Chen Chen (, born March 9, 1989) is an American
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
. 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
The National Book Award for Poetry is one of five annual National Book Awards, which are given by the National Book Foundation to recognize outstanding literary work by US citizens. They are awards "by writers to writers". . 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
Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...
from 2018 to 2022.
Life
Chen was born in
Xiamen, China and grew up in
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. After graduating from Newton North High School, he received his B.A. in creative writing and Asian/Pacific/American Studies at
Hampshire College
Hampshire College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges ...
in 2011, and his M.F.A. from
Syracuse University
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...
in 2014.
[ Chen completed his Ph.D. in English and creative writing at ]Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship instit ...
, where he was a part-time instructor in composition.
His work has appeared in ''Poetry
Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
'', ''The Massachusetts Review
''The Massachusetts Review'' is a literary quarterly founded in 1959 by a group of professors from Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. It receives financial support from Five Colle ...
'', ''Drunken Boat, Best of the Net'', ''The Best American Poetry
''The Best American Poetry'' series consists of annual poetry anthologies, each containing seventy-five poems.
Background
The series, begun by poet and editor David Lehman in 1988, has a different guest editor every year. Lehman, still the genera ...
'', '' 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
* 2014 A. Poulin Jr. Poetry Prize
* 2014 New Delta Review
The ''New Delta Review'' is a literary magazine in the United States in print since 1984 and online since 2012. The journal is published biannually with the support of Louisiana State University.
See also
* List of literary magazines
Below ...
's Matt Clark Award in Poetry
* 2015 Finalist, Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation is a United States literary society that seeks to promote poetry and lyricism in the wider culture. It was formed from ''Poetry'' magazine, which it continues to publish, with a 2003 gift of $200 million from philanthrop ...
's Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships
* 2016 Kundiman
Kundiman is a genre of traditional Filipino ballads, predominantly with romantic themes. The lyrics of the kundiman are written in Tagalog. The melody is characterized by a smooth, flowing and gentle rhythm with dramatic intervals. Kundima ...
Fellow
* 2017 Longlisted, National Book Award
The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...
* 2018 Finalist, Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary Foundation, Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ+ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ+ literatur ...
for Gay Poetry
* 2018 Great Lakes Colleges Association
The Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) is a consortium of 13 liberal arts colleges located in the states around the Great Lakes. The GLCA's offices are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and its 13 schools are located in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvan ...
(GLCA) New Writers Award
* 2018 Thom Gunn Award for Gay Poetry
* 2019 Pushcart Prize
The Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize published by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are ...
* 2019 National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...
Fellowship in Literature
* 2023 American Library Association Notable Books for Adults List
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)]
References
{{authority control
American male poets
21st-century American poets
Chinese emigrants to the United States
American writers of Chinese descent
Writers from Massachusetts
American LGBTQ poets
American gay writers
American LGBTQ people of Asian descent
21st-century American male writers
Hampshire College alumni
Gay poets
1989 births
Living people