Without knowing that, I was also reading “Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, and Marriage” while I was reading “Landbridge.” I love the way Munro writes contradictory characters. Like Alice Munro, she is from Goderich, a small town in Ontario. Before, I did not have the words and now I do because of her. I’ve been thinking about the language that she left behind that affirms my writing. The late writer Y-Dang Troeung wrote a scholarly book called “Refugee Lifeworlds” and a memoir called “Landbridge” that is forthcoming. The book was in my pile to read for a long time. I read “The God of Small Things ” by Arundhati Roy, whose heavy use of rich similes and sensory language really excited me as a poet. New York City is where I truly began to emerge, and I still consider the city my home as a poet.Īre there any books or authors that have significantly influenced your writing style or themes? Then I found myself as a prospective student at New York University, sitting in on Yusef Komunyakaa’s class, and again, I was moved by people who were committed to taking the time to write and discuss poems. I wrote bad poems and treated everything I had to say with urgency.įrom there I wrote and wrote, took creative writing workshops, and tried to find other poets who were also writing so I could learn from them. Their words activated in me a willingness to share my story but to first ask which stories I was even interested in telling. It was exciting to hear regular people talk about their lives with strangers in such intimate ways. I’m from a small town, and in Washington, D.C., where I studied international studies, I was exposed to open mics for the first time. ![]() I wish I was, so that I could see a sliver of how my imagination began to take root. Growing up, I loved reading, but I am not one of those writers who wrote poems as a kid and can look back on them now as an adult. I was 19 years old, and I guess rhyming was a baby step toward the poetry that I would read and write later on. How did you begin your journey as a writer? Sok shared recently about her work and her journey as a poet. The Soniat Reading series, named in honor of former professor Katherine “Bonnie” Soniat, alternates annually between fiction writers and poets. Virginia Tech MFA in creative writing students selected Sok as the Soniat Reader for 2023-24. Her works have graced the pages of publications such as the American Poetry Review, Paris Review, and Kenyon Review. ![]() An alumna of New York University's Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing, she was a Jones Lecturer at Stanford University and at the Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants in Oakland, California. Sok’s accolades include the 2018 Discovery Poetry Prize from 92Y and a 2017 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry. in the Creativity and Innovation District's performance hall. ![]() in 370/380 Shanks Hall followed by a reading at 7:30 p.m. These events, free and open to all, will begin with a craft talk at 3:30 p.m. 11, the poet and author of “A Nail the Evening Hangs On” will present her work at Virginia Tech. While the simple act of lighting a candle marks the beginning of Monica Sok’s writing process, her verses radiate with the luminosity of her Cambodian lineage, the shadows of familial trauma, and the fervent desire to safeguard cultural narratives.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |