In this reading and artist talk, Chrysanthemum will read selections from "About Face", a new poetry manuscript that unveils the often-contradictory histories of pathology — the method of marking sickness — by slicing apart medical and legal classifications of race and sex. She will discuss how she transforms a nagging question into poetry, detailing how these poems emerged from her vantage point as an Asian American trans community health worker, and how the fatigue of hyper-visibility and representation wheels her poems’ obsession with illegibility.
Chrysanthemum Tran is a writer, performance artist, community historian, and educator who became the first trans woman finalist of the Women of the World Poetry Slam. Her poetry marries historical research with lived experience as a Vietnamese American queer attempting to renegotiate family after estrangement, which she describes as “a diaspora within diaspora”.
Content Advisory: This convocation will discuss abuse, family trauma, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and political controversy. This may be distressing for some. This advisory is provided to foster an informed decision and is not intended to discourage attendance.