Artist in Residence for Southern Methodist University’s Project Poëtica in Dallas. Including a poetry reading, class visits, and individual meetings with undergraduate students. More details to come.
At the Unreliable Narrator bookstore. Hosted by Rachel Wiley and Anna Parade. More info.
Panel with Franny Choi (We Radiant Things). I’ll be talking about my craft book, In Cahoots with the Rabbit God. More details to come.
To celebrate the pub day for my craft book, In Cahoots with the Rabbit God, I’ll be delivering a 45-minute craft talk, followed by 15-minute Q&A.
Gods, Rabbits, Comrades: Poetry as Social & Spiritual Practice
Pulling from his December 2026 collection of craft essays, In Cahoots with the Rabbit God, Chen Chen will offer selections to challenge notions of the poet as pure ethereal being, always singing, eternally solitary. In place of lofty transcendence, this socially engaged and deeply personal discussion brings poetry back down to earth, back to the body and the senses, back to sensual experience and everyday life, to ask, What can poetry do in times of upheaval and alienation?
Getting Unstuck
In this generative workshop, we’ll discuss and practice two key strategies for moving through creative frustration: 1) turning to visual art and 2) addressing our beloveds in new ways. We’ll look at “Hemlock, 1956” by Victoria Chang, which responds to a painting by Joan Mitchell, then write our own responses. And we’ll examine “All My Friends, Assemble!” by Gabrielle Calvocoressi, which reimagines community, then write toward our own refreshed notions of gathering and belonging. Participants can expect to draft at least two new pieces. Come prepared to dream and experiment wildly.
I’ll be reading from my book of craft essays, In Cahoots with the Rabbit God, at JustBook-ish in Boston. More info to come.
I’ll be reading an essay from In Cahoots with the Rabbit God and interviewing Dan Kraines following a reading from his debut collection Strap at Writers & Books in Rochester, NY. More info to come.
I’ll be reading poems (and maybe an essay!) for this reading series in Toronto. More details to come.
Metaphorically But Also Quite Literally
In this generative workshop, we’ll explore how the best metaphors are usually grounded in strong imagery and surprising detail. We’ll take a look at model poems by Linda Gregg, Charif Shanahan, Michelle Peñaloza, Yuki Tanaka, and others. Taking inspiration from these works, we’ll dive into our own experiments with metaphor. We’ll also discuss the limitations of metaphor and when it’s important to eschew it, in favor of other literary and rhetorical strategies. When is completely direct and literal better? Participants can expect to draft at least three new pieces. Come prepared to dream, leap, try, try again.
*
More details to come.
With T Bambrick and Tiana Clark. More details to come.
I’ll be teaching a poetry workshop, giving a craft talk, and meeting with students. More details to come.
Reading and Q&A. 12 pm to 1 pm UK time. Free and open to the public. Hosted by StAnza Poetry in partnership with Open Book.
Open Book will also host a reading session looking at Chen Chen's work on 14th October, and a creative writing session in response to his work on the 28th October.
8:00 to 10:00 PM IST / 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM EDT
Generative workshop for The Coven, an online poetry community for women in India
Happy Poems!
Do they exist? If they do, can they be as good as the poems that wreck us? Can a happy poem wreck us? And how can we avoid sentimentality or is that a risk we just need to take? In this generative session, we’ll look at Ross Gay’s essay, “Joy Is Such a Human Madness” (from his collection The Book of Delights) as a compass for our discussion and a starting point for writing about/from/through happiness, joy, and pleasure. Within the genre of happy poem, we’ll think about poems that celebrate love, sex, community, and connection of various kinds. We’ll examine some model poems by Ross Gay and by others, including Czesław Miłosz, Aracelis Girmay, Michelle Peñaloza, Derrick Austin, Joseph O. Legaspi, and Lucille Clifton. Writing prompts will be provided and participants can expect to draft at least three new poems. Come prepared to engage in jubilant experimentation.
Fourth annual Masquerade Ball hosted by Poetry Society of New York at Pen + Brush Gallery in New York City. I’ll be reading poems as part of this fundraiser event. More info + buy tickets.
You can expect…
Typewriter poets
Tarot & astrology readers
Palmists & dream interpreters
Performances from prestigious poets, drag artists, & burlesque dancers
Live & silent auctions
Cocktails from our open bar
Interactive installations
And more...
Your donations will fund PSNY’s free-to-attend events, scholarships for workshops, and put money directly into the hands of working artists.
In this generative workshop we’ll discuss poems that transform the autobiographical into the magical—and we’ll write our own poems that attempt to do the same. We’ll look at short but deeply impactful poems by Wo Chan, Lucille Clifton, Leila Chatti, Jenny George, and Kazim Ali. Participants can expect to draft at least three pieces and there will be time to share excerpts generated during the session. Open to those working in any genre who are interested in fresh approaches to autobiographical material. Come prepared to dream and experiment.
Hudson Valley Writers Center [Virtual]
In this 6-week class we will read with great appetite and delight. We will engage with multiple histories and ways of knowing. We will dream. Write. Rewrite. We will risk and wreck and rebuild.
**Please note this is a new session, added after the April workshop sold out. **
This 6-week class meets on Zoom from 6:00-8:00 p.m. (EST) on September 14, 21, 28, October 5, 12, and 19.
Four-week, in-person workshop at Writers & Books in Rochester, NY.
Inspired by recent discourse on the complexities of friendship, this multi-genre class will explore an eclectic range of approaches to writing about/from friendship. We’ll start by discussing Mary Ruefle’s Pushcart Prize-winning essay “Dear Friends” before diving into friendship-focused work by several other poets and writers. For the first three sessions I’ll provide prompts and exercises; participants can expect to generate at least three drafts per week. The last session will be devoted to workshopping poems. We’ll think about what friendship means in an era of friending and following, of political upheavals and generational divides as well as intersections. Writers of all genres are welcome to this gathering of texts, questions, and—one can hope—friends.
In the KGB Red Room - NYC.
Hosted by Riley Mac & Montana James.
Reading with Mary Neely, Coumbah Sidibé, Jacqueline Kramer, & CAConrad.
Hosted by Nicole Tallman, Poet Laureate of Miami, in partnership with JackLeg Press.
Reading with Ben Kline & Richie Hofmann.
Open mic to follow the featured readings.
I’ll be working one-on-one with two young writers this month, guiding them through revising drafts and generating new work, as well as submitting their poems to literary journals.
Official description:
During weekly Zoom sessions, students receive personalized feedback on specific writing pieces, on general writing habits, and on the larger ambitions that shape both their work and their creative goals. Every session is built around a customized path of discussions, readings, and prompts — designed to take a young writer further into writing (and the literary world!) than they've ever been before.
The Image That Haunts
Louise Glück defined poetry simply yet expansively as “that which haunts.” As demonstrated in her own work, and as all the finest poets across time understand, strong imagery is an essential ingredient for creating a rich, full haunting. In this two-hour masterclass led by award-winning poet Chen Chen, participants will read and discuss poems that model the strange, urgent, and memorable qualities we seek in lyric imagery. Guided by Carl Philips, Rick Barot, Mary Ruefle, and Victoria Chang, participants will draft at least three of their own image-focused poems during the session in response to generative prompts. This class is designed for intermediate to advanced students or practitioners of poetry.
I’ll be teaching a morning revision-oriented poetry workshop, co-teaching two afternoon sessions, meeting with mentees, and doing a faculty reading.
I’ll be giving the reading with Sam Herschel Wein from our collab chapbook, Love That For Us.
And the two afternoon sessions I’ll be co-teaching are:
with Paige Ackerson-Kiely—
HOW TO GIVE A READING
We’ll discuss best practices for giving readings. We’ll share stories from our own experiences—the good, the bad, and the extremely awkward. There will be an opportunity to practice performing very brief pieces in small breakout groups. Writers of all genres are welcome to join.
with Sam Herschel Wein—
DIVAS UP: COLLABORATION MAKES YOUR WRITING BETTER
Have you ever been diva down in the writing dumps? Tired of flying Han Solo through the literary galaxy? You need to Diva UP with your bff—or a lovely classmate!—and make COLLABORATIVE art together, invent your own Milky Way of lyric wonders! In this workshop, we will investigate how the collaborative process can reconjure and reoomph your creativity. We will move (figuratively, physically, metaphysically) through a series of togetherness experiments, group playtime, and 1-on-1 collective crafts.
