National Poetry Month 2020
By:
Savannah Trent
I sat down, well more accurately sat down
and logged into google chat, to talk to poet Hoa Nguyen to ask her about
identity, belonging, and the diasporic experience. Nguyen, whose 2016 book length collection of
poems Violet Energy Ingots was
shortlisted for the 2017 Griffin prize in poetry, is a poet whose work is known
for its melodic quality, weaving rhyme, non sequiturs, syllabic play, and
references to Sappho and Shakespeare among others. Born in the Mekong Delta,
she was raised in the Washington DC area during the time of punk, post-punk and
the Reagan presidency though she now resides in Toronto where she teaches
creative writing and serves as a mentor to Miami University’s low residency
program in creative writing. She is also the author of Dark (Skanky Possum 1998), Your ancient see through (AA Arts 2001), Hecate Lochia (Hot Whiskey 2009), As long as trees last (Wave 2012) and Red Juice: Poems 1998-2008 (Wave 2014).
Continue reading →