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When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities
When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities | Chen Chen
53 posts | 26 read | 42 to read
In this ferocious and tender debut, Chen Chen investigates inherited forms of love and family--the strained relationship between a mother and son, the cost of necessary goodbyes--all from Asian American, immigrant, and queer perspectives. Holding all accountable, this collection fully embraces the loss, grief, and abundant joy that come with charting one's own path in identity, life, and love. In the Hospital My mother was in the hospital & everyone wanted to be my friend.But I was busy making a list: good dog, bad citizen, shortskeleton, tall mocha. Typical Tuesday.My mother was in the hospital & no one wanted to be her friend.Everyone wanted to be soft cooing sympathies. Very reasonablepigeons. No one had the time & our solution to itwas to buy shinier watches. We were enamored withwhat our wrists could declare. My mother was in the hospital& I didn't want to be her friend. Typical son. Tall latte, short tale, bad plot, great wifi in the atypical cafe. My mother was in the hospital& she didn't want to be her friend. She wanted to be the familygrocery list. Low-fat yogurt, firm tofu. She didn't trust my fatherto be it. You always forget something, she said, even whenI do the list for you. Even then. Chen Chen was born in Xiamen, China, and grew up in Massachusetts. His work has appeared in two chapbooks and in such publications as Poetry, Gulf Coast, Indiana Review, Best of the Net, and The Best American Poetry. The recipient of the 2016 A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize, he has been awarded fellowships from Kundiman, the Saltonstall Foundation, Lambda Literary, and in 2015, he was a finalist for the Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships. He earned his BA at Hampshire College and his MFA at Syracuse University. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in English and Creative Writing at Texas Tech University. Chen lives in Lubbock, Texas, with his partner, Jeff Gilbert, and their pug dog, Rupert Giles.
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blurb
monalyisha
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Despite an epic hangover, I managed to follow through on my resolution to start writing more. I set-up a whole blog and everything! I named it “Impossible Honey” after a line from Chen Chen‘s poem, “Spell to Find Family.”

Let me know if you read my first post, about my Word of the Year for 2023.

@monalyisha/word-of-the-year-touchdown-39e872a155b8" rel="nofollow" target="_top">https://medium.com/@monalyisha/word-of-the-year-touchdown-39e872a155b8

(I promise to be more focused on #AuldLangSpine now that this is accomplished!)

monalyisha Tagging a few of you who expressed interest in (or commented on) my last #WordOfTheYear post! @JamieArc @MoonWitch94 @wanderinglynn 1y
JamieArc No pressure to get to the ALS list! 1y
MoonWitch94 @monalyisha I love your word! It‘s creative, important, and perfect! I did something similar when I chose Magic as my word of the year. It means so much more than it‘s definition. ✨💙✨ 1y
See All 12 Comments
PurpleyPumpkin Wow, great post! You really put a lot of thought into your word of the year and I enjoyed your analysis. Looking forward to reading more from you!👍🏽 1y
wanderinglynn Great first post! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 1y
peanutnine This was lovely. I love your writing style and admire your dedication to starting new things. Good luck 💖 1y
Amiable Fabulous post! I love the careful thought that went into choosing your word. My word for the year is “nourish.” I need to keep reminding myself to seek out opportunities to grow emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually because I‘m fearful of becoming stagnant. 1y
JamieArc Really enjoyed reading it ❤️ 1y
TL_Clanton I read it and loved it! It was so tactile in the best way! Also, I also suffer from exczema and find Clobetasol on the hands twice a day helps as well as a humidifier at night in Winter! Well done! I will keep reading for sure! 1y
monalyisha Thanks for the tip, @TL_Clanton ! 1y
monalyisha @Amiable One year, I started a morning ritual where I‘d meditate and then create a little paper petal with my guiding word for the day written on it. The only one I still have out in plain sight is “nourish.” I‘ll have to find it and snap a photo for you! 1y
62 likes12 comments
blurb
monalyisha
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I wrote a blog post about #PoemsBeforePhones for work. The idea (which I started way back when, here on Litsy!) is that you read (at least) one poem each morning before reaching for your phone.

Note to self as much as others: Stop doom-scrolling through social media before you‘ve even had a goddamn cup of coffee! Who does that serve???

