Hi friends! 2021 has been flying by because I was busy with moving in January, and then immediately got busy with various writing, editorial, and translation projects, so I have not updated this website for quite a while.
I have been a really irregular blogger, but now I am doing a summary of my various recent publications and updates from 2021 so far all in one shot to fill in folks who haven’t been following me elsewhere online. Will try to be better about regular updates in the future.
Publications
In January and February, I published my translations of many of Qiu Jin’s poems on Asymptote and LARB China Channel, which you can read online. Some of the poems were later republished by NüVoices, which also interviewed me about my writing and translation practice for their podcast.
Here is my favourite poem from the batch:
Spontaneous Thoughts
in the rhyme of Yu Xuanji’s poem following a verse on the three sisters Guang, Wei, and PouAt the vanity table, I meet two immortal talents with delight.
On the travellers’ road, weeds adrift, until it’s March once more.
Facing the clear mirror, alone and bleak, my Black Bird hair.
Closing the window, I languish away as my jade-green gown loosens.Ten lines of fine verse I admire, resting my hand on my chest.
A new scroll of poetry, flowing freely from deep within.
Daoyun, her eminence widespread like fragrance, sadly a woman.
Mulan, a free-spirited warrior, didn’t remain a man.Who can carry on singing the refined notes of ‘White Snow’?
I blush with shame as I stride eagerly towards ‘Bright Spring’.
In the courtyard, lingering, the singsong of warblers.
Old nests remain and await returning swallows’ chirping.To often toss aside needlework for a love of music.
To always strip off hair ornaments to pay for books.
For a humble reputation in the afterlife, the Leopard hides behind fog.
In the undertaking that lies ahead, pests spew poisonous sand.Socializing in frivolous ways exhausts all my sentiments.
I have long tasted pungent bitterness on the path of life.
Freshly brewed rice wine, living to the fullest, tipsy under blossoms.
The Yellow Court Classic, an idle search for wisdom among tranquility.When no one else shares my tune, what is the point of sighing?
To meet a soulmate who knows the same songs, I’d willingly die.
Sorrowfully I gaze towards my hometown, across misty waters.
Sandalwood clappers should stop singing ‘Memories of Jiang’nan.’
In June 2021, I also had a personal essay, “Barriers, Privileges, and Invisible Labor: A Sino Diaspora Translator’s Perspective,” come out in Words Without Borders, which was widely shared by LitHub Weekly and Singapore Unbound. Thank you so much to the wonderful team at WWB for commissioning this essay!
Instead of asking “if anyone can translate anyone,” here are some questions I think it is important for translators to consider instead: Why do you want to translate a particular project? Do you have the ability and knowledge to understand the work’s nuances and handle them with care as you translate into the target language? Are you an ideal fit for the project as a translator, not only in terms of conventionally valued skills such as language abilities and a history of publishing translations, but also in terms of often overlooked and ignored factors such as lived experiences, cultural expertise, and personal ties to the subject matter? Have racialized translators and marginalized translators had their chance yet to translate these types of works yet, especially the ones depicting culturally specific experiences or experiences of oppressed peoples, and been widely supported in doing so? What impact might your translation have on the literary traditions you’re translating from and into, and on the people who are a part of those living communities and cultures?
Then, more recently, in August, my poem “The Reality of Ghosts,” appeared in Fantasy Magazine. Thank you so much to the editors Arley and Christie! I am so grateful for the positive reviews I have received and to see it featured on this Tor Nightfire’s list of August 2021’s Best Horror Fiction and Poetry.
News and Updates
I have slowly been sending out more of my work this recently, so I am really honored that my short story “The Silence of Farewells” was longlisted for the 2021 Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction. The story is still on submission at other places, and I hope to share it one day when it’s published.
In June, I completed the wonderful and life-changing Clarion West Writers Workshop, where I wrote 5 short stories, critiqued many more, and received some incredible feedback from mentors and peers that really helped me make good progress on my short story collection-in-progress. I am continuing to revise this project for the rest of the year.
Finally, yesterday, the American Literary Translators Association announced that I am one of the ten 2021 Virtual Travel Fellows this year. I am so honored and grateful to ALTA and the judges, and am really happy that my translations of Qiu Jin’s poetry received this incredible honor. I look forward to reading my translations at a public online reading in October during the ALTA conference.
In addition to the ALTA Virtual Fellow reading in October, I will also be appearing at some other events later this year, and I will try to announce the details closer to the date. I am also returning to work on more wuxia writing because I am doing a year-long writing mentorship with Larissa Lai and Gigi Chang thanks to an early career development grant from the BC Arts Council.
Please feel free to check my Twitter for more regularly updates. All the best!
