author
Chen Chen
A poet and educator whose work blends wit, tenderness, and sharp emotional insight, often exploring queerness, family, and immigrant experience. His poems are known for feeling both playful and deeply felt at the same time.
1 Audiobook
水滸後傳
by Chen Chen
About the author
Born in Xiamen, China, and raised in Massachusetts, Chen Chen is a Chinese American poet whose writing has earned wide recognition. His debut collection, When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities (2017), was longlisted for the National Book Award for Poetry and won the A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize.
He later published Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency (2022), and his official bio also notes a third collection, Quintessential Earthly Activities, forthcoming in spring 2027. Alongside his books, he has written multiple chapbooks and has taught and worked in poetry communities and MFA programs.
Chen Chen’s poems often bring together humor, vulnerability, and close attention to identity, love, grief, and everyday life. That mix has made him a standout contemporary voice for readers who want poetry that is lively, moving, and unafraid of complexity.