Here‘s a link to my post, where I recommend some of my favorite collections: https://tinyurl.com/AlyishaPoetry

kspenmoll What a great blog post- thanks for poet recommendations! Love the idea of #PoemsBeforePhones !!! 2y
monalyisha @kspenmoll Thanks! I‘ve actually been pretty terrible at following my own practice of late, so I‘m using April as a chance to recommit myself. 🌸 2y
62 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
monalyisha
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Cover reveal for Chen Chen‘s new book of poems (9/13/22)!

*If you haven‘t yet read his first collection (tagged), I highly recommend it. 🌙

review
vlwelser
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Pickpick

This is pretty awesome. It's strange and beautiful at the same time. A lot of the poems talk about the author's experience as a gay Chinese immigrant in the US. I like how he uses language. And this title is lovely.

#BookSpinBingo free space
@TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 3y
39 likes1 stack add1 comment
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monalyisha
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Another Chen-gem. 💎

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monalyisha
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I love Chen Chen. 🍖

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monalyisha
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I just love this poet: work, spirit, body, & face.

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sherri
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New arrival! And an intended self-portrait that I rather liked with this cover.

#poetry

10 likes1 stack add
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HipcheckandPaperbacks
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tbt a much needed weekend away with old college friends. When did nothing that weekend and it was everything! (Well not exactly nothing - you know we had to find the closest bookstore 😁)

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Lindy
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I like that the street we‘re on is named after a tree, / when there are none, poplar or otherwise. I wonder if a tree / has ever been named after a street, whether that worked out.

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monalyisha
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Time flies! How about a top 3? 😉

Winner:
“Sing, Unburied, Sing” by Jesmyn Ward

Runner-Up:
“The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros

Honorable Mention:
“Sadie” by Courtney Summers
(audiobook HIGHLY recommended!)

Also, I really, truly loved the tagged poetry collection!

#BestBookSoFar2019

wildwoodreads Daisy Jones and the Six. It truly lived up to the hype. 5y
monalyisha Thanks to @ladyneverwhere & #newyearwhodis (which I organized; is that too immodest? 😅) for the first two books on my list! 5y
monalyisha @megzlynn So good to hear! I have the audiobook waiting for me at the library when I get back from vacation! 😎 5y
See All 10 Comments
megnews Sing Unburied Sing was one of my favs last year. House on Mango Street was in my top 3 so far this year! Thanks for sharing! 5y
monalyisha @megnews Sounds like we have really similar taste! I‘ll have to pay special attention to your reviews. 😉 5y
Joreads I have read two of Jane Harper‘s books The Dry and the Lost Man. Loved them both. I‘m a quarter way through her third and it does not disappoint either 5y
Joreads @Kimberlone I need to read that series it‘s been on my list for ages 5y
LogiKitty Haven't read too many but! Sadie (Courtney Summers) was my #1, followed my Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Ransom Riggs), & lastly The Harvest (Alanah Andrews) 5y
ladyneverwhere Oh yay! I'm so glad those two are still so high up there for you. Heroine Complex and Difficult Women would definitely be up there in my top few for this year. And I finally get Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating from the library. . . But I didn't read it fast enough and had to return it 😜 5y
63 likes10 comments
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VioletBramble
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From In Search of the Least Abandoned Constellation :

The reader's face is a child's rapt face. The book is her latest soul, disguised as a more or less acceptable concrete object. The child is happy. The afternoon, a novel.

#poetry #poetrychallenge2019 for March.

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review
nelehelen
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Pickpick

4/5
I know nothing about poetry so I‘ve always breezed through them. But I found myself rereading Chen Chen‘s work multiple times and some of his lines stopped me in my tracks. And since I know nothing about poetry, I‘ll just leave you with one of my favorite lines:

“Seeing you run so beautifully on the track that afternoon, I wanted you to suffocate, breath-starved from all the miles you‘d run away from me.”

#ReadHarder2019

Reggie Yowza, that line. 5y
nelehelen @reggie i know! Beautiful 5y
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monalyisha
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I love seeing which titles get to be bookshelf buddies (&, weirdly, which friends get to hang out next to each other in my phone‘s contacts list 🤷‍♀️)! Chen Chen gets it. 💕

I don‘t have anything nearly as entertaining on my shelves, as most of my humor & pop culture books come from the Library, but I do love seeing Mary Daly‘s spine (from “Beyond God the Father”) rubbing up against Emerson‘s. Shaking up that God shit through the centuries!🙏🏻

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faelinwolf
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But every kind of someone needs
someone else to insist with. I need. If not the you
I have memorized & recited & mistaken

for the universe--another you.