Join us for a reading and celebration of LGBTQIA+ love poems published in Ploughshares, featuring Kelli Russell Agodon, Chen Chen, Eileen Myles, Jacques J. Rancourt, Jaz Sufi, and Mark Wunderlich! The event will be co-hosted by Ploughshares' Editor-in-chief Jenny Molberg and Senior Poetry Reader Kit Freeman.
This event is free and open to the public. More info + RSVP.
At Paul Smith’s College in Paul Smith’s NY. I’ll be teaching generative workshops and giving a reading. Other faculty include Kevin Bertolero, Christopher Citro, Deirdre Coyle, Brian Hall, Sylvia Jones, Ashley Mayne, Michael J. Seidlinger, and Kem Joy Ukwu.
Zoom reunion for faculty and participants of last year’s inaugural Pocantico writing residency through Hudson Valley Writers Center. Readings + workshops.
On Sunday, June 7 I’ll be teaching a one-hour generative session at 2:00pm EST and then I’ll be part of a reading at 4:00pm EST.
The reading is open to the public. More info + get pay-what-you-wish tickets.
Three-hour generative workshop on Google Meet for Poet Camp.
Very Short & Very Very Short Poems
Brevity is the soul of wit, said William (you know which one), but my soul (and maybe yours?) struggles to be brief. In this generative session we will look at model poems (brilliant brevities!) by Linda Gregg, Lucille Clifton, Leila Chatti, Jenny George, Victoria Chang, and Kevin Bertolero. We’ll discuss the various challenges that short forms present and various strategies or lyric windows through those hurdles. In between each handful of poems, we’ll write. Participants can expect to draft at least three new pieces and there will be time at the end to share a snippet of what you’ve made (totally optional, of course). Whether you adore writing short poems or find them daunting (or both!) we’ll read, talk, and do our dreamiest.
Sam & I will be reading from our collab chapbook, Love That For Us, at The Unreliable Narrator bookstore in Rochester, NY. More info to come.
I’ll be the featured reader for this online event moderated/hosted by Court Harler. Lisa Hartsgrove, Jaz, and Eileen Toomey will also be reading. More info + register.
*
Friends & Features: Celebrate the Poets
Where established authors meet emerging voices.
Join us for an intimate virtual gathering where writers at various stages of their journeys come together to share their craft. Our literary salon features a renowned guest author alongside three voices from our vibrant writing community.
What to Expect:
Featured Reading: A celebrated poet shares insights from their latest work, offering a glimpse into their writing process and inspiration.
Community Voices: Three poets from our organization read an excerpt of their work.
Q&A and Discussion: Join in an interactive conversation about craft, inspiration, and the writing life.
Virtual Mingling: Hang out afterwards for informal networking and connection.
This unique format celebrates both literary excellence and the power of community, giving our members the rare opportunity to share the stage with established authors while connecting with fellow writers. Whether you’re published or just beginning your journey, you’ll find inspiration, encouragement, and meaningful connections.
Reading with Michelle Peñaloza at Clovis Community College in Fresno, CA as part of a celebration of the end of National Poetry Month and the beginning of AAPI Heritage Month. After the reading there will be a brief Q&A and then a book signing.
I’ll also be visiting Von Torres’s Honors Ethnic Studies class and teaching a generative workshop focused on innovative approaches to autobiographical poetry. We’ll look at poems by three contemporary Asian American poets and do some writing of our own.
Reading, followed by Q&A and signing at The Siren and The Sea bookstore & coffee shop in Rochester, NY. Copies of my books, including my new chapbook Love That For Us, will be available for purchase.
Origin Stories: Poems of Self-Discovery
In this generative workshop we’ll discuss poems that transform the autobiographical into the magical—and we’ll write our own poems that attempt to do the same. We’ll look at short but deeply impactful poems by Wo Chan, Lucille Clifton, Leila Chatti, Jenny George, and Kazim Ali. Participants can expect to draft at least three pieces and there will be time to share excerpts generated during the session. Open to those working in any genre who are interested in fresh approaches to autobiographical material. Come prepared to dream and experiment.
Poems of Fire & Tenderness
How can a political poem also be a love poem? How can a poem of fiery outrage be, at the same time, a poem of tenderness? In this generative session we’ll take a look at four examples that manage to offer both care and ferocity while responding to recent/ongoing injustices. In between reading and discussing each model poem, we’ll do some writing of our own (prompts will be provided). And there will be time toward the end of the session for a Q&A and any (totally optional) sharing of work generated during our time together.
More details to come.
Sat. 4/18
1:30-2:30pm Reading + Book Signing
*
3:30-4:30pm Generative Session - “Poems of Fire & Tenderness”
How can a political poem also be a love poem? How can a poem of fiery outrage be, at the same time, a poem of tenderness? In this generative session we’ll take a look at three examples that manage to offer both care and ferocity while responding to recent/ongoing injustices. In between reading and discussing each model poem, we’ll do some writing of our own (prompts will be provided). And there will be time toward the end of the session for a Q&A and any (totally optional) sharing of work generated during our time together.
//
Hudson Valley Writers Center [Virtual]
In this 6-week class we will read with great appetite and delight. We will engage with multiple histories and ways of knowing. We will dream. Write. Rewrite. We will risk and wreck and rebuild.
This 6-week class meets on Zoom from 6:00-8:00 p.m. (EST) on April 13, 20, 27, May 4, 11, and 18.
Zoom launch event for Grant Chemidlin’s new collection of poetry, In the Middle of a Better World. Hosted by Tova Greene. Reading with Shou Jie Eng, Keetje Kuipers, and Grant Chemidlin. Followed by a brief conversation between Tova and Grant, plus audience Q&A.
14:00 – 18:00 | Byre: Level 2 Foyer | £5 – drop in
No need to book in advance – drop in and pay on the door.
An intimate one-to-one performance, for your ears only. Pour a cup of tea, get cosy, and pick up the phone to hear Chen Chen’s wit and warmth (14.00 – 16.00) or Mary Ruefle’s singular magic (16.00 – 18.00) in this private, long-distance encounter.
I’ll be participating in the following off-site readings & book fair signings:
Wednesday, March 4th
The Importance of Being Earnest: Writers on Cringe
Red Emma’s Bookstore Coffeehouse, 5:00-7:30pm
Neon Night Mic
Old Major, 7:00-10:00pm (I’ll be reading in the 9:00-10:00 hour)
Thursday, March 5th
SMU’s Project Poëtica & Deep Vellum
Pratt Street Ale House, 6:00 pm- 9:00 pm
(I’ll be reading for Spotted Ponies: The Collected Zines in the 7:20-7:40pm block with another poet)
Friday, March 6th
Signing for Spotted Ponies: The Collected Zines
SMU’s Project Poëtica + Deep Vellum in the book fair - booth #1282, 1:00-1:30pm
Poets of the Hour
Signing with Sam Herschel Wein (Love That For Us + our own individual chapbooks)
ONLY POEMS in the book fair - booth #446, 4:00-5:00pm
Serious Poets, Playful Poems
American Visionary Art Museum, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 7th
Signing at Boa Editions
Boa Editions in the book fair - booth #1163, 2:00-2:30pm
Love That For Us AWP launch
with Sam Herschel Wein (co-writer) & Kevin Bertolero (publisher at & Change)
7:30pm, location TBA
Reading with Rob Macaisa Colgate, Gabrielle Hogan, and Sam Herschel Wein at Women & Children First bookstore in Chicago.
Reading with Michelle Peñaloza, Morgan Parker, & Jonathan Chou.
Origin Stories: Poems of Self-Discovery
In this generative workshop we’ll discuss poems that transform the autobiographical into the magical—and we’ll write our own poems that attempt to do the same. We’ll look at short but deeply impactful poems by Wo Chan, Lucille Clifton, Leila Chatti, Jenny George, and Kazim Ali. Participants can expect to draft at least three pieces and there will be time to share excerpts generated during the session. Open to those working in any genre who are interested in fresh approaches to autobiographical material. Come prepared to dream and experiment.