Poetry Path: Chen Chen

Chen Chen is a Chinese-American poet. His debut poetry collection, When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities (BOA Editions, 2017) won the Thom Gunn Award, and was longlisted for the National Book Award. His work appears in many poetry publications, including The Best American Poetry (2015, 2019) and Poetry magazine. His work explores his intersecting identities, and the voices and diction that fit within one poem.

Photo by Daniel Terna

Chen Chen, “Set the Garden on Fire” from Set the Garden on Fire (Porkbelly Press, 2014). Used with the permission of the author.

The Poetry Path is made possible through a partnership with Battery Park City Authority, partners in design and fabrication of the Poetry Path, with additional support from our Outreach Partner, Goldman Sachs. Special thanks to the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Foundation for funding the Poetry Path planning process, and to the Marcia Brady Tucker Foundation for supporting Poetry Path educational initiatives for youth and children.