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faelinwolf
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On Earth lately, I've been looking at everyone

like I love them, & maybe I do. Or maybe I only love
one person, & I'm beaming from it. Or actually

I just love myself, & I want people to know.

review
CorLie
Pickpick

I appreciate poetry; I don't really love it. This collection didn't change my mind. And yet I've posted three quotes. And it did make me laugh and cry and think - which is, I guess, what you ask from a book of poetry.

So while it is not my thing, it is good. Some of his lines are startlingly beautiful.

#ReadHarder
#ReadHarder2019
A collection of poetry published since 2014

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CorLie
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#ReadHarder
#ReadHarder2019
A collection of poetry published since 2014

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CorLie
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#ReadHarder
#ReadHarder2019
A collection of poetry published since 2014

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CorLie
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#ReadHarder
#ReadHarder2019
A collection of poetry published since 2014

review
Lindy
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Pickpick

Instead of my paltry review, here are Chen Chen‘s own words:

“Trying to get / over what my writer friend said, ‘All you write about is being gay or Chinese.‘ / Wish I had thought to say to him, ‘All you write about is being white / or an asshole.‘ Wish I had said, ‘No, I already write about everything—‘ / & everything is salt, noise, struggle, hair, / carrying, kisses, leaving, myth, popcorn, / mothers, bad habits, questions.”

#LGBTQ #poetry

Centique Love it 😍 5y
saresmoore I‘m so in! 5y
batsy ❤️ 5y
51 likes3 comments
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Lindy
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I‘ve got a library copy of this radioactive collection of poetry and I was thinking of getting my own copy because I feel reluctant to return it. Book Depository tells me today it won‘t arrive in time for Christmas. 11 months? That doesn‘t bode well. Fortunately, I know it will be at the library.

suzisteffen 😂😂😂👀👀👀 I know Canada mail has had some issues recently, but ... 5y
Lindy @suzisteffen I wonder if it‘s indefinitely out of stock, or perhaps this “not in time for Christmas” is an old message that didn‘t get updated once Christmas was passed. 5y
40 likes3 comments
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Lindy
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People person seeks paid internship in liking you as a friend, respecting you as a coworker. Serial monogamist seeks change of pace in slutting it up for the summer. Animal lover seeks entry-level position, teaching guinea pigs how to swim. Solitude lover seeks more of the same.

-from ‘“In This Economy”

(Internet photo)

BookBabe Adorable photo! 5y
Lindy @BookBabe Yes, I couldn‘t resist, even though I don‘t have the permissions to use it. It‘s available on shutterstock. 5y
LeahBergen This reminds me ... did you watch Tales of the Riverbank (Hammy Hamster) growing up? I loved it SO MUCH. 😆😆 5y
See All 9 Comments
Lindy @LeahBergen No, and now I‘m sad that I missed out on Hammy Hamster. 🐹 5y
LeahBergen I used to watch it every morning before elementary school in the 1970s and then they rereleased it in the 80s. 5y
LeahBergen Oh, and the Guinea pig‘s name was “GP”. 😆 5y
Lindy @LeahBergen I had to google that and I watched an episode. They went on a picnic. The rodents sniffing everything is almost as funny as the old guy who does all the voices. This is the episode description: Hammy the Hamster and chums in drama laden live action adventure. 😆 5y
LeahBergen Well, Hammy has a motorboat and an airplane, too. Oh! I also saw one where he plays the drums. 😂😂 5y
Lindy @LeahBergen The motorboat even has the putt putt. 😂 5y
45 likes9 comments
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Lindy
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I‘m envious of the clouds who can from time to time fall completely apart & everyone just says, “It‘s raining,” & someone might even bring cats & dogs into it, no one says, “Stop being so dramatic” or “You should see a professional.”

#LGBT #poetry
(Internet image)

batsy This image 🐱🐶❤️ 5y
41 likes1 comment
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Lindy
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Dreaming of one day being as fearless as a mango.
As friendly as a tomato. Merciless to chin & shirtfront.

#queer #poetry
(Internet photo)

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Lindy
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I tried to ask my parents to leave the room,
but not my life. It was very hard. Because the room
was the size
of my life.

