Wendy Xu (born 1987) is a Chinese 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 ...

. Xu was born in Shandong China in 1987 but was raised in the United States in

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. She earned her BA at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

and finished her graduate studies at the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...

. Xu has published several collections including ''You Are Not Dead'' (2013), ''Phrasis'' (2017), ''The Hero Poems'' (2011), and ''I Was Not Even Born'' (2013, coauthored with Nick Sturm). She currently lives and teaches in Brooklyn, New York where she also works as the co-editor and publisher of iO: A Journal of New American Poetry / iO Books as well as a poet and poetry editor for

Hyperallergic ''Hyperallergic'' is an online arts magazine, based in Brooklyn, New York. Founded by the art critic Hrag Vartanian and his husband Veken Gueyikian in October 2009, the site describes itself as a "forum for serious, playful, and radical thinki ...

Poetry

Structure and syntax

Xu's poems are often written as single stanza works that lack rhyme or meter. She frequently uses

enjambment In poetry, enjambment (; from the French ''enjamber'') is incomplete syntax at the end of a line; the meaning 'runs over' or 'steps over' from one poetic line to the next, without punctuation. Lines without enjambment are end-stopped. The origin ...

to create sharp breaks between lines as well as to add to the

aesthetic Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,'' , acces ...

of her poetry. Xu often writes using

idiosyncratic An idiosyncrasy is a unique feature of something. The term is often used to express peculiarity. Etymology The term "idiosyncrasy" originates from Greek ', "a peculiar temperament, habit of body" (from ', "one's own", ', "with" and ', "blend ...

language and

imagery Imagery is visual symbolism, or figurative language that evokes a mental image or other kinds of sense impressions, especially in a literary work, but also in other activities such as. Imagery in literature can also be instrumental in conveying ...

to mirror the effect of enjambment in her expression of thought. Xu frequently uses concrete images to create the abstract idea that she is attempting to communicate to the audience. In a 2014 review of Xu's work ''You Are Not Dead'', Raena Shirali observed that in Xu's poetry "The concrete world is in the spotlight while the personal and confessional take place off stage—far away enough that we can see hints of it, but not so close that we comprehend the details we’re presented with in a narrative sense”. While Xu often switches images very quickly throughout her poems her vivid description of each subject gives her work "rhetorically complex but unbelievably casual" tone. Her poems are also described as

lyrical Lyrical may refer to: *Lyrics, or words in songs * Lyrical dance, a style of dancing *Emotional, expressing strong feelings *Lyric poetry Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically ...

because of her in-depth descriptions paired with her complex language.

Major themes

Xu's works have been described as "meditative poems that embrace the

ephemeral Ephemerality (from the Greek word , meaning 'lasting only one day') is the concept of things being transitory, existing only briefly. Academically, the term ephemeral constitutionally describes a diverse assortment of things and experiences, fr ...

nature of

intimacy An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves emotional or physical closeness between people and may include sexual intimacy and feelings of romance or love. Intimate relationships are interdependent, and the member ...

." As well as writing with a distinctive tone and technique Xu has several prominent themes that repeat throughout her works. Xu's most notable theme in her poetry is

identity Identity may refer to: * Identity document * Identity (philosophy) * Identity (social science) * Identity (mathematics) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''Identity'' (2003 film), an ...

. This is regularly paired with the theme of intimacy in her works as she reflects upon her own identity in an intimate nature. Another prominent theme in Xu's work is the briefness of many experiences. This theme is reflected and supported by the syntax of her poetry.

Works

Books

*''Phrasis'' (Fence, 2017) *''You Are Not Dead'' (Cleveland State University Poetry Center, 2013)

Chapbooks

*''Naturalism'' (Brooklyn Arts Press, 2015) *''Phrasis'' (Black Cake Records, 2014) *''The Hero Poems'' (H_NGM_N, 2011)

Awards and appearances

Wendy Xu was awarded the Patricia Goedicke Prize in Poetry in 2011, Ottoline Prize and the Ruth Lilly Fellowship in 2014. She has also appeared in: *A Public Space *

Academy of American Poets The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outrea ...

* Asian American Writers Workshop *

Black Warrior Review ''Black Warrior Review (BWR)'' is a non-profit American literary magazine founded in 1974 and based at the University of Alabama. It is the oldest continuously run literary journal by graduate students in the United States. Published in print bi ...

Brooklyn Magazine ''Brooklyn Magazine'' is an online news magazine, focusing on "New York’s most populous borough through the lens of culture, community, commerce, arts and leisure." The company was bought by Michael Bassik and the website was launched in Decemb ...

*Conduit *Everyday Genius *

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Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South or the South Coast, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Tex ...

Narrative Magazine ''Narrative Magazine'' is a non-profit digital publisher of fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and art founded in 2003 by Tom Jenks and Carol Edgarian. ''Narrative'' publishes weekly and provides educational resources to teachers and students; sub ...

*PEN Poetry Series *Poetry *

Poetry Project The Poetry Project at St. Mark's Church was founded in 1966 at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery in the East Village of Manhattan by, among others, the poet and translator Paul Blackburn. It has been a crucial venue for new and experimental poetr ...

*Versa Daily *The Volta

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xu, Wendy 1987 births Living people American women poets 21st-century American poets 21st-century American women writers Poets from Shandong Chinese emigrants to the United States American writers of Chinese descent University of Iowa alumni University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni