Her entry begins:I am a poet who is cross-dressing into writing fiction. Therefore, my reading shelf is, to say the least, eclectic:Among the praise for Revenge of the Mooncake Vixen:
At this moment, I am re-reading favorite books. Here are three important books on my shelf that I revisit often:
First of all, I am rereading Cane by Jean Toomer, Liveright edition, with Darwin Turner's introduction. The book is a compilation of poetic prose vignettes, mixed with poetry and spirituals. A good example of a hybrid esthetics. This Harlem Renaissance gem was rediscovered in the 60s. I want to give a shout out to this book and encourage all poets and fiction writers to...[read on]
“Wildly profane and funny riffs on folklore, chronicling the adventures of two very modern Chinese-American sisters…. A fresh, chaotic and sexy updating of the cross-cultural experience.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Based on classical Chinese mythology, ghost stories, and legends, Chin’s unconventional coming-of-age novel is a frothy and tart exploration of the Asian immigrant experience.”
—Carol Haggas, Booklist
Chin's other books include Rhapsody in Plain Yellow (Paterson Book Prize, 2003), The Phoenix Gone, the Terrace Empty (P.E.N. Josephine Miles Award, 1994) and Dwarf Bamboo (nominated for the Bay Area Book Reviewer's Award in 1987). Her books have become Asian American classics and are taught in numerous classrooms nationally. She also co-edited Dissident Song, a Contemporary Asian American Anthology (1991) and co-translated The Selected Poems of Ai Qing, Indiana University Press, 1985. Her poetry has been anthologized in The Oxford Anthology of Modern American Poetry, the Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry, the Norton Introduction to Literature, and The Best American Poetry 1996, edited by Adrienne Rich, among others.Writers Read: Marilyn Chin.
--Marshal Zeringue
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