#lgbt #poetry
(Author photo from Internet)

suzisteffen Great rec! I know this is available on my library‘s Hoopla & I can‘t wait to read it. 🏳️‍🌈 5y
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Lindy
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i pledge allegiance to the weather
report that promises more snow, plus freezing rain. though i would minus the pluvial & plus the multitude of messages pressed muddy into the perfectly mutable snow

#LGBT #poetry

review
monalyisha
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Pickpick

I want to be friends with Chen Chen. His poems are smart, creative, romantic, &, unexpectedly, fucking hilarious. The subject matter — racial identity, sexual identity, discrimination, loneliness, love, nature, pop culture, academia, sickness, death, & orgasms — doesn‘t automatically scream “laugh-a-minute,” but the poems *did* make me laugh.

*Review cont‘d 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/3: I will say that the collection felt young. Not necessarily immature just...young. But this isn‘t a criticism; I‘m not ageist. The young have vital things to say, too! Their voice is important. And honestly, I should be saying “our.” 😉 Despite radically different life experiences, I‘m pretty sure Chen Chen & I have age & residence (New England) in common. Not to mention that embarrassing Ayn Rand phase we both apparently went through. 🙈 (edited) 5y
monalyisha 2/3: A friend of Chen Chen‘s once criticized his work, saying that every poem was either about being gay or Chinese. And they are. Sure. And Moby Dick *is* about a whale. But that‘s not all they‘re about. His poetry is both specific & relatable. And isn‘t that the point? 5y
monalyisha 3/3: Chen Chen says, “My job is to trick adults into knowing they have hearts.” I think he succeeds. He also says, “My job is to trick myself into believing there are new ways to find impossible honey.” I think that‘s all of our jobs. I hope we all succeed. 5y
See All 8 Comments
Lindy Great review. 👍 5y
Redwritinghood Wonderful review! 5y
TrishB Definitely stacked! Sold that one to me. 5y
mcipher This is a fabulous review! 5y
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Lindy
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I thought you were my best friend,
but you‘re just a paperback copy
of Madame Bovary
I haven‘t been able to finish,
I‘ve been putting off
her suicide for weeks now,
it‘s unbearable to know
how someone will die, even a
made-up someone who does
unlikeable things

#LGBT #poetry #spoileralert

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monalyisha
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When I was sick, I had a fever-dream that Chen Chen had written a poem about Buffy. I was so stoked but not surprised. He‘s that cool.

Then, only AFTER I had this dream, I started following him on Instagram. I saw that he‘d posted a video of a little pug in the snow, named Mr. Giles. “That‘s curious,” I thought.🤔

I JUST finished his collection & in the acknowledgments...he thanks RUPERT GILES.

I am a powerful, psychic witch. ALERT THE PRESSES.

gradcat You are a cool woman! Alerting the presses now! (And I love Rupert Giles, too!) 🧙🏻‍♀️😍👌🏻 5y
julesG Always knew you're an awesome witch! 5y
See All 11 Comments
Johanna414 Amazing! 5y
Redwritinghood I am in awe. 5y
VioletBramble Work those witchy powers. They will only get stronger. Also, I'm stacking this book, it sounds amazing. 5y
monalyisha @gradcat At a previous job (as a professional writing tutor), my boss called me “Giles.” He knew that my real professional passion was with libraries. Giles is the freaking best. 5y
monalyisha @julesG @Johanna414 @Redwritinghood Thanks for being impressed. 🙃 5y
gradcat @monalyisha And he‘s not bad looking, either 😂 5y
BarbaraJean Hahaha!!! That‘s amazing! 5y
TheKidUpstairs I love EVERYTHING about this!!! 5y
71 likes1 stack add11 comments
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monalyisha
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#poemsbeforephones check-in:

5 poems this morning before reaching for technology! I think I‘m going to finish the collection today. There‘s not much left. I‘ll be sad when it‘s over! It‘s been a delight.✨

(Chen Chen‘s writer friend suffers from a profound lapse of imagination. Sit on it, writer friend. 🔩)

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monalyisha
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This collection is always making me wish that I could post entire poems instead of just select snippets. I finally decided to do just that today. But...I‘ll also include my favorite lines in case anyone is having a lazy Sunday 😉:

“It is time to show the universe what you are capable of,” says my horoscope, increasingly insistent this month. But what I am capable of is staring at the salt accident on the coffee table & thinking, “What sad salt.”

