you thank you for all the
love I’ve gotten from all of you these past few weeks!
I was
blessed to have my poems "Xiaomei’s First Heartbreak," "Lightning
Love," and "Fifth Day of Silence" included in OCHO 16 (the print
companion to MiPOesias), guest edited by Barbara Jane Reyes.
Here are 2 links to find out more:
http://www.createspace.com/Customer/EStore.do;jsessionid=014D179D230F989F05D81763267939E9.cspworker01?id=3338152
Barbara jane’s blog, http://bjanepr.wordpress.com where you can see the lovely cover art by visual artist Juan Carlos Quintana.
Dear friendlies!
I’m so excited to share with you that my first book has found a home!
The
Heart’s Traffic (or known by many of you as the saga of Xiaomei) was
selected for publication by Eloise Klein Healy and will be published
through the Arktoi imprint of Red Hen Press (slated for 2009).
I’m thanking the community of folks who gave me inspiration, ass-kicking when I needed it, feedback for revision & love.
xoxo,
Ching-In
TODAY, I AM THE REALIZATION that I like myself more than ever, but there’s still a lot of work to do. TODAY, I AM THE REALIZATION that just because I didn’t go down one path doesn’t mean it’s closed to me forever. TODAY, I AM THE REALIZATION that I bring what I bring (since It Is What It Is retired last night).
I AM BEING what it could be. I AM BEING a pen hovering over a page in a book titled Dream Big in purple. I AM BEING adventure looking out a Chinatown bus window at the New York skyline fading past.
I AM RELEASING everything I realized about regret last decade. I AM RELEASING how challenging it is to write a poem with an embedded secret. I AM RELEASING the need to be so complicated.
I AM CREATING the intention to call forth the energies I need in my life. I AM CREATING necessary love for myself to survive and thrive. I AM CREATING love from many different sources, but for myself first.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT MY LIFE is that last night, I searched for the heart of poems with people I love. I LOVE how late night stories from my cousins can make my dad, brother and I share laughter. I LOVE the intimacy and wildness of the good house party. I LOVE the return of late night phone chats with Aimee. I LOVE that I spent most of my money on good food and hot chocolate on the East Coast. I LOVE winter hotpot with my family. I LOVE hearing an interpretation of my past that makes me evaluate. I LOVE how a 3 minute conversation with Mars feels like 8 hours and that I got 2 “I am accessible” messages, letting me know he did not fall off the face of the earth forever. I LOVE how copying over a poem means inevitably it gets better. I LOVE that I see certain Californians only in NYC. I LOVE a late-night subway rendez-vous inflected by honeywine. I LOVE that the poem can be a source of the divine. I LOVE public transit. I LOVE drinking South African liquor that tastes like a kickin’ chocolate milk with Wendy and Eman. I LOVE that I psyched myself out for a freeze, but it’s warmer than I thought. I LOVE how the word ‘you’ can be so specific yet somewhat vague. I LOVE everything I might do this year. I LOVE that I’m planning on embracing my 3rd decade. I LOVE that I am not disappointed — everything fit into the palm of three weeks. I LOVE being the out-of-town guest who gathers people together. I LOVE sleeping without an alarm clock. I LOVE the No Big Deal approach to life. I LOVE homemade pancakes and lengthy afternoon talks with Saara. I LOVE being a connoisseur of the Japanese cream puff. I LOVE re-awakened erotic power. I LOVE bringing the good Dominican rum and soju.
I CELEBRATE AND NURTURE MY EXISTENCE as the cusp of transition, an open door, my next poem.
Greetings to those interested in my writerly life (hopefully that’s why you clicked on this):
My poem "After Virginia Tech" was published in the Capital Bookfest’s book, Family Pictures. (http://www.capitalbookfest.org/ ). It’s also up online at www.asianamericanpoetry.com in the Poet Spotlight section.
My non-fiction piece, "It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane … It’s a Hindu Goddess?" is currently out on bookstands in Hyphen Magazine (http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/features/issues/current/)
& the website for the reading in NYC I’m participating in during AWP week finally went live this week. It’s http://www.courtingrisk.com/
THURSDAY Night Double-Header @ UCR Sweeney Art Gallery
2 Events, 1 Location
November 8, 6-8 PM
The Sweeney Art Gallery presents an evening of spoken words and visual story-telling.
..
READING
Poetry Reading by Master of Fine Art Students in Creative Writing at UC Riverside
6-7 PM
SweeneyPROOFS
presents an evening of readings and performances by UCR’s Graduate
students in Creative Writing. Featuring a verbal-visual performance by
Alexis Vergalla, fiction by Eva Konstantopoulos and poetry by Ching-In
Chen and Elijah Mendoza.
..
SCREENING
Local 909er
A film by
Enid Baxter Blader
7 PM
Local
909er is an experimental documentary that explores the rapid
redevelopment of the Inland Empire. Rancho Cucamonga, Chino, Norco,
Ontario and Upland are represented in this poetic meditation on growth
and community, featuring a score by Riverside musicians, Balcony .
Poet-fans!
My poem "cool Li?: a Riddle" (part of my Xiaomei saga) is forthcoming in Fifth Wednesday Journal.
http://www.fifthwednesdayjournal.com/
If you’re in the Chicago area, check out the release party (info below).
xoxo,
Ching-In
The entire editorial staff of Fifth Wednesday Journal are proud to
invite our contributors, friends, and supporters to celebrate with us
release of the Inaugural Issue of Fifth Wednesday Journal at the
following locations.
Wednesday, 31st of October, 2007 Beginning at 6pm – A family style Italian dinner (specialty of the house: Chicken Marley – You may also order from the menu. Or enjoy just coffee and dessert. Or even fast. Dinner is an option, not a requirement, so come and celebrate with us. About 7:15 – In the unlikely event that you have not purchased your subscription to ————————————————–
Buonaro’s Cafe
300 East 5th Avenue 105
(Fifth Avenue Station, Restored Furniture Factory)
Naperville, IL
salad, chicken, pasta, and dessert) is priced at $17 per person,
including tax and tip.
You are asked to let us know (5thwedjournal@comcast.net)
at least a week in advance if you wish to order this dinner. Name and
number in your party will be sufficient. Our host, Ron Buonaro, wants
to have enough staff present to provide his usual excellent service.
Cash bar.
Our program will include readings by some of our contributors
Fifth Wednesday Journal, order blanks and copies of the Inaugural Issue
will be available.
Jak’s Tap
901 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL
Gather with some of this area’s finest citizens, poets, writers,
photographers, as well as friends and supporters of literature and art.
Beginning at 1pm –
Coffee and soft drinks will be available.
Food and stronger beverages may be purchased in the restaurant/bar.
About 2:00pm –
Our program will include readings by some of our contributors.
You will be given an opportunity to subscribe to Fifth Wednesday Journal and/or purchase copies of our Inaugural Issue.
Hi friendlies!
My
poem "fob" is in the Trans issue of Tea Party (http://www.tparty.org),
which just came out last week. It’s a great magazine which has
published lots of poets of color and other great stuff in the past!
xoxo,
Ching-In
