Translating the Divided Self into Poetry

Dr. Jennifer Wong

***All are welcome***

Abstract:
Combining a poetry reading with critical discussion, I will explore the notion of poetry as translation. How do we articulate the contradictions or ambivalences within the divided self? For a writer who inhabits different continents and languages, how can she, he or they capture the sense of ambivalence and belonging within the divided self?

I will discuss the various definitions of diasporic literature and the limitations of these categories, with examples from the works of 2-3 contemporary (Hong Kong) Anglophone Chinese poets covered in my book, Identity, Home and Writing Elsewhere in Contemporary Chinese Diaspora Poetry (Bloomsbury, 2023).

In particular, I will reflect on how multilingual writers reconcile their identities. How do they navigate family history, whereby the personal and the collective are intertwined with one’s socio-historical landscapes?

Bio:
Jennifer Wong was born and raised in Hong Kong and now lives in the UK. She has a creative writing PhD from Oxford Brookes University. Wong is the author of 回家 Letters Home (Nine Arches Press, 2020), which was named the PBS Spring 2020 Wild Card Choice. She has taught creative writing at Poetry School, Oxford Brookes University, City Lit and was writer in residence at Wasafiri in 2011. Her book, Identity, Home and Writing Elsewhere in Contemporary Chinese Diaspora Poetry was published by Bloomsbury in 2023.