Redwritinghood Chen Chen is a real motivator. 😂😂 5y
Lindy I‘ve been delaying finishing this book because I don‘t want it to end. ✨ 5y
monalyisha @Redwritinghood 😆😅 Agreed! 5y
monalyisha @Lindy I know the feeling! 😭 5y
78 likes2 stack adds5 comments
blurb
monalyisha
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I‘m just realizing now that I forgot to post a #poemsbeforephones update this morning!

I read a SINGLE poem before starting my day. It was *that* kind of morning. 🙄 Still counts, though!

I finally have the day off tomorrow. And it should be snowing/raining. Sounds like the perfect opportunity for poetry in bed to me!

Redwritinghood It happens. I had one of those days earlier this week. 5y
83 likes1 comment
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monalyisha
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#totallynormal #dontworryaboutit

#poemsbeforephones checkin:
I read three poems this morning. My favorite was “For I Will Do/Undo What Was Done/Undone To Me,” which is about messages in the snow, weather patterns, & being a reader. I would‘ve chosen a passage from that but it really works best as a whole (& it‘s fairly long). Instead, please enjoy this weird salami sentiment! 🤷‍♀️

mcctrish I may need this book 5y
Redwritinghood That‘s kind of hilarious. 5y
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monalyisha
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#poemsbeforephones check-in:

I read four poems this morning. I also stayed home sick today (just with a cold; I‘ve been fighting it for what feels like forever). I fever-dreamed that Chen Chen had written a poem about Buffy & I wasn‘t even surprised. I like him *that* much that it didn‘t seem unlikely. 😆😅 I guess this is just as good. (Okay, okay. It‘s better.)

Redwritinghood I could see that - him writing a poem about Buffy. 5y
monalyisha @Redwritinghood I just started following him on Insta & he posted a video of his (?) dog. Guess what the dog‘s name is. Are you ready for this? It‘s MR. GILES. I‘m psychic! ⚰️ 5y
60 likes3 comments
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monalyisha
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#poemsbeforephones checkin:

I read three poems this morning & then stopped, because I had to, because the last one was SO freaking good.

I connected with this line, as my Bostonian past is also a mess of questions (or maybe ellipses? Question mark? 😅). I‘m not a New York kind-of gal, though. I think my Rhode Island present is better marked by semi-colons.

Which punctuation marks best represent the phases & places of your life?

MrBook The “?” and the “!”, usually in that order, lol. 5y
mrsmarch Rhody! I didn‘t realize you were my near neighbor. Hubs is a Bryant alumn. 5y
See All 8 Comments
monalyisha @mrsmarch Nice! Where are you? I‘m in Providence but I grew up in & now commute to Worcester for work! 5y
mrsmarch @monalyisha Providence to Worcester, barf!! Friends of ours lived on South Angell St for a while. I‘m in Quincy MA and I thought the once a week commute to Plymouth was onerous. 5y
monalyisha @mrsmarch Barf is right. 😅🤮 I have to embark on said commute in about 15 minutes, actually. At least I have Busy Philipps to keep me company today! Glad you‘re my (sort-of) neighbor! (edited) 5y
DivineDiana I am going to go with the exclamation point as well. Moved from the Baltimore suburbs to NYC for college and back and forth, two more times in my life. The City is definitely an !!! 5y
Redwritinghood I always think of mine as those series of marks they use to indicate swearing, like “!?#$@“. 5y
70 likes8 comments
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monalyisha
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#poemsbeforephones checkin:

I read 6 poems this morning. I continue to love Chen Chen‘s collection. 💕

Redwritinghood It‘s nice to see some life affirming poems after my morning poetry reading, which was a little bleak. 5y
monalyisha @Redwritinghood I bet! The word “release” (in your post) is definitely a little lighter/almost hopeful but man, oh man. Still not easy, for sure. Escape from suffering certainly isn‘t the same as life. 😔 Tough subject matter for waking up your brain & facing the day! 5y
59 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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monalyisha
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“Everyone is trying their best please remain calm you may experience some turbulence flatulence a touch of total nauseating love.”

#poemsbeforephones checkin:
I read four poems this morning. 🙌🏻
I also slept until ten. 😵😱💀
(This one reminds me a bit of the speech from Vonnegut‘s “God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater.” Similar vibe.)

