"As a child, I remember trying to understand the differences between Germany, the U.S., and the Philippines. In this poem, I explore what it was like to spend Christmas in the Philippines. In writing this, I wanted to capture that confusion and the feeling of being in this home country during the holidays, how even as a child I wanted to make sense of these disparate worlds."
"In his debut poetry collection, Reenactments: Poems and Translations, Phan, the son of Vietnamese refugees, confronts his inheritance of Vietnam War history as a 1.5-generation Vietnamese American. Phan’s collection centers on the concept of reenactment—a recreated experience, a repeated performance, a translated act."
Poetry Daily stands with the Black community. We oppose racism, oppression, and police brutality. We will continue to amplify diverse voices in the poetry world. Black Lives Matter.
"I’m not that old, but I’ve lived long enough to know that the lion’s share of my life is behind me. I know there are relationships I can’t hold on to, and places I can’t return to. I’m just beginning to see 'real time,' the arc of almost half a century, and how the generational waves, both violent and beautiful, define our species."
