Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency

YOUR EMERGENCY CONTACT HAS EXPERIENCED AN EMERGENCY

By Chen Chen

In a society/culture, the voices that speak the strongest in terms of the truths and representations of it aren’t the business moguls, nor the politicians. It is the voice of the artist, the author, the poet, the performing artist, that says the most and makes the most impact. Spoken Word is right up there, in every culture. That being said, I am happy to bring to you Chen Chen’s poetry collection Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency.

As an LGBT Asian American, Chen changes the narrative and the perception in his works through his variety of the styles of poems. Many of his poems reflect seasons. In his series “A Small Book of Questions,” he acknowledges his inspiration by poet Bhanu Kapil. “Chen No Middle Name Chen” stands out by only using the letters included in the title—now I’m curious to find more anagram poems.

Chen brings us humor, pathos, tragedy, and joy. He challenges the boxes that American society tries to put him in, and brings another perspective to relationships, racism, homophobia, education, and parents, to name but a few. His takes on his relationship with his partner and his mother give us a deep dive into his truth and navigating the spaces in that truth. The mass shootings at Pulse, No. 45’s term of office, and COVID are no exception.

I appreciate Chen for his recognition of other Asian poets throughout this collection, and I encourage you to check them out. This is his second poetry collection; he holds an MFA from Syracuse University and a Ph.D. from Texas Tech University, with works that have appeared in numerous publications.

Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced and Emergency is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s City of Books, and BOA Editions, Ltd.

Thank you, Chen, for your poetic voice. Thank you for changing the narrative, and thus the perception. Representation matters!