Redwritinghood Sleeping until 10! 👍🏻👍🏻 I did that yesterday. 5y
cocomass Slept until 10 over here on the west coast too 😳 5y
monalyisha @cocomass @Redwritinghood Apparently it‘s the weekend for it! I woke up & felt like Rip Van Winkle! 😆 5y
64 likes3 comments
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monalyisha
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#poemsbeforephones checkin:

I read three poems this morning before touching technology. I wish I had time to read more. This collection is SO, SO GOOD.

IamIamIam Seeing this in real life but not with my mom. It's really a strong sentiment. Great post! 5y
ohyeahthatgirl I listened to Tracy K. Smith read this on her podcast and cried. The form of poetry sometimes throws me, so I subscribed to The Slowdown so Smith could read it to me haha. 5y
85 likes1 stack add2 comments
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monalyisha
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😆😅

I started a new collection today, “When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilties.” l read four poems this morning. I‘m really digging it so far.

#poemsbeforephones

alisiakae I love the hashtag! 5y
monalyisha Thanks @4thhouseontheleft! It‘s one of my new year‘s resolutions. Instead of reaching for my phone first thing in the morning, I reach for a book of poetry. You can join if you want! We‘ve got a little crew going (the tagged Littens). 💖 5y
Hestapleton “God is not a good listener” is KILLING me. 😂❤️ 5y
See All 9 Comments
monalyisha @Hestapleton The balance of humor & insight in each of the poems I‘ve read is SO on-point. 👌🏻 5y
alisiakae What a great idea! But it conflicts with my early morning zero inbox goal in trying to keep a clean inbox. 😂😂😂 That‘s the time of day I‘ve set aside to clean out and respond to emails. I‘m reading a daily meditation book each morning a bit later when I have my tea. 5y
Elizabeth2 @Monalyisha what a lovely idea. @4thhouseontheleft that‘s a lofty goal! 😉 5y
DivineDiana @4thhouseontheleft Good luck! 👍🏻 5y
Redwritinghood Yay! This one is pretty good. 5y
71 likes9 comments
blurb
monalyisha
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I forgot my book at home (again) today 😩.

These are the titles I have on-hand to peruse during my lunch break. At this rate, I‘m never going to finish the three books I need to by the end of the year. Why am I so scatterbrained? GAHD.

At least this rabbit puppet makes everything a little better.

valeriegeary Life advice: rabbit puppets make everything better 😂🐰 5y
monalyisha @valeriegeary Rabbits both real & imaginary! 💖🐰 5y
Clare-Dragonfly It‘s true! 🐰😍 5y
73 likes3 comments
review
Redwritinghood
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Pickpick

Good debut poetry collection about love, being an immigrant in the US, and his relationship with his mother. Much of this centers around him being gay and the struggle for acceptance by his mother. While many of the poems are relatable and wise, I often felt that he didn‘t go deep enough with emotion or use of language. 3.5⭐️ Available on #Hoopla.

74 likes1 stack add
review
elizabethlk
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Pickpick

This is a genuinely excellent collection of poetry. Chen Chen manages to bring a sense of humour and pain and intellectualism to poems about everything from love to sexuality to immigration to race to health to family and so on. Well worth the read, and highly recommended.

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RhiannonAdmidas
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#Sunday Reading 🌼 #Poetry #Coffee

MeikeReads I love that dog mug! :-) 6y
JoScho Welcome to Litsy! I hope you love it here 💖 6y
11 likes2 comments
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MatchlessMarie
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monalyisha 💖🙌🏻 6y
75 likes1 comment
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MatchlessMarie
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Bio worthy👌😅 #PoetryChallenge2018

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MatchlessMarie
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“I‘m envious of the clouds who can from
time to time
fall completely apart & everyone just
says, It‘s raining,
& someone might even bring cats &
dogs into it,
no one says, Stop being so dramatic or
You should see
a professional.”
#rain #quotsymarch18 #poetrychallenge2018

TK-421 👏👏👏 6y
65 likes2 stack adds1 comment
review
bookaddict86
Mehso-so

3.5/5 stars

blurb
bookaddict86

The writing is interesting but i have enjoyed this read so far. Almost done with it. :)

review
BiblioNyan
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Pickpick

One of the most honest & unfiltered poetry collections that I‘ve ever read. Chen brilliantly examines what it means to be an immigrant, the Other, gay in a cultural society filled with homophobia, & more.

This is what modern poetry should be: raw & sublime. It was magnificent & should be read by anyone who‘s ever felt the prejudice of being Queer, or an immigrant. 5/5.

#poetry #diversebooks #chineselit

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