Quarantine Session #102: Paul Tran + Yanyi

Summary

Paul Tran joined us virtually from lush, violet-lit quarters in Oakland for the virtual launch of their scintillating debut collection of poems, All the Flowers Kneeling. In a conversation with award-winning poet and critic Yanyi that both dug deeply into craft and cast its sights on the farthest horizons of becoming, they delved into the work of transforming trauma into monuments that honor one’s past selves and forebears and how “the actualized poem requires the actualization of the poet.” (Recorded February 17